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How to Point Your Domain to GoDaddy

This guide shows you how to make a domain open a website hosted at GoDaddy. You can change nameservers or edit the A record.

Domains and DNS2 min read11 steps

What does "point a domain" mean?

A domain is your website's address. DNS is like a phone book for the internet. It turns that address into a number that computers understand. Pointing a domain means telling the phone book to send visitors to GoDaddy's servers.

GoDaddy is another hosting and domain company. Use this guide when your domain is managed in a Hostvento account, or elsewhere, and the site is on GoDaddy hosting.

Before you start

  • Log in to GoDaddy and find the nameservers or the IP address of your hosting. An IP address is the number address of a server.
  • Copy those values exactly. Do not guess them.
  • Save your current DNS records. A mistake can take your site or email offline.

Method 1: change nameservers

Nameservers are the computers that answer questions about your domain. This hands the whole domain's DNS to GoDaddy.

  1. Log in to where the domain is registered. For a domain registered with Hostvento, use https://secure.hostvento.com/clientarea.php.
  2. Go to Domains and then My Domains.
  3. Click the domain and open Management Tools, then Nameservers.
  4. Choose custom nameservers.
  5. Type in the GoDaddy nameservers.
  6. Click Change Nameservers.

Method 2: edit the A record

Use this if you want to keep email or other services where they are now. An A record points a name to a number address.

  1. Open the DNS zone editor where your nameservers currently point.
  2. Find the A record with host @. It stands for the bare domain.
  3. Change its value to the IP address of your GoDaddy hosting.
  4. Make sure the www record points to the bare domain, or has the same IP address.
  5. Save.

Add the domain on the GoDaddy side

GoDaddy hosting must also know your domain. In your hosting control panel, add it as a domain or addon domain. Pick the folder that holds your website files.

Tip: Changes take minutes up to a day or more to spread. This is called propagation. Try a private browser window when you test.

Stuck? Open a ticket at https://secure.hostvento.com/submitticket.php.

Quick recap

  • Get nameservers or the IP address from GoDaddy.
  • Change nameservers, or edit the A record.
  • Add the domain in the GoDaddy hosting panel.
  • Wait for propagation, then test.