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 Bluehost DNS
Bluehost offers two ways to manage DNS: through their custom Bluehost Portal or through cPanel's Zone Editor. Both paths modify the same records. The Bluehost Portal is simpler; cPanel gives more control.
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.
Option A: Bluehost Portal
- Sign in to your Bluehost account.
- Click Domains in the left menu.
- Select your domain.
- Click the DNS tab.
- Scroll to Manage Advanced DNS Records.
- Find the A record for your root domain and click Edit.
- Enter the IP address from Orchid.
- Click Save.
Option B: cPanel Zone Editor
- Sign in to Bluehost.
- Click Advanced in the left menu.
- Click Manage under cPanel.
- In the Domains section, click Zone Editor.
- Click Manage next to your domain.
- Find the A record and click Edit, or click Add Record to create a new one.
- Enter the Orchid IP address and click Save Record.
Updating the CNAME Record (www)
- In either editor, find the CNAME record for www.
- Click Edit.
- Change the target to the Orchid hostname.
- Click Save Record.
Important Bluehost Notes
- Two editors, same records. Changes in the Bluehost Portal appear in cPanel and vice versa.
- CNAME conflicts. A CNAME cannot coexist with an A, MX, or TXT record on the same hostname.
- Lower TTL in advance. Default TTL is 14400 seconds (4 hours). If you know the DNS change is coming, lower TTL to 300 seconds 24–72 hours beforehand so caches expire faster.
- Avoid duplicate records. Remove old records before creating new ones for the same hostname.
TTL and Propagation
Default TTL is 14400 seconds (4 hours). Minimum is 14400 for standard hosting; premium DNS customers can go as low as 2 minutes. Propagation typically takes 24–48 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.