Common problems
Most domains move without a hitch. When one does not, it is usually one of the things below. If none of them fits, message us from your SayVel dashboard and tell us what you see on the lookup page.
DNSSEC
Section titled “DNSSEC”DNSSEC is an optional security feature. When it is on, your domain’s records carry a digital signature, and your registrar holds a matching piece of information about it called a DS record. The lookup shows it as Delegation Signed under DNSSEC Information. Unsigned means DNSSEC is off.
If DNSSEC is on and you change your nameservers, the signature no longer matches, and some visitors will not be able to reach your site. So it has to be turned off first, and there is a wait before the nameservers can change.
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Sign in to your registrar and open the settings for your domain.
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Look for a setting called DNSSEC, or for DS records. Turn DNSSEC off, or remove the DS record. Each registrar words this differently. If you cannot find it, ask your registrar’s support to turn it off.
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Wait. Cloudflare’s help pages say the old information can take a day or two to clear everywhere, commonly 24 to 48 hours for most domain endings.
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Run the lookup again. When Delegation Signed says Unsigned, change your nameservers using your registrar’s guide.
If you changed the nameservers before the wait was over and some visitors cannot reach your site, message us. Do not change anything else in the meantime.
Your dashboard has not changed
Section titled “Your dashboard has not changed”You changed the nameservers, and a while later your SayVel dashboard still does not show that your domain is set up. Check these in order.
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Look at your registrar again. Sign in and confirm the change saved. Some registrars ask for a code first, and the change does not happen until you enter it.
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Check that only our two are listed. Your domain should have the two nameservers on your SayVel dashboard and nothing else. Cloudflare says that if any other nameserver is listed, the setup cannot finish. Remove the old ones.
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Check for typos. Copy the two nameservers from your dashboard and paste them in, rather than typing them.
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Check DNSSEC. If it was on, see DNSSEC.
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Give it time. Registrars say the change can take up to 48 hours. See your registrar’s guide for what it says.
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Compare with the lookup. Run the lookup. If the nameservers shown there are not the two on your dashboard, the change has not reached the registry yet.
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Ask us to look. Our system checks on a schedule, and the checks get farther apart as time passes. We can look again for you.
The www address
Section titled “The www address”Your SayVel site’s main address is your domain without the www, like yourbusiness.com. If someone types www.yourbusiness.com, we send them to the main address, so both reach your site.
If the www address shows an old page, an error, or a security warning after your change has had time to finish, message us and tell us exactly what you see. Include the address you typed.
A locked domain
Section titled “A locked domain”Registrars often put locks on a domain to protect it. Most locks are harmless for us. A few stop the nameserver change, or stop a transfer. You can see which ones apply in the Domain Status line of the lookup. The lookup shows each one as a single word with capital letters in the middle, like the ones below.
- clientTransferProhibited
This stops the domain from moving to another registrar. It does not stop a nameserver change. It is common and usually nothing to worry about. You only need it lifted if you are transferring the domain, as with Wix or Cloudflare.
- clientUpdateProhibited
ICANN says this status makes the registry reject requests to update the domain. A nameserver change is an update, so this lock can block it. Ask your registrar to remove it.
- clientHold
This means the domain is switched off and does not resolve. ICANN says it is usually used for a legal dispute, for non-payment, or when a domain is about to be deleted. Contact your registrar. Check that your domain is paid up and that the contact email address on it is correct.
- serverHold
This status is set by the registry that runs your domain ending, not by your registrar. The domain is not active in DNS. It can mean there is a problem that needs sorting out. Contact your registrar.
- serverUpdateProhibited
A stronger kind of update lock, set at the registry. It is uncommon. ICANN says it is usually used for legal disputes, at the owner’s request, or when a domain is in a redemption period after missing a renewal. Contact your registrar.
When you ask a registrar to lift a lock, say which status you see, and say you are the owner and want to change your nameservers. Then tell us once it is lifted.
If your registrar says the domain’s contact email has not been verified, look in that inbox for a message from your registrar and follow its link. Cloudflare’s help pages say that ICANN requires registrars to hold a domain until the contact email is verified, and that the hold goes away once you finish.
Your registrar has no nameserver setting
Section titled “Your registrar has no nameserver setting”Some companies act as your registrar but do not show a place to change nameservers. Cloudflare’s help pages describe this too. Your choices are to transfer the domain to a registrar that allows it, or to ask the company’s support to change the nameservers for you. Message us first, and we can tell you which route is the smallest.
The company on the lookup is not the one you pay
Section titled “The company on the lookup is not the one you pay”Some services, like website builders, sell domains as a reseller. The lookup may show a registrar you have never heard of, while you sign in to the website builder to manage your domain. In that case, change the nameservers inside the website builder, not at the registrar named on the lookup. If you cannot find the setting, see the section above.