What Are DNS Records and Why They Matter
What are DNS records? Most business owners don’t think about them until something stops working. Your website might not load. Your email might stop coming through. You might be setting up an email license or an email newsletter and suddenly you are told to “add DNS records” and it feels very techy and a little geeky.
That’s normal.
This is one of those parts of websites and email that people tend to avoid because it feels complicated. DNS records definitely do not have to be confusing. We’ll break these records down and make them easy to follow and make sense. All with minimal geek speak.
This is also where working with the right website hosting partner matters. The right partner can make this confusion go away and handle these updates for you when needed.
What Is DNS?
DNS stands for Domain Name System. That’s just a techy way of saying it translates a domain name into an IP address. DNS records allow internet traffic to knows where to go.
Now let’s say that in a normal way.
DNS is like the contacts in your phone. You tap on a name, not a phone number. Your phone already knows the number behind that name and makes the call.
The internet works the same way.
When someone types in your domain name, the DNS knows the server where the website is stored. When someone sends an email, DNS routes that email to the correct inbox.
All of this is done in the background. Fast. Quiet. Seamlessly. You will never see it happening or working. DNS is always working.
What These Records Actually Do
DNS records are the instructions inside that system.
On the technical side, DNS records are stored on DNS servers and they control how your domain connects to different services. That includes your website, your email, your email newsletter tools, and more.
Now let’s simplify that.
DNS records tell internet traffic where to go and how to work.
They tell the internet:
- where your website is stored
- where your email should be delivered
- how your domain connects to other tools
When someone types in your domain name, DNS records get them to the right server. When an email is sent, DNS records make sure it lands in the right inbox.
Most Common Types
What are DNS records in real use? This is where it starts to come together.
There are a few common types of DNS records you will run into. You do not need to memorize them. But having a basic idea of what they do can make things much less frustrating.
If any of this DNS management starts to feel confusing or overwhelming or techy or geeky, that’s totally normal. You can always reach out to us at Full Scope Creative and we’d be happy to go through it with you, even if you don’t host with us.
A Record
An A record pairs your domain name to the IP address of the server hosting your website OR the dedicated IP of your website.
It links your domain – the user, really – to your website.
When someone types in yourdomain.com, the A record tells the browser which server has the website. This most commonly points to a dedicated IP address that is for your website.
CNAME Record
A CNAME record directs one domain name to another.
A common example is the www version of your site. The CNAME makes it so hat if someone types in www.yourdomain.com or just yourdomain.com, the website still loads.
It is also used when connecting your domain to third party tools like ads platforms or website builders.
TXT Record
A TXT record stores text instructions inside your DNS.
Simple version, it is used for verification and setup.
You will see this when connecting tools like Google Analytics or Google Search Console. They will give you a TXT record to prove that you own and control your domain.
This is also where a lot of email related setup starts to happen, which brings us to the next section.
DNS Records for Email (MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
These records are some of the most important of the DNS records.
If these are not set correctly, your email will not work. And for most businesses, if email goes down, things get tough very quickly.
These records are not just for newsletters. They are used for all business emails. That includes Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and any email marketing platform.
If you have ever set up email or a newsletter platform, you have likely seen these before. Email DNS records help establish that your emails and newsletters are legitimate and really from you. Without these records, your emails can end up in spam folders.
MX Records
MX records tell email where to go.
They tell incoming email what the correct server and inbox are.
If you use Google Workspace, for example, the MX records will tell all incoming emails to go to Google’s email servers. MX records make it so that when someone emails you, the email gets to the right place: your inbox.
SPF Records
SPF records define who is allowed to send email from your domain.
Simple version, they say which systems are allowed to send email as you.
If you use tools like Mailchimp or a CRM, those tools need permission to send emails using your domain. SPF records help verify that those emails are legitimate and not spam.
DKIM Records
DKIM records add a digital signature to your emails.
Simple version, they help confirm the email has not been changed.
This builds trust with email providers and helps improve deliverability. It works alongside SPF to prove that your emails are real.
DMARC Records
DMARC records let email providers know what to do if something doesn’t look right.
Simple version, they add rules and reporting.
If an email fails SPF or DKIM checks, DMARC can tell the receiving inbox whether to allow it, mark it as spam, or block it entirely. This protection helps to keep your domain from being spoofed or used in malicious ways.
Where You Manage DNS Records
This is where a lot of confusion comes from.
The DNS records are not always managed or updated in the same place as your website. This could be done through the domain registrar, hosting provider, or a system such as Cloudflare.
This can make it tricky to find them.
If you are looking for them, common places to check are:
- DNS settings
- Name servers
- Zone editor
These are usually found in your domain or hosting account.
If you’re not sure where your DNS records are managed, reach out to Full Scope Creative. If we know either where your domain is registered or where your website is hosted, we can help locate the DNS management provider.
What Happens When You Make Updates
When you update DNS records, the changes are not instant.
They need to propagate across all the DNS servers. Those servers are all around the world.
This can take a few minutes or up 24 to 72 hours. Many updates take effect in an hour. Full propagation simply takes time.
Think of it like changing your phone number. It is going to take some time for all of your contacts to get the update. Once they do, they can start using the new number.
The same thing happens with DNS.
We go deeper into this in another article on our site where we walk through what to expect during DNS propagation and how it works step by step.
Common DNS Mistakes Businesses Make
We see this all the time.
DNS records are easy to get wrong if you are not working with them often.
A common mistake is deleting the wrong record. You might have a number of TXT or CNAME records. Removing the wrong one can cause email to stop working or the website to not load.
Another is overwriting email settings. Adding a new record the wrong way can override existing email records and suddenly emails stop coming through.
Copy and paste errors are also very common. This is why we prefer to have direct access when setting records. Copying directly from the source is much more accurate than typing from a screenshot. If something is wrong, it means doing it again and waiting through another round of propagation.
And finally, not knowing where DNS is hosted. This alone can slow everything down because you are not even in the right place to make updates.
Why DNS Records Matter More Than You Think
DNS records touch a lot more than people realize.
They impact your website, your email, your branding, your communication, and even parts of your sales process.
They affect:
- website uptime
- email reliability
- security
- integrations
- spam prevention
This can be confusing. But it doesn’t have to be.
This is why for small businesses, working with the right hosting partner is so important. Your hosting provider should be willing and able to help manage these records and make updates as needed. At Full Scope Creative, updating DNS records is included in our yearly hosting fee.
Now You Know What DNS Records Are and That They Don’t Have to Be Complicated
What are DNS records? They are the instructions that tell the internet how your domain works, where your website lives, and how your email functions.
Most business owners do not deal with these records often. And really, they shouldn’t. Having confusion, even frustration, with DNS records is completely normal. It is one of the more techy and geeky parts of managing a website, email, and domain name.
That is also why having a trusted partner matters.
At Full Scope Creative, we handle this for our clients all the time. Sometimes that means adding records for a new tool. Sometimes it means fixing something that broke. A lot of times, it is as simple as a client sending us a screenshot and we take care of the rest.
If you are on our Security Essentials hosting plan, this is all part of what we do. No extra fees. No confusion. Just handled.
Even if you are not hosting with us and you get stuck or something feels off, reach out. We are always happy to some time and help make sense of DNS records.