Orchid eCommerce DNS Setup: After your Orchid eCommerce mock website is approved, follow these steps to point your domain to the Orchid hosting environment. Your Orchid implementation consultant will provide the exact IP address or CNAME target to use.
About GoDaddy DNS
GoDaddy is one of the largest domain registrars worldwide. Their DNS management is accessible through the Domain Settings page. GoDaddy is DNS-only — they do not proxy traffic like Cloudflare, so your records point directly to the destination server.
Before You Start
- Confirm you have admin/owner access to your domain registrar account.
- Get the target IP address (for A records) or CNAME hostname (for CNAME records) from your Orchid implementation consultant.
- Note your current DNS records before making changes — screenshot or write them down as a backup.
- If you use email on this domain (e.g., you@yourdomain.com), do not change MX records — only modify A and/or CNAME records as instructed.
- DNS changes can take 15 minutes to 48 hours to fully propagate worldwide.
Step-by-Step: Update A Record (Root Domain)
- Sign in to your GoDaddy account.
- Navigate to My Products (or Domain Portfolio).
- Click on your domain name to open Domain Settings.
- Select the DNS tab.
- Find the existing A record with Name: @ (this is your root domain).
- Click the pencil icon to edit it.
- In the Value field, enter the IP address provided by Orchid.
- Set TTL to 1 Hour (default).
- Click Save.
Step-by-Step: Update CNAME Record (www subdomain)
- On the same DNS management page, find the CNAME record with Name: www.
- Click the pencil icon to edit.
- In the Value field, enter the CNAME target hostname provided by Orchid.
- Click Save.
If no www CNAME exists, click Add New Record, select CNAME, enter www as the Name, and the Orchid hostname as the Value.
Important GoDaddy Notes
- Delete the parked-domain A record first. GoDaddy adds a default A record pointing to their placeholder page. Delete it before adding your Orchid IP, or you will have conflicting records.
- Disable Domain Forwarding. If forwarding is enabled (check the Forwarding section on the DNS page), it overrides A/CNAME records. Turn it off first.
- No CNAME on root domain. GoDaddy does not allow a CNAME on the bare domain (@). Use an A record for @ and a CNAME for www.
- Remove duplicate records. Having two A records for @ causes unpredictable behavior.
TTL and Propagation
Default TTL is 1 hour. Options include 30 minutes, 1 hour, 12 hours, 24 hours, and 1 week. Most changes take effect within 1 hour, but full global propagation can take up to 48 hours.
Verifying Your DNS Changes
After saving your records, verify propagation:
- Open a terminal or command prompt.
- Run:
nslookup yourdomain.com(replace with your actual domain). - Confirm the returned IP address matches the one provided by Orchid.
- Alternatively, use an online tool like whatsmydns.net to check global propagation.
If your domain still shows the old site after 48 hours, clear your browser cache, try an incognito window, or contact your Orchid consultant.
Need help? If you're uncomfortable making DNS changes, your Orchid implementation consultant can walk you through it on a screen-share. Submit a support ticket to schedule.