Point a DreamHost domain at your church website

Do this

1. 1Publish your site first. Set to DNS Only takes your old DreamHost site offline the second you confirm.
2. 2Open Manage Email in the left menu. If your church email is listed on this domain, stop and tell us before going further.
3. 3Websites → Manage Websites → your domain → Manage → Settings. Under Non-Hosting Options, click Set to DNS Only.
4. 4A second Set to DNS Only button appears. Click it. Then the red Yes, Set to DNS Only. If there was no Non-Hosting Options section, the domain is already DNS Only — go on.
5. 5Back on Manage Websites, click the three dots by your domain, then DNS Settings. Check your MX rows are still listed. If they have gone, stop and tell us.
6. 6Add Record. Hover A Record and click ADD. Host blank. Points to the address from the domain screen. Click Add Record to save — same name, second button.
7. 7Add Record. Hover CNAME Record and click ADD. Host www. Points to the value from the domain screen. Click Add Record to save.
8. 8Back to the domain screen. It says Live on its own.

4 traps

• DNS Only firstA hosted DreamHost domain comes with four A records: blank, www, ssh, ftp. The pencil icon is only on records you added, so you cannot delete them one at a time. Set to DNS Only is the only way off them.
• Redirect is not DNS OnlyNon-Hosting Options also offers Redirect, Mirror and Park. All three keep DreamHost answering for the domain and your new site never shows. Pick DNS Only.
• It says Points toHost is the name field. Points to is the value field. Leave Host blank for the bare domain. DreamHost fills in @ itself.
• Nameservers must be DreamHost'sScroll to the bottom of DNS Settings. It must list ns1.dreamhost.com, ns2.dreamhost.com and ns3.dreamhost.com. Anything else and the panel saves records nobody reads. Do not change them yourself — nameservers carry your church email too. Tell us instead.

Do not touch

MX · TXT · NS · SOA. MX is your church email — deleting one stops mail silently. On these screens do not click Delete or Remove — that takes the domain's whole DNS with it.

Not working

• Nothing after 6 hoursDreamHost allows an A record up to 6 hours. Before that, wait. After that, check the nameservers at the bottom of DNS Settings. Do not change them yourself — tell us.
• Panel refused the recordThe old hosting records are still there. Set the domain to DNS Only.
• Old DreamHost site still loadsDNS Only was never confirmed, or the A record did not save.
• One address works, not the otherOne record did not save. Re-open DNS Settings and check both.
• Domain is not on Manage WebsitesDomains → Manage Domains. Click DNS by your domain. Not there either means the domain is registered somewhere else — use that registrar's guide. Do not click Add Website; that adds hosting and its own A records.
• Email stoppedAn MX record was edited. Tell us, do not keep changing.