Change a Business Website Without Disrupting Email

A website move and an email move are different projects, even when the same domain name appears in both addresses. Before changing hosting, identify who runs the domain's DNS and where mail is delivered. The most avoidable mistake is changing or canceling a service without realizing it also controls email.

Draw the current arrangement

Record the domain registrar, DNS provider, website host, and email provider. They may be one company or four. Save the current DNS records and the provider's account details in a secure place. In particular, identify the records the mail provider says it needs, including mail-routing and authentication records. Do not copy generic settings from another business; DNS must match the actual provider.

Ask who receives domain and hosting renewal notices. Confirm the owner can access the relevant accounts before scheduling any change. If a contractor holds the only login, resolve authorized access first.

Plan the website change separately

Decide whether the work is only a redesign on the existing host, a move to a new host, or a transfer of domain registration. Each has different effects. Write down exactly which DNS entries will change and which should remain. If the website vendor proposes changing nameservers, ask them to account for the full existing DNS zone, including mail, before the cutover.

Choose a time when someone can test and respond to problems. Have a rollback plan based on the existing settings and a current website backup. DNS changes may not be visible everywhere at once, so allow for a transition period rather than promising an exact minute of completion.

Test both directions

After the site change, send mail to the business from an outside account and send mail from the business to an outside account. Check replies and any forms that deliver to the business inbox. A website that loads does not prove email works. Likewise, mail working does not prove a contact form is delivering.

This article is about preserving mail during a site change. For the broader control map, see who controls the domain and website accounts. Switchboard's Web Design and Website Repair service can help plan a legitimate migration after the actual account layout is known.

See also

• Website handover checklist — to document access after the move.
• Audit website subscriptions — before canceling a service tied to mail or DNS.