Ever wondered what makes your domain name actually work? It’s all thanks to nameservers.
If you’re growing your trade into a full business, having a professional online presence is a must. But when you start dealing with domains and hosting, things can get confusing fast. One question we hear all the time is: what are nameservers? Let’s break it down in plain English.
What are Nameservers? And why should you care?
Nameservers simply connect your domain name to where the settings for that domain name are held, which is called the DNS. In other words, it connects your domain to the DNS.
Without the nameservers being set correctly, your domain name wouldn’t be able to send traffic to the desired places, even if the DNS is set up the right way.
🔷 Your domain name is just the address, like yourbusiness.com.au.
🔷 The DNS holds the instructions, routes, and settings that tell traffic and users where your website and emails are.
🔷 Nameservers connect the two, making sure everything works smoothly.
Quick note: your domain name and DNS can be with different companies, and nameservers make that possible.
For more information and to answer the question ‘what is DNS’, check out this article by clicking here. Or to find out ‘what is a domain name’, click on this article here.
Or for an explanation from another perspective, check out this article on the Elementor website.
Domain vs DNS: two different things
Here’s the big thing most people don’t realise: your domain and DNS are separate. You can buy your domain from one company and manage DNS with another.
For example:
🔷 Domain renewal with Company A
🔷 DNS settings with Company B
The nameservers are what link these together. They’re the bridge between your domain and the DNS records that control your website and email.
Changing DNS providers? Here’s how nameservers fit in
Say you’ve got your domain with one company, but you want to move your DNS to a better provider. You don’t need to move the domain itself. Instead, you update the nameservers to point to the new DNS provider.
When someone visits your domain:
🔷 Nameservers tell the browser where to find your DNS settings
🔷 DNS settings then route traffic to your hosting or email provider
Nameservers make sure everything connects and gets to the right place.
It’s like the GPS in your truck
As an analogy, Nameservers would be like the GPS device itself in your truck.
It connects your truck to the maps and routes, holding all the settings that tell traffic where to go.
Without that GPS device connected, you can’t read the maps and wouldn’t know which way to drive.
In the same way, without nameservers, your domain can’t access the DNS settings and wouldn’t know where to send visitors or emails.
Why this matters for your business
If your nameservers aren’t set up right, your website might go offline or emails could stop working.
Understanding what are nameservers, helps you avoid downtime and keep your business looking professional online.
Need help?
Need help connecting your Nameservers or setting up DNS? Take a look at out our Managed Emails & Domains and let us sort it all out for you:
Don’t risk breaking your emails or website.. let us handle it!