Changing your DNS settings to point to a different IP address

Your DNS settings provide the link between your custom domain name and the IP address of the network where Wild Apricot is hosting your site. When you set up a custom domain, or when Wild Apricot changes its IP address, you'll need to get your DNS settings updated to point to the new IP address at 34.226.77.200.

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To get your DNS settings updated, you'll need to contact your domain name provider – the company that is hosting your custom domain name – or access your domain name account online.

Don't know who your domain name provider is? Click here then enter your domain name in the field and click the Search button. Within the search results – or further down in the raw details – look for the name of your domain name provider in the Registrar field.

The domain setup process differs from one domain registrar to another, so we have provided generic instructions, and specific instructions for those with GoDaddy and Network Solutions accounts.

Instructions to give your domain name provider

If you want your domain name provider to make the changes to your DNS settings for you – either by phone or by email – explain to them that you need to change which IP address your domain name is pointing to. Then, ask them to do two things:

1. Confirm the following CNAME setting:
   CNAME 
Name: www 
Value: sites.wildapricot.org
   If your CNAME setting is different, ask them to change it to match the above.
2. Change your A record to match the following:
   A record 
Name: yourdomain.org 
Value: 34.226.77.200
   where yourdomain.org is your custom domain name. Make sure they update the existing A record and do not create another A record.

If you're communicating with your domain name provider by email, you could just copy and paste the following email template:

Please help change which IP address my <yourdomain.org> is pointing to by making the following changes to my DNS settings:
 
1) CNAME
Name: www
Value: sites.wildapricot.org
 
2) A record
Name: yourdomain.org
Value: 34.226.77.200

Please update the existing A record and do not create another A record.

Within your email, replace both occurrences of yourdomain.org with your custom domain name.

Generic instructions for updating the settings yourself

If you want to set up your DNS yourself, following the instructions below.

Check the CNAME record

Confirm that the canonical name (CNAME) of www for your DNS servers points to sites.wildapricot.org.

Name: www
Value: sites.wildapricot.org

If not, adjust the CNAME setting accordingly.

Change the A record

If you already have an A record set up to point to Wild Apricot's IP address, you need to change it to point to 34.226.77.200.

Name: @
Value: 34.226.77.200

The required value of Name could vary from provider to provider. In most cases, you would use @ or yourdomain.org. It may also not be required, in which case it would be blank. Follow up with your domain provider support for more details.

Make sure you update the existing A record and do not create another A record.

Updating the settings from your GoDaddy account

To change your DNS settings from your GoDaddy account, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your GoDaddy account at http://www.godaddy.com.
2. From your account page, click the Manage button within the Domains section.
3. For the domain that you are using for your Wild Apricot site, click the Settings drop-down and select the Manage DNS option.
4. Within the row where Type = A and Name = @, click the pencil icon to enter edit mode.
5. Enter 34.226.77.200 in the Points to field, then click Save.
6. Within the row where Type = CNAME and Name = www, click the pencil icon.
7. Enter sites.wildapricot.org in the Points to field, then click Save.

Updating the settings from your Network Solutions account

To change your DNS settings from your Network Solutions account, follow these steps:

1. Log into your Network solutions account and click Manage Account.
2. Within Account Manager, click My Domain Names.
3. Select the domain name you want to change and select Manage.
4. In the green box, select Change Where Domain Points.
5. Select Advanced DNS.
6. Click on Edit A Records.
7. Set @ (none) to 34.226.77.200 and click Continue.
8. Click on Edit CNAME Records.
9. Set www to sites.wildapricot.org and click Continue.

How to tell if your custom domain is pointing to the new IP address

To check whether your custom domain is pointing to the new IP address, go to the Website module (by clicking the Website menu) then click Domain name (under Site settings).

On the Domain name management screen that appears, click the Check button beside each of your custom domain names. If your custom domain is pointing to the new IP address, a checkmark and a status of Correct will be displayed.

Remember, it can take between several days for your domain name provider to make the change, and several more days for the changes to propagate throughout the Internet, so don't panic if you continue to see your domain name setup flagged as invalid for a few days after updating your settings.