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SayVel Help

Keep your DNS where it is

The usual way to use your domain with SayVel is to move your nameservers. This page is for the other way: you leave your nameservers, and everything else at your DNS host, exactly as they are, and add a few records instead.

Who this suits

Section titled “Who this suits”
  • Someone else runs your DNS, such as an IT company, and you would rather not change who does.
  • Your email and other services are set up the way you want, and you do not want to touch any of it.
  • You have tried the move and it is not an option for your domain.

If none of that fits, the nameserver move is simpler: once it is done, we look after the records for you.

What changes

Section titled “What changes”

Your site lives at www.yourbusiness.com. That is the address your visitors end up on. The plain yourbusiness.com forwards to it.

We never touch your nameservers or your email records. You add three records and one forward.

What you add Where What it does
A www record of type CNAME, pointing to sites.sayvel.com Your DNS host Sends www.yourbusiness.com to your SayVel site
A TXT record that proves the name is yours Your DNS host Lets us serve your site on that name
A TXT record for the certificate Your DNS host Lets us get the padlock (HTTPS) for that name
A forward from yourbusiness.com to https://www.yourbusiness.com Your registrar Sends people who type the plain name to your site

Your dashboard shows the exact name and value for each TXT record. They are different for every domain, so copy them from there.

You choose when it goes live: the two TXT records are added first and change nothing visitors see, and the www record and the forward come last.

The steps, in two parts

Section titled “The steps, in two parts”

The two TXT records change nothing your visitors see, so you add them first. The www record and the forward are what put your site on your domain, so they come last, when you are ready.

Part 1: get ready. Nothing visible changes.

  1. Tell us you want to keep your DNS where it is. Message us from your dashboard. When we have set it up, your domain page shows your two TXT records, with a Copy button on each name and value.

  2. Sign in where your DNS is managed. This is your DNS host, which is often your registrar. If you are not sure, find where your domain lives.

  3. Add the two TXT records, copying each name and value exactly from your dashboard. Some DNS hosts add your domain to the name for you. If the name you type already ends with your domain, leave your domain off.

  4. Wait for your dashboard to show that your name is proven and your certificate is ready. Look at your preview while you wait.

Part 2: go live, when you say.

  1. Add the www record: type CNAME, name www, value sites.sayvel.com. Your domain page shows it, and the forward, once your name is proven and your certificate is ready. If a www record already exists, change it to this one. A name can only have one. From this moment www.yourbusiness.com shows your SayVel site.

  2. At your registrar, find Domain forwarding or URL redirect. Forward yourbusiness.com to https://www.yourbusiness.com. Choose a permanent forward if you are asked.

  3. Leave everything else alone, including your nameservers and your mail records.

Then your dashboard tells you

Section titled “Then your dashboard tells you”

Your domain page lists what has been done so far, the same way it does for the nameserver move: your name proven as yours, your certificate issued, your www record seen, and your site live. Records can take a little while to spread. Your dashboard checks for you.

Checking it yourself

Section titled “Checking it yourself”
  1. Open a private or incognito window and go to https://www.yourbusiness.com. After part 2, it should show your SayVel site.
  2. Go to the plain yourbusiness.com too, once with http:// in front and once with https://. Both should end up at www. If one of them does not, tell us from your dashboard. Registrars differ in how well their forwards handle the secure address.
  3. Send and receive a test email. Nothing about email should have changed.

Changing your mind

Section titled “Changing your mind”

To move your nameservers later instead, follow Move your DNS to SayVel. Tell us from your dashboard first, so we copy your records across before you switch.

To stop using SayVel on your domain, delete the www record and the two TXT records, and turn off the forward.