When your site migrates to PMPro Hosting, your domain needs to point to your new server. This guide explains what DNS is, the two options you have for managing it, and how to update your domain’s settings after migration.

What Is DNS?

DNS (Domain Name System) is what connects your domain name (like yourdomain.com) to the server that actually hosts your site. When someone types your domain into a browser, DNS is what tells the internet “this domain lives at this server.”

Think of it like the contacts app on your phone: you type in “Jason” and your phone knows which number to call. DNS works the same way: people type in a domain name, and DNS tells their browser which server to connect to.

Your domain’s DNS is controlled through DNS records. DNS records are entries that tell the internet where different services live. The two you’ll hear about most often are:

• A record: Points your domain to a specific server (an IP address). This is what controls where your website loads from.
• Nameservers: The servers that hold all your DNS records. Whoever controls your nameservers controls your DNS.

When your site moves to PMPro Hosting, your DNS needs to be updated so visitors reach your new server instead of your old one.

DNS Management: Your Two Options

You have two options for how DNS is handled for your site. We strongly recommend letting us manage it.

Option 1: We Manage Your DNS (Recommended)

We host your DNS through our own Cloudflare account, optimized specifically for PMPro membership sites.

When you choose this option, we take care of:

• Security rules: Protection against bad bots, brute force login attempts, and common attacks
• Caching rules: Tuned for WordPress and Paid Memberships Pro to keep your site fast
• SSL certificates: Automatic HTTPS so your site is always secure
• Ongoing optimization: As we improve our stack, your site benefits automatically
• Custom settings just for you: If, in the process of maintaining and support your membership site, we identify custom settings that would benefit your DNS setup, we will put them in place.

You still own your domain and can leave at any time. We only manage the DNS configuration, not the domain itself.

Option 2: You Manage Your Own DNS

If you prefer to keep your DNS with your current provider (your registrar, a DNS host you already use, or somewhere else), you can. In this case:

• We’ll give you the server IP address to point your domain at
• We’ll recommend the security and caching settings to apply on your end
• You’re responsible for making DNS changes, provisioning and renewing SSL certificates, and keeping everything configured correctly

This option works, but it means giving up the security, caching, and optimization we provide automatically. We recommend it only if you have a specific reason to manage DNS yourself, for example, if your organization has strict requirements about where DNS lives.

Updating Your DNS After Migration

Once your site is migrated and ready to go live, your support ticket will include the information you need to update your DNS. Nothing changes for visitors until you complete this step. They’ll keep reaching your old host until you update your DNS.

If We’re Managing Your DNS

Your support ticket will include two Cloudflare nameservers that look something like this:

jason.ns.cloudflare.com
kim.ns.cloudflare.com

The exact nameservers are unique to your domain. Always use the ones provided in your ticket, not the example above.

To update them:

1. Sign in to your domain registrar (this is wherever you bought the domain, like GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains, Squarespace, etc.).
2. Open the settings for the domain you’re migrating.
3. Find the Nameservers or DNS Settings section. Look for an option like “Custom Nameservers,” “Change Nameservers,” or “Use custom DNS.”
4. Remove any existing nameserver entries.
5. Enter the two nameservers we provided, one per field.
6. Save your changes.

Some registrars send a confirmation email after you save. Check your inbox and approve the change if one arrives.

Once the change is saved, reply to your support ticket to let us know. DNS changes usually begin working within a few minutes but can occasionally take longer. As soon as your domain is pointing to us, we’ll generate your SSL certificate and confirm the site is live.

If You’re Managing Your Own DNS

Your support ticket will include the server IP address to point your domain at.

To update your DNS:

1. Sign in to whoever manages your DNS (your registrar or DNS provider).
2. Open the DNS settings for your domain.
3. Find the A record for your root domain (this is usually labeled @ or your domain name itself).
4. Update the A record to point to the IP address we provided. If no A record exists, create one.
5. If you use www for your site, make sure it also points to your domain, either as a second A record with the same IP, or as a CNAME pointing to your root domain.
6. Save your changes.

Once saved, reply to your support ticket to let us know. As soon as DNS has propagated and your domain resolves to our server, we’ll generate your SSL certificate and confirm the site is live.

What Happens After You Update DNS?

Here’s what to expect once you’ve made the change:

1. Propagation: DNS changes take a few minutes to an hour to reach most of the internet. In rare cases, full global propagation can take up to 48 hours.
2. SSL certificate: Once your domain points to our server, we generate an SSL certificate so your site loads over HTTPS (the secure https:// version of your URL).
3. Go live: We’ll confirm in your support ticket once everything is active. At that point, visitors going to your domain will see your new site.

If you run into trouble updating your DNS, reply to your support ticket and we’ll help walk you through it. Registrar interfaces vary, and we’re happy to jump in if anything is unclear.

Frequently Asked Questions