/ Support / Guides / Domains / Connect Existing Domains / Domainz

This guide will take you through each step on how to connect your existing domain with Domainz to your Dazzly website. If you don't yet have a domain see our guide to registering a new domain with Dazzly.

time required 10-20 minutes

If you haven't already, please make sure you have signed up to a monthly or annual plan in order to proceed with connecting your domain. View our guide to choosing a plan or pricing page for more information.
Please note: This guide is for existing domains already purchased with Domainz. For new domains, we recommend registering through Dazzly.

  1. Sign-in to Dazzly and go the 'Domains' page

    Firstly, login to dazzly and go the 'Domains' page in the menu. Click the blue 'Connect Existing Domain' button.

    screenshot showing the dazzly domains page
    The 'Domains' page within dazzly

  2. Add your existing domain

    In this example we'll be using our existing domain: mountalbert.co.nz

    Enter your existing domain name (without the www) and then press 'Add Domain'. Once you have done this it will take several seconds to process after which you should then see your domain added with the status: Pending

    screenshot typing in existing domain name
    Enter in your existing domain without the www.
    screenshot showing connected domain pending
    Domain added to Dazzly as Pending.

  3. Click the blue 'Setup Required' button

    This will open up a window showing you the next steps you need to take. Dazzly will attempt to detect which provider your domain is currently with and direct you to the correct guide.

    You should see a red 'required' label next to Step 1 along with the first DNS record we need to set.

    screenshot showing 'setup required' button
    Click the 'Setup required' button.
    screenshot showing 3 steps to connect your existing domain
    3 Steps are required to connect your domain to dazzly.

  4. Login to your Domainz account

    Login to your Domainz account open external link icon and select your domain, for this example we're using mountalbert.co.nz

    screenshot of the domainz login page
    Login to Domainz to manage your Domain. The login link can often be found at the top of the page.
    screenshot of domainz dashboard page
    Once you login to the dashboard, select 'Edit DNS' on the domain you would like to connect.

    If you already have an existing website online and you're not comfortable making changes to your domain records, get in touch with your local IT support and they can help you through this guide.

  5. Create the record from Step 1

    Under the 'Add a zone record' section, select 'CNAME' from the dropdown menu and then the 'Create new record' button.

    screenshot showing the add record ui in domainz
    Select CNAME and then click/tap the 'Create new record' button to show the new record inputs.

    Copy the text from the first line of Step 1 into the 'NAME' text box under to the New CNAME Record label.

    screenshots showing copying the first part of the CNAME record to domainz
    Copy the text from the first line and paste into the NAME field in Domainz.

    Copy the text from second line in Step 1 into the 'HOST' field.

    screenshots showing copying the second part of the CNAME record to domainz
    Copy the text from the second line and paste it into the HOST field in Domainz.

    Click the 'ADD RECORD' button to add the record.

  6. Wait for the record to be verified

    After successfully adding the CNAME record from Step 1, we need to wait a few minutes for Dazzly to verify the record. You can periodically click the 'Check Status' button to check if is has been verified.

    Please note in rare cases it can take up to 48 hours for Domain record changes to take effect.

    screenshot showing the 'check status' button
    Click the blue 'Check Status' button to check if the record has been updated.

    If the record is still not verified after 15-30 minutes or so please contact support and we can look into this for you.

  7. Create the record from Step 2

    Once the record from Step 1 is verified, you should see a green 'complete' label next to Step 1. Step 2 should now be showing another CNAME record. If no new record is showing, click the 'Check Status' button to check again.

    Back in Domainz we need to check for an existing 'A' record for www. If this record exists then remove it, otherwise check if an existing 'CNAME' for www exists, if so we can update it. If no records for www exist, we'll need to add a new CNAME record the same way as in step 5.

    screenshot showing add record within domainz
    If the record already exists, then skip this step.

    Enter www into the NAME input field next to the domain name. Then copy the value from Dazzly into the HOST input field.

    screenshots showing the www record within domainz
    Verify that www is in the NAME field, and the value (ending in cloudfront.net) is in the HOST field.

    Click the orange button to save the record.

  8. Create the record from Step 3

    In Domainz, check for an existing 'A' record under Current zone records with an empty Record name. We want to update the record that is blank, e.g. mountalbert.co.nz (no characters/letters before the domain name). If this record exists you can update, otherwise create a new record as in step 5.

    Copy 13.211.41.71 into the HOST input field.

    The NAME field should be set to empty/blank.

    screenshot showing updating an A record
    Make sure NAME is blank and the HOST is 13.211.41.71

    Click the orange button to save the record.

  9. Wait for the records to be verified

    Like the first record we had to enter, these last 2 records will also take a few minutes to verify. You can click the 'Check Status' button to periodically check this.

    screenshot showing 'check status' button to check domain status
    Click the blue 'Check Status' button to check if the records have been updated.

    If the record is still not verified after 15-30 minutes please contact support and we can look into this for you.

  10. Your existing domain is successfully connected to your Dazzly website!

    Once the last 2 records are verified, your domain is now connected to your Dazzly website. Sometimes it can take several minutes for this to fully take effect across the Internet, but you should be able to type your domain into your browser to visit your new website!

    screenshot showing all 3 DNS record steps complete
    All the steps will show complete when the records have been successfully updated.
    screenshot showing domain successfully connected to your website
    Your domain will be marked as Active once the setup is complete.

    If your website is still not showing after 1 hour, please contact support and we'll look into this further.