Registrar walkthrough (GoDaddy)

16 Dec

TL;DR.

This lecture provides a comprehensive guide on domain management and security best practices for businesses. It covers essential topics such as account setup, DNS management, and security measures to protect your online presence.

Main Points.

Account Setup:
- Activate two-factor authentication (2FA) for added security.
- Use a password manager for unique passwords.
- Verify recovery email and phone are correct.
- Be vigilant against phishing attacks targeting registrars.
DNS Management:
- Take a snapshot of current records before changes.
- Change one record at a time and verify each change.
- Understand host/value fields to prevent misplacement.
- Document the purpose of each DNS record for clarity.
Security Best Practices:
- Use a reputable domain registrar with strong security measures.
- Enable registrar lock to prevent unauthorised changes.
- Regularly update contact details with the registrar.
- Implement DNSSEC to protect against DNS spoofing.

Conclusion.

Effective domain management is essential for maintaining a secure online presence. By implementing the best practices outlined in this article, businesses can safeguard their domains against potential threats and ensure smooth operations. Regular audits, proactive security measures, and a clear understanding of DNS management will contribute to a robust digital strategy that supports business growth.

Key takeaways.

Activate two-factor authentication (2FA) for enhanced account security.
Utilise a password manager to maintain strong, unique passwords.
Regularly verify and update recovery information to prevent lockouts.
Be aware of phishing attacks targeting domain registrars.
Document all changes made to DNS records for accountability.
Implement least-privilege access to reduce security risks.
Use TXT records for domain verification and email authentication.
Enable registrar lock to prevent unauthorised domain transfers.
Regularly review domain settings and security measures.
Educate your team on domain security best practices.

Account setup.

Activate two-factor authentication (2FA) for security.

For a domain registrar account, two-factor authentication (2FA) is one of the highest-leverage controls available because it reduces the value of a stolen password. Attackers commonly gain access through reused credentials, leaked password databases, or malware that captures logins. With 2FA enabled, a password alone is not enough to sign in, so the attacker must also possess a second proof of identity such as a one-time code or cryptographic approval on a trusted device.

The most important detail is choosing the right second factor. SMS codes are better than no 2FA, but they can be exposed through SIM swap fraud or message interception. An authenticator app that generates time-based codes is typically more resilient, and a physical security key offers even stronger protection because it uses cryptographic challenge-response rather than a code that can be retyped into a fake website. After setup, recovery should be tested once while access is still available. Many lockouts happen not because 2FA is “too strict”, but because recovery options were never confirmed.

Teams also benefit from treating registrar access as infrastructure. If the domain is hijacked, email routing, website availability, and payment flows can be impacted in one move. That is why 2FA should be activated on the registrar itself, and also on the email inbox used for domain recovery. If only one can be strengthened immediately, the inbox usually deserves equal priority because it often becomes the pathway to reset everything else.

Steps to enable 2FA:

Log in to the domain registrar account from a known, trusted device.
Navigate to the security settings section.
Select the option to enable two-factor authentication.
Choose a method such as an authenticator app, security key, or SMS where no alternative exists.
Store recovery codes in a secure location and test a sign-in before logging out.

Use a password manager for unique passwords.

A strong security posture is hard to maintain if passwords are being created and remembered manually. A password manager solves the core problem: humans are not good at generating unique, high-entropy passwords for every service, especially across a stack that may include a registrar, hosting, Squarespace, analytics, email providers, payment processors, and no-code platforms. When one service is breached, reused passwords allow attackers to pivot quickly into more valuable accounts.

Password managers generate long random passwords and store them using encryption, meaning the team only needs to protect one master access method. For founders and SMB operators, this is a practical trade: fewer “reset password” cycles, fewer shared spreadsheets, and a lower chance that a contractor inherits credentials permanently. Many tools also support role-based sharing, so a marketing lead can access the DNS panel without learning the master login, and access can be revoked cleanly after a handover.

Operationally, a password manager is also a documentation tool. It can store notes such as registrar support PINs, renewal dates, and domain transfer keys, plus it can flag weak or reused credentials. Biometric unlock on mobile devices can add convenience, but the underlying security still depends on protecting the master password and ensuring every team member uses their own vault rather than sharing one login.

Benefits of using a password manager:

Generates strong, unique passwords with high entropy.
Stores credentials securely using encryption.
Auto-fills logins to reduce copy-paste errors and speed up workflows.
Flags weak, reused, or compromised passwords for remediation.

Verify recovery email and phone are correct.

Account recovery details are often treated as admin housekeeping, yet they are effectively the “keys to the keys”. A correct recovery email and phone number determine whether a legitimate owner can regain control quickly after a lockout or suspected compromise. They also determine how difficult it is for an attacker to take over by exploiting outdated contact routes that no-one monitors any more.

As teams evolve, recovery details drift. A founder might have used a personal email early on, then moved to a company inbox. A phone number might change after relocating regions. Contractors might still appear as security contacts even after offboarding. Registrar accounts should be treated like a critical system: recovery routes should be current, accessible, and controlled by the business rather than an individual whenever feasible.

Extra recovery options should be enabled where possible, but they must be chosen carefully. Security questions are often weak because answers can be guessed or scraped from social profiles. Backup codes are more reliable, but only if they are stored properly, such as in an encrypted vault with restricted access. If a registrar supports multiple recovery contacts, setting at least one shared-business controlled method can reduce single-person dependency.

How to verify recovery information:

Log in to the registrar account settings.
Find the account recovery section.
Confirm the recovery email inbox is still active and secured.
Confirm the phone number is current and accessible.
Update anything outdated, then re-check after saving changes.

Be vigilant against phishing attacks targeting registrars.

Domain registrars are high-value targets, which makes phishing especially common in this area. Attackers rely on urgency and familiarity: “renewal failed”, “DNS update required”, “verify account to avoid suspension”. The goal is to push a recipient into clicking a link and entering credentials into a lookalike login page, or to approve a 2FA prompt without thinking.

Defence begins with process rather than paranoia. Teams can standardise how they access critical accounts: always navigate directly by typing the registrar URL or using a bookmarked link that was verified previously. Suspicious emails should be treated as untrusted, even if they appear to use the company branding. Sender names can be spoofed, and even email addresses can look convincing when a single character is swapped. When an email claims there is an urgent action needed, the safe move is to open a new browser tab, sign in through the known-good route, and check notifications inside the account itself.

There is also a domain-level defence that reduces spoofing risk. Email authentication protocols such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC help receiving mail servers verify legitimacy. While they do not stop all phishing, they reduce the chance that attackers can impersonate a business domain at scale. For organisations running marketing and operations from the same domain, this is both a security measure and a deliverability improvement.

Tips to avoid phishing attacks:

Avoid clicking links in unexpected registrar emails, especially “urgent” warnings.
Check the sender address carefully and compare it to prior genuine emails.
Watch for mismatched domains, odd formatting, or pressure tactics.
Use email filtering and enable security reporting where available.

Maintain an audit mindset regarding access permissions.

Access control problems usually come from benign decisions: “give them access quickly”, “share the login for now”, “leave it until the project ends”. Over time, that becomes invisible risk. An audit mindset means treating access as a living system that must be reviewed, justified, and pruned. This is particularly relevant for SMBs that frequently rotate freelancers across design, SEO, development, and automation.

The operational principle that keeps this manageable is least privilege: each person should have the minimum access required to perform their role. For example, a developer may need DNS access for a verification record, but not full rights to transfer the domain. A marketing lead may need to manage contact details and renewals, but not change name servers. If the registrar supports granular permissions, this can be implemented directly. If it does not, the next-best approach is to restrict who can see and use the master credentials and to require 2FA on that account.

For more mature teams, role-based access control (RBAC) is worth adopting where it exists, because it reduces complexity and makes changes repeatable. A role defines a permission set; people are assigned roles; offboarding becomes a single step. Documenting why each person has access also prevents confusion later, especially during incidents when time is limited and actions must be decisive.

Steps to maintain an audit mindset:

Review who has access on a fixed cadence, such as monthly or quarterly.
Record what level of access each person has and the reason it exists.
Remove access immediately after project completion or role changes.
Use an onboarding and offboarding checklist to keep changes consistent.

Regularly update your security settings.

Security controls age. A registrar might introduce stronger 2FA options, change recovery workflows, or add device-level session management. That is why security settings should be reviewed as part of routine operations rather than treated as a one-time task. A simple quarterly review often catches the most common issues: a recovery email that is no longer monitored, a phone number that was changed, or a second factor that was never tested after a new device was added.

This review also provides a moment to align security with current risk. If a business has moved from a brochure site to a high-traffic commerce site, the registrar becomes more critical. If the domain now handles email for invoices, support, or password resets, then compromise has broader impact. As scope grows, stronger controls should follow: more robust 2FA, tighter access, and clearer incident response steps.

Keeping an eye on industry changes matters as well. Phishing kits evolve and credential theft becomes more automated. Maintaining protection is less about chasing every headline and more about ensuring the fundamentals are consistently in place and verified.

How to update your security settings:

Log in to the registrar account.
Open the security settings section.
Review 2FA method, trusted devices, recovery routes, and session controls.
Apply updates, then test sign-in and recovery flows.

Educate yourself about security best practices.

Security is not only a tooling problem; it is a decision-making problem. The most expensive incidents often start with ordinary actions: clicking a link, approving a login request, sharing access “temporarily”, or skipping updates. Ongoing security awareness helps teams recognise patterns and respond calmly when something looks off.

Education works best when it is lightweight and continuous. Short refreshers about current phishing techniques, credential reuse risks, and recovery hygiene tend to outperform long training sessions that people forget. For mixed-technical teams, plain-English guidance should be paired with a few technical basics: what DNS controls, why domain transfers are sensitive, and how email authentication reduces spoofing.

Founders and ops leads can also treat education as part of process design. If a workflow requires people to make risky judgement calls frequently, the workflow is the problem. Well-designed processes reduce risk by default, such as using a password manager for sharing rather than sending credentials, and requiring verification steps for domain changes.

Resources for security education:

Online courses covering cybersecurity fundamentals for non-specialists.
Webinars hosted by reputable security teams and researchers.
Security newsletters focused on practical defence rather than hype.
Community forums where incident patterns and mitigations are discussed.

Backup your account information securely.

Backups are usually discussed in the context of files and databases, but account access also needs a recovery plan. If an admin device is lost, a team member leaves unexpectedly, or a vault becomes inaccessible, the business still needs a way to regain control of critical systems. That makes secure backups of credentials, recovery codes, and registrar-specific information a practical operational safeguard.

Backups must be both secure and usable. An encrypted external drive stored in a safe location can work well, as can reputable cloud storage with strong encryption, provided access is tightly controlled. Storing recovery codes in plain text, emailing them, or keeping them in an unprotected notes app undermines the whole point. Multiple copies in separate locations can reduce the risk of physical loss, but each copy should be tracked and access-limited to prevent quiet sprawl.

Backups should also be tested. A backup that cannot be restored quickly is functionally the same as no backup, especially during an incident. Testing does not mean rehearsing a full compromise, but it does mean verifying that the team can retrieve recovery codes and that the registrar recovery process is understood.

Steps to back up your account information:

List what must be recoverable: credentials, recovery codes, registrar support details, and domain transfer information.
Choose a secure storage method, such as encrypted storage or a protected vault export.
Set a routine schedule for refresh, such as monthly or after any security change.
Test retrieval periodically to confirm the backup is usable.

Monitor your account activity regularly.

Monitoring is the early-warning layer that catches problems before they become outages. Most registrars provide activity logs that show sign-in attempts, password changes, 2FA changes, contact edits, and DNS updates. Regularly reviewing these records helps detect unauthorised access patterns such as logins from unfamiliar locations or unexpected configuration changes.

Monitoring should focus on a short list of high-impact signals. Changes to name servers, DNS A records, MX records, and contact email addresses are often the most critical. A subtle MX change can redirect email, enabling password resets across services. A name server change can redirect traffic entirely. For teams using platforms such as Squarespace, Knack, or Make.com, registrar-level changes can cascade into broken automations, failed webhooks, and lost lead capture.

Alerts reduce reliance on memory. If a registrar supports notifications for new device logins or security setting changes, those should be enabled. When something suspicious appears, the response should be immediate and procedural: rotate passwords, review access, confirm DNS integrity, and contact registrar support through official channels. The goal is not constant vigilance; it is fast detection paired with a calm, repeatable response.

How to monitor your account activity:

Log in to the registrar account.
Open the activity log or account history section.
Review sign-ins, security setting changes, and DNS edits.
Escalate anomalies promptly by securing the account and contacting support.

Once these account-level safeguards are stable, the next step is to connect registrar security to broader operational hygiene, including DNS change management, renewal governance, and how website platforms and automations depend on domain integrity.

Domain management basics.

Identify key areas: domains list, DNS manager, contacts.

Solid domain management starts with knowing where the important controls live and what each control is responsible for. In most registrar dashboards, the core areas are the domains list, the DNS manager, and account contacts. When those are organised, day-to-day work becomes simpler: renewals get handled on time, traffic routes correctly, and “mystery outages” are less likely to happen during launches, migrations, or campaign spikes.

The domains list is the inventory. It should show every domain owned by the business, its status (active, expired, pending transfer), renewal date, and where it is currently pointed. Many teams treat the list as an admin screen and only look at it when something goes wrong, but it becomes far more useful when it is structured. Domains are easier to govern when they are categorised by purpose, such as primary brand domain, product domain, marketing campaign domains, defensive domains (common misspellings), and future projects. That categorisation can live in the registrar (if tags exist) or in a separate internal register, but the key is that it stays consistent across the organisation.

The DNS manager is where technical routing is controlled. DNS is effectively the internet’s address book: records tell browsers where the website lives, tell mail servers where email should be delivered, and tell third-party tools how to verify ownership. A business does not need to memorise every record type, but it should understand the common ones and the risks of editing them without a plan. For example, an incorrect A record can take a site offline, while an incorrect MX record can stop inbound email. A good operating habit is to treat DNS changes like production changes: document them, schedule them, and confirm rollback steps.

Contacts are often overlooked until a renewal is missed or a transfer fails. Registrar contact details influence who receives expiry notices, verification emails, security alerts, and sometimes who can legally approve transfers. If contact information points to a former employee, an agency inbox no one checks, or an outdated phone number, the business can lose control of its domains through simple admin friction. A reliable approach is to use role-based addresses (for example, domains@company.tld) that forward to multiple owners, and to ensure at least two people can access that inbox.

Key areas to monitor.

Domains list: a clear inventory of what is owned, what is in use, and what is renewing soon.
DNS manager: the routing layer for web, email, verification, and many integrations.
Contacts: the notification and ownership safety net for renewals, security alerts, and transfer checks.

Locate locking and transfer settings for domains.

Registrar security is not abstract. A domain is a control point for a website, email, and brand trust signals, so a compromised domain can cause real operational damage. Most registrars provide a registrar lock, which prevents unauthorised transfers by blocking transfer requests until the domain is explicitly unlocked. That feature should remain enabled for all production domains, and it should be checked during onboarding, after account access changes, and after any registrar UI updates that might reset settings.

Transfer settings matter even when a transfer is not planned. Knowing how the transfer path works helps teams respond quickly if a migration becomes urgent, such as moving away from a provider with poor support, consolidating under one billing account, or responding to a security incident. Transfers typically involve unlocking the domain, requesting an authorisation code, confirming via email, and waiting for registry-level timing windows. It is worth knowing that some domains have restrictions, such as a lock period after registration or after recent contact changes, which can delay a transfer even if the business is acting in good faith.

Security hardening should go beyond the lock toggle. Account access should be protected with strong passwords, least-privilege roles, and two-factor authentication where the registrar supports it. A practical tactic for founders and small teams is to separate concerns: keep domain ownership in a high-security registrar account, and let day-to-day web edits happen in the CMS or hosting layer. That way, a compromise of a marketing login cannot automatically cascade into domain takeover.

Steps to secure a domain.

Confirm the registrar lock is enabled on every active, revenue-impacting domain.
Review who can unlock domains or request transfer codes inside the registrar account roles.
Document the transfer workflow and where approval emails are delivered.
Store transfer codes only when needed and treat them like credentials.

Understand name servers versus DNS records.

Teams often use “name servers” and “DNS records” interchangeably, but they solve different problems, and mixing them up slows down troubleshooting. Name servers indicate which DNS provider is authoritative for a domain. In simple terms, they answer the question: “Which system holds the official routing instructions for this domain?” If the name servers point to the wrong provider, then even perfectly configured DNS records in the old provider will not matter because the internet is no longer consulting that system.

DNS records are the actual routing instructions stored inside the authoritative system. They answer questions like: “What IP address should the website use?”, “Which service handles email?”, or “Which tool is allowed to send emails on behalf of this domain?” The most common examples are A records for direct IP destinations, CNAME records for aliasing one host to another, MX records for mail routing, and TXT records for verification and security policies.

This distinction becomes practical during platform changes. If a team moves a site to a new host, it can either change name servers (handing all DNS management to the new host) or keep name servers where they are and update only the relevant records. Both approaches can work, but they imply different operational ownership. Changing name servers is broader and can unintentionally affect email or subdomains if the new provider does not have a complete record set. Updating records is narrower but requires careful coordination to avoid conflicts between providers.

Another detail that affects expectations is TTL (time to live). TTL controls how long DNS answers are cached by resolvers. Lower TTL values can help changes propagate faster during migrations, but they can also increase lookup volume. Higher TTL values reduce DNS query load but can cause a “long tail” where some users still see old routes for hours. Planning TTL adjustments ahead of a major change is one of the simplest ways to reduce launch-day panic.

Key differences.

Name servers: specify which DNS system is authoritative for the domain.
DNS records: the individual entries inside that system that route web, email, and verification.

Set notifications for domain expiry and critical changes.

Domains fail more often because of admin lapses than because of technical complexity. Expiry events can break websites, email, payment flows, and customer trust in one move, which is why automated alerts should be treated as operational hygiene. Most registrars can send notices for renewals, billing issues, and DNS edits. When configured correctly, those alerts convert domain ownership into a managed process rather than a vague reminder in someone’s head.

A robust alert setup focuses on two categories: upcoming expiry and suspicious changes. Expiry reminders should arrive in multiple windows, such as 30 days, 14 days, and 3 days, so the business has time to resolve failed payments or approval delays. Alerts for critical changes should include name server updates, registrar lock status changes, and contact detail edits. Those events are common in hijacking attempts because they shift control without immediately breaking the site, giving an attacker room to prepare a later takeover.

Notifications are only as strong as the inbox that receives them. If alerts go to a personal address, they can be missed during holidays, job changes, or inbox overload. A better pattern is a shared operational inbox plus a secondary escalation contact. Calendar reminders still help, but they should complement alerts, not replace them. A practical rule is that at least two people should receive any message that could prevent the business from going offline.

Notification settings to consider.

Domain expiry reminders with multiple lead times.
DNS change alerts, especially for name servers, A records, MX records, and TXT records.
Registrar security notifications, billing failures, and account-access changes.

Keep a change log for all edits.

A domain’s configuration is a shared dependency across marketing, operations, product, and engineering. When changes are made without traceability, teams lose time recreating what happened, and the business absorbs avoidable downtime. A simple change log creates accountability and makes troubleshooting faster, especially when an outage is caused by a seemingly minor DNS edit.

The log does not need to be complex. The minimum is date and time, what was changed, who changed it, why it was changed, and what the rollback plan is. Rollback is often missed, but it is the difference between a 5-minute fix and an all-hands incident. If a team updates an A record to point at a new host and things fail, knowing the previous value and why it was set makes reversal immediate. Many registrars do not offer strong internal audit trails, so keeping an external record remains useful even for small teams.

In larger organisations or multi-agency setups, logging becomes a coordination tool rather than just a forensic one. It reduces duplicate work and prevents the “someone already changed that” problem. It also supports controlled releases: changes can be reviewed before being applied, which is particularly important for email authentication records where mistakes can quietly reduce deliverability over time rather than cause an obvious outage.

Change log best practices.

Document date and time for every DNS, contact, and lock-related change.
Record the exact before-and-after values, not only a description.
Capture the reason, related ticket or task link, and a rollback plan.

Utilise domain management tools and software.

As a portfolio grows, manual management becomes error-prone. Domain tools can centralise renewals, standardise DNS templates, and add monitoring that a basic registrar UI does not provide. For teams running campaigns, product launches, or multiple brands, the biggest benefit is reducing the number of “one-off” configurations that only one person understands.

Many registrars provide adequate basics, but the real value comes from applying consistent operational rules: which domains auto-renew, which are parked, which use a shared DNS provider, and which have email services attached. Tools can also surface reporting that helps decision-making, such as which domains receive meaningful traffic, which redirect to primary properties, and which never get used. That visibility supports portfolio clean-up and reduces wasted renewal costs.

Security monitoring is another reason to use tooling. Some services can watch for unexpected name server changes, provide alerts when DNS records drift from a baseline, or flag when a domain is approaching expiry. While these capabilities are not a substitute for good access controls, they reduce detection time when something goes wrong. For teams running on platforms like Squarespace, consistent domain governance also reduces launch friction because DNS changes often sit on the critical path for connecting custom domains, verifying email services, and enabling integrations.

Benefits of domain management tools.

Automated renewals and predictable alerts for ownership continuity.
Centralised management for multi-domain brands and campaign-heavy teams.
Reporting that supports consolidation, redirects, and SEO strategy decisions.
Monitoring for unauthorised or accidental DNS changes.

Regularly review and audit the domain portfolio.

A domain portfolio is both an asset and a liability. It can protect a brand, support new product lines, and improve discoverability, but it can also create cost, complexity, and risk. A regular audit turns domain ownership into an intentional strategy. It helps the business keep what is useful, retire what is not, and find gaps before competitors or opportunists do.

Audits should combine commercial relevance and technical reality. Commercially, each domain should map to a current objective: primary brand presence, a product line, a regional market, a campaign funnel, or a defensive holding. Technically, each domain should be checked for renewal status, correct routing, correct email configuration, and known owners. A domain that is “owned” but not routed correctly is effectively broken, and a domain that routes correctly but is about to expire is a future outage waiting to happen.

Performance evaluation can be light-touch without inventing complex metrics. If analytics show a domain receives meaningful traffic, it should either be developed, redirected properly, or supported with content. If it receives none, the business should decide whether it is defensive (worth keeping) or dead weight (worth dropping). SEO value can matter, but it should be interpreted carefully: a domain with low-quality backlinks or irrelevant history might not help and could even complicate trust signals. When in doubt, redirect strategies should be tested and monitored rather than assumed.

Competitive and regional considerations often surface during audits. If competitors own close variants of a brand name, the business may decide to secure relevant alternatives to reduce confusion and phishing risk. For multi-region operations, country-code domains can strengthen local relevance and user trust, but only when they are properly maintained and aligned with localisation plans. Owning a local domain without local content or correct targeting can create administrative overhead with limited return.

Legal checks belong in the audit too. Before acquiring new domains, trademark conflicts should be considered, and brand teams should avoid naming that causes avoidable disputes. Domain policy changes at registries can also influence how renewals, privacy, and transfers work, so an annual review of registrar terms and ownership records can prevent surprises.

Key steps for auditing a domain portfolio.

Evaluate traffic and business impact: which domains actually support revenue, leads, or trust.
Check expiry windows, auto-renew status, billing health, and registrar lock settings.
Assess relevance to brand and roadmap: keep, redirect, consolidate, sell, or retire.
Review competitive, geographic, and legal risk factors before acquiring new domains.

Once the fundamentals are in place, the next step is connecting domain governance to broader digital operations: website releases, email deliverability, analytics integrity, and platform migrations. That is where clear documentation and repeatable processes turn domain work from reactive firefighting into a controlled, scalable workflow.

Roles and access management.

Implement least-privilege access for users.

Applying least-privilege access means each person, tool, and integration receives only the permissions required to complete an approved task, and nothing more. The practical goal is simple: reduce the number of ways a mistake, compromised account, or poorly designed workflow can damage data, revenue, or customer trust. In small teams and fast-moving businesses, “just give admin” often feels quicker, but it expands the blast radius when something goes wrong.

This principle becomes more important as the stack grows across Squarespace, payment providers, email platforms, analytics, no-code databases, automation tools, and internal documentation. If someone only needs to publish blog posts, they do not need access to billing. If someone needs to view orders, they should not be able to change fulfilment rules. Over time, least-privilege turns access from an informal habit into a designed system that protects operations without slowing teams down.

Implementing it well starts with clarity: what outcomes each role owns, which systems they must touch, and what actions are genuinely required. Many businesses confuse “can access the platform” with “can change platform settings”. A marketing lead may need content edit rights, template section permissions, and SEO fields, but not domain, DNS, or payment configuration. A contractor may need access to a single project area for two weeks, not indefinite entry to the entire workspace. Least-privilege is not distrust; it is structured risk management.

Turn roles into concrete permissions.

Teams often talk about roles in human terms such as “designer”, “ops”, “developer”, “VA”, but systems require explicit permissions. This is where role-based access control usually becomes the backbone. Rather than tailoring access person-by-person, the organisation defines roles once, assigns the least permissions that role needs, and then attaches people to that role. It reduces human error, speeds onboarding, and prevents one-off “special cases” from becoming permanent security gaps.

In practice, a role definition should include: what data can be viewed, what data can be edited, what can be exported, and what can be configured. Export rights are frequently overlooked, even though exports are a direct path to data leakage. For example, granting access to a customer list is not the same as allowing bulk export of customer emails, addresses, and purchase history. Where a platform offers audit history, permission changes should be logged and reviewed like any other production change.

Least-privilege also applies to integrations. Automation is commonly built with a single shared “admin” connection, especially in Make.com, but that approach makes attribution harder and increases risk if the token leaks. A stronger pattern is to create dedicated service accounts with limited scope, then connect each automation to only the data and actions required. If a workflow only sends a confirmation email, it does not need write access to the database, billing, or DNS.

Common edge cases that break least-privilege.

Temporary projects that become permanent access. Contractors finish work but retain credentials for months.
Support and ops “emergency admin”. One person holds full access “just in case”, but there is no rotation or oversight.
Overlapping tools. A team locks down one platform but forgets that the same data is also accessible via a connected integration.
Permissions drift. Job responsibilities change, but access never gets reduced, only expanded.

Steps to implement least-privilege access:

Assess user roles and their required access levels.
Define clear permissions for each role.
Regularly audit access rights and adjust as necessary.
Educate users on the importance of security practices.

To keep the system workable, mature teams set an access review cadence. For high-risk systems like billing, domains, databases, and automations, monthly reviews are realistic; for lower-risk tools, quarterly may be enough. Reviews should focus on “does this access still match current responsibilities?” rather than “does anyone seem suspicious?”. That difference matters, because most incidents come from normal accounts with excessive permissions, not from Hollywood-style attackers.

Create an offboarding checklist to revoke access.

An organised offboarding checklist is a security control disguised as an operations habit. When someone leaves, changes role, or finishes a contract, time pressure and emotion can lead to missed steps. The checklist exists to make access removal boring and predictable, even when the departure is messy or rushed. It also protects the departing person by ensuring they are not later associated with actions taken by someone using an old credential.

Effective offboarding goes beyond “disable email”. Modern businesses distribute access across dozens of systems: website CMS, domain registrar, analytics, file storage, customer databases, project management, password managers, payment processors, automation platforms, and developer repositories. A single forgotten token in a Replit project or an unrevoked automation connection can quietly keep working for months. The checklist should cover identity, devices, integrations, and documentation, not only accounts.

For founders and SMB owners, one of the most practical improvements is to run offboarding in two passes. First pass removes access immediately and confirms critical accounts are secure. Second pass cleans up: transferring ownership of content, rotating shared secrets, archiving assets, and updating the “who owns what” register. This reduces risk quickly while still ensuring the team does not lose important knowledge or access paths.

Exit interviews can be useful, but they are not the core security action. The key security question is whether any credentials, devices, or authorisations remain active, and whether the organisation can prove they were removed. That proof matters for compliance, incident response, and simply avoiding confusion later when an account appears in an audit log.

Key components of an offboarding checklist:

Disable user accounts across all platforms.
Retrieve company-issued devices and credentials.
Update documentation to reflect changes in access.
Conduct an exit interview to gather feedback.

Strong offboarding includes a “credential hygiene” step: rotate any shared keys the person could have seen, even if those keys were not directly assigned. This can include API keys used in automations, analytics access tokens, third-party embeds, and even recovery email addresses on important accounts. If the business uses shared inboxes or shared calendar integrations, those should be reviewed as well, because they can reveal customer details and operational context that attackers can exploit for social engineering.

Avoid sharing passwords; use delegation methods instead.

Password sharing creates a chain reaction of problems: weak accountability, difficult revocation, unclear audit trails, and increased chance of credential reuse across tools. The safer alternative is delegation, where each person uses their own identity and the platform grants them narrowly-scoped abilities. Many systems support delegation through role assignments, invite links, service accounts, or temporary access methods that expire automatically.

This approach improves security and improves management. When actions are tied to individual accounts, investigations become possible without guesswork: “who deleted that record?”, “who changed pricing?”, “which automation edited these fields?”. It also simplifies offboarding because revocation is a single action, not a scramble to change shared passwords across multiple systems and then work out which automations will break.

Delegation should also cover “automation identity”. If a team is using a workflow tool, the automation should be running as a dedicated system identity, not as a person’s login. That prevents failures when the person leaves and avoids the common problem of critical operations depending on one individual’s account. It also reduces the temptation to store shared passwords in chat messages, documents, or browser notes.

Where a platform supports it, multi-factor authentication should sit alongside delegation. Even if a password is phished or reused, the second factor blocks most unauthorised access. In many SMB contexts, the simplest second factor is an authenticator app rather than SMS, because SIM swapping and phone number recycling are real risks.

Benefits of using delegation methods:

Improved security by reducing password sharing.
Enhanced accountability through individual access rights.
Streamlined workflows by allowing users to perform tasks independently.

If delegation feels slower, that usually signals a role design problem rather than a delegation problem. When roles are well defined, inviting a contractor takes minutes, and permissions are predictable. Teams can also define “break glass” procedures for rare emergencies, such as a sealed admin account with strict logging and a clear process for when it may be used. That keeps day-to-day work safe without blocking genuine incident response.

Retain ownership of domains with the business, not contractors.

A domain is not just a web address. It is a control point for the entire online identity: website, email, verification records, and sometimes authentication flows. If ownership sits with a contractor’s personal registrar account, the business is exposed to avoidable disputes and operational paralysis. Domain control is one of the few digital assets that can instantly break revenue if mismanaged, because DNS can redirect traffic, disrupt email, or take down key integrations.

Ownership should be centralised under the business using an account controlled by trusted internal stakeholders, with shared visibility but limited change authority. Contractors can still manage DNS records via delegated access, but they should not be the registrant, and they should not be the only person who can renew the domain. Teams that build on Squarespace Domains or third-party registrars should treat renewals and billing as critical operations, with reminders and clear responsibility.

Contracts should explicitly state that domains, configuration, and related assets belong to the business, including any subdomains created for marketing campaigns, landing pages, or app environments. It is also worth documenting where the domain lives, which email addresses receive renewal notices, and which accounts hold recovery options. Many domain losses are not “hacks”; they are missed renewal emails going to a former contractor’s inbox.

Strategies for retaining domain ownership:

Register domains under the business name.
Include domain ownership clauses in contracts with contractors.
Regularly review domain registration details to ensure accuracy.

For organisations with multiple products or brands, domain strategy should include a naming register and a renewal calendar. Even a simple spreadsheet listing domains, registrar, renewal dates, and responsible owner can prevent expensive recoveries. If a team is operating internationally, consider whether certain ccTLDs have unique ownership rules, because some require local presence or have stricter transfer processes.

Confirm who has the authority to change DNS and billing.

Most outages caused by “someone changed a setting” come down to unclear authority. DNS changes can reroute traffic, break email deliverability, and disrupt verification records used by payment providers and SaaS platforms. Billing changes can remove access to critical services, cancel subscriptions, or trigger account locks. Both areas should have named owners and a documented process for change approval.

Authority design should separate “can propose a change” from “can execute a change”. In smaller teams this can be as simple as a two-person rule: one person requests, another person applies. In larger teams, this becomes a change management workflow: ticket, approval, implementation window, and verification. This is not bureaucratic theatre. DNS and billing are single points of failure, and tiny mistakes can have outsised impact.

Documentation should record what changed, why it changed, when it changed, and who approved it. That record speeds up incident response because the team can correlate outages with configuration edits. If a service provides change history, it should be enabled and reviewed. If it does not, maintaining a basic change log in a shared system can cover the gap.

Best practices for managing DNS and billing authority:

Designate specific roles for DNS and billing management.
Regularly audit access rights to ensure compliance.
Implement alerts for any changes made to DNS settings or billing information.

Alerts are a high-leverage control. If a registrar can notify the team on record edits, transfers, or login from new devices, those notifications should go to a shared security mailbox owned by the business. The organisation should also confirm that recovery phone numbers and recovery emails belong to the business, not to individuals. Account recovery is often the silent backdoor attackers exploit after a password has been changed.

Establish a comprehensive access control policy.

An access control policy turns a set of security preferences into a repeatable operating model. At its core, an access control policy defines who can access what, under which conditions, for how long, and how access is removed. Without a written policy, each new hire, contractor, or tool tends to be handled differently, and inconsistencies become vulnerabilities.

A practical policy does not need to be a hundred pages. It needs to define roles, approval flows, minimum authentication requirements, and review frequency. It should cover internal staff and external collaborators, and it should include integrations, service accounts, and automation tokens. Many businesses document employee access but forget API keys, webhook endpoints, and third-party embeds that effectively have “access” as well.

A well-designed policy also specifies the “source of truth” for identity. If the organisation uses an identity provider, the policy should state that access is granted through central identity, not by ad hoc invites in each tool. If a central identity provider is not in place, the policy should at least state where account lists live and who owns each platform. When onboarding scales, clarity beats heroics.

Key elements of an access control policy:

Definition of user roles and responsibilities.
Access request and approval processes.
Criteria for granting and revoking access.
Regular review and update procedures.

To keep the policy alive, teams should pair it with training and short reminders embedded in workflows. For example, a contractor request form can include a required end date and required role selection, forcing least-privilege decisions before access is granted. Policies that live only in a document folder tend to decay; policies connected to actual operational steps tend to stick.

Monitor and log access to sensitive resources.

Access control without visibility is incomplete. logging provides evidence of what happened, when it happened, and which identity performed the action. In security terms, it supports detection and response. In operations terms, it supports debugging and accountability. If a record is edited incorrectly, logs reveal whether it was a person, an integration, or an automation.

Logging should focus on sensitive resources first: customer data, payment settings, domain and DNS edits, admin actions, exports, and authentication events like password resets and new device sign-ins. Logs should include timestamps, user identifiers, and the affected object when possible. They should be stored securely, protected from casual deletion, and retained long enough to support investigations. The exact retention period depends on regulatory needs, but “only a few days” is rarely sufficient when incidents are discovered late.

Real value comes when logs are reviewed rather than merely collected. Even a weekly review of key events can reveal patterns: repeated failed logins, unexpected exports, sudden permission changes, or automation actions firing outside expected hours. For teams with more maturity, automated monitoring can watch the log stream and trigger alerts when unusual behaviour appears. This is where anomaly detection and behavioural patterns help, but the foundation is still good logging hygiene.

Best practices for monitoring and logging access:

Implement comprehensive logging mechanisms for all sensitive resources.
Regularly review access logs for unusual activities.
Integrate logging with automated monitoring tools for real-time alerts.

As access management matures, logging becomes the feedback loop that improves permissions, onboarding, and offboarding. When the next section moves into operational controls and workflow automation, these logs can also guide which tasks should be automated, which approvals are slowing delivery, and which access patterns indicate bottlenecks worth fixing.

Managing DNS records safely.

DNS record management is one of those operational tasks that feels small until something breaks. When it is handled well, websites load, email arrives, payment systems connect, and integrations keep running in the background. When it is handled poorly, outages can look random, customers lose trust quickly, and teams burn time troubleshooting problems that did not need to exist.

The Domain Name System is essentially the internet’s routing layer. It translates human-friendly domain names into machine-usable targets such as IP addresses, service hostnames, and verification tokens. For founders and SMB operators, this often sits at the intersection of marketing, operations, web management, and engineering. A single record can affect SEO-sensitive traffic flows, checkout reliability, email deliverability, or the stability of a no-code backend connected to tools like Squarespace or a database app.

This section breaks down practical safety fundamentals that reduce risk during DNS changes. It focuses on predictable execution, clear verification, and documentation habits that scale as more systems get connected to a single domain.

Take a snapshot of current records before changes.

A safe DNS change starts with the ability to roll back quickly. Before any edits, teams benefit from capturing the current DNS state so they can restore it if the new configuration causes downtime, email failure, or broken third-party verification. That snapshot becomes the baseline for troubleshooting, especially when multiple services depend on the same domain.

Snapshots are not only for “big” migrations. Even a small change, such as adding a new record for domain verification or switching an email provider, can have side effects. A rollback path matters because DNS changes are often invisible in the UI once edited, and many registrars do not provide robust history by default. A snapshot also helps when a change is performed by different people across time zones or roles, such as a marketing lead adding a verification record while an ops lead adjusts email routing.

Steps to take a snapshot:

Log in to the domain registrar or DNS host account.
Navigate to DNS management (zones, records, or advanced DNS).
Export records if the provider supports it; otherwise capture full-page screenshots.
Store the snapshot in a secure location with access control.

A stronger approach is maintaining a simple version history outside the registrar. For example, many teams keep a dated CSV export in encrypted storage, or maintain a “DNS change log” document that includes what changed, why it changed, who approved it, and how it was verified. This reduces guesswork later, especially during incidents.

When DNS is a shared responsibility, it also helps to define a minimal operational policy: only one person changes records at a time, every change requires a snapshot, and every change has a verification checklist. This sounds formal, but it prevents the common failure mode where several small edits occur in parallel and nobody knows which one caused the issue.

Change one record at a time and verify each change.

DNS problems become hard to debug when multiple records are edited in one session. A safer approach is incremental change: adjust a single record, confirm expected behaviour, then proceed. This isolates cause and effect, making it easier to identify what actually improved or broke something.

This matters because DNS connects many “invisible” dependencies. Changing one A record may impact a website, but changing a TXT record might affect authentication, email sending, or ownership validation for a platform. If several changes are made together and something fails, teams often waste hours undoing everything and rebuilding from memory. One-record-at-a-time avoids that.

Verification process:

After updating a record, allow for DNS propagation and caching behaviour.
Test the specific service affected (website, email, API, verification, and so on).
Confirm results from multiple networks or locations, not just one device.

Propagation is often misunderstood. Many providers show changes instantly, but resolvers and devices cache results based on TTL. This can create a confusing situation where the change “works” for one person but not another. That is not usually random behaviour; it is caching doing its job. During planned changes, lowering TTL beforehand can shorten the transition window, but TTL should be restored afterwards to reduce unnecessary resolver load.

Verification should match the change type. Website-related records should be tested in a browser and with HTTP checks. Email-related records should be validated with mail diagnostics and by checking that incoming and outgoing mail still works. For systems that rely on domain verification, the check is whether the platform accepts the domain and stops showing pending status.

When teams need deeper inspection, command-line tools are still the fastest way to remove ambiguity. Utilities like dig and nslookup show what a resolver returns, which record type is being requested, and whether an answer is coming from cache. This becomes useful when a provider UI looks correct but the world still sees the previous record.

For distributed teams, it can help to define “verification done” as confirmation from at least two independent resolvers. Public DNS checkers can provide a quick view across regions, while an engineer can confirm the authoritative answer directly. This reduces the risk of declaring success too early when only local caches have updated.

Understand host and value fields to prevent misplacement.

Most DNS mistakes come from placing correct data in the wrong field. Every record type has a host (sometimes called name) and a value (sometimes called target, content, points to). Understanding what each field represents prevents misdirected traffic, broken subdomains, and failed verification checks.

The host is usually the label being defined, such as “www”, “mail”, or “api”. The value is where that label should resolve to: an IP address, another hostname, or a text token. Providers differ in how they display this. Some automatically append the domain name, while others require fully qualified names. If a team enters a full domain where only a subdomain label is expected, the provider may silently create an unintended hostname.

Common record types:

A record: points a domain or subdomain to an IPv4 address.
CNAME record: maps a hostname to another hostname (aliasing).
MX record: defines email routing destinations and their priority.
TXT record: stores text tokens used for verification, policies, and authentication.

Knowing when each type is appropriate matters. For example, if a service asks for a CNAME but a team creates an A record instead, verification will fail even if the “value” looks plausible. For email, MX records must be precise, and their priorities must match the email provider’s requirements. TXT records are often used for domain verification and email authentication; a single missing character can break the check.

TTL is another field worth understanding because it affects operational speed and stability. A short TTL makes changes propagate faster but increases how often resolvers query records. A longer TTL reduces lookup overhead and improves stability but increases the time to recover from mistakes. Teams can plan around TTL: lower it before a migration window, perform the change, validate, then raise it again.

There are also record-type constraints that catch teams out. A CNAME cannot usually coexist with other records on the same host label. Some providers allow exceptions, but relying on that behaviour can make DNS less portable. Understanding these rules prevents scenarios where a record is added and another record silently stops being respected.

Avoid overlapping records that could cause conflicts.

Overlapping records create ambiguity. Sometimes that ambiguity is tolerated by clients, and sometimes it causes unpredictable behaviour across different networks. A common example is multiple A records for the same host. This can be intentional for load balancing, but if it is accidental, it can send users to the wrong server, break SSL expectations, or route API calls unpredictably.

Conflicts also arise when legacy records are left behind after a migration. A domain that previously used one email provider may still have old MX or TXT entries that interfere with the new provider’s authentication or routing. Similarly, old verification tokens can cause confusion during audits, because nobody remembers which platform required them.

Tips to prevent overlaps:

Audit DNS records on a schedule, especially after launches or migrations.
Keep a single source of truth for what each record supports.
Use consistent naming conventions for hosts and subdomains.

A naming convention sounds basic, but it prevents errors at speed. “api” should always refer to the same service class. “mail” should not be reused for a marketing tool one month and an SMTP endpoint the next. If a business runs multiple environments, labels such as “staging” or “dev” should be clearly separated from production, and should not reuse production targets.

Edge cases deserve explicit attention. Some teams intentionally use multiple A records for redundancy, or split traffic across regions. That should be documented as an architectural decision, not an accident. Likewise, some platforms ask for multiple TXT tokens. That is normal, but it can become messy when tokens are repeatedly added rather than rotated, leaving an ever-growing list that nobody can interpret.

When conflicts do occur, the best debugging move is to ask: which exact hostname is being requested, which record types exist for it, and what does the authoritative DNS server return. That approach reduces time wasted chasing symptoms in browsers or email clients.

Document the purpose of each DNS record for clarity.

DNS becomes hard to manage when the record list looks like a wall of cryptic entries. Clear documentation turns DNS from tribal knowledge into an operational asset. It also reduces the risk that someone deletes a record that “looks unused” but actually supports payments, email authentication, or an integration that runs only occasionally.

Documentation is especially valuable for SMBs and fast-moving teams because responsibilities shift. A web lead might handle the site, an ops manager might handle email, and a developer might handle API endpoints. Without shared documentation, the registrar becomes a silent single point of failure where only one person understands what is safe to change.

Documentation best practices:

Track host, record type, value, TTL, purpose, owner, and creation date.
Record change tickets or approvals, even if it is a lightweight process.
Update the document immediately after each change, not weeks later.

A simple spreadsheet works, but teams often get better results with a shared document that includes “why this exists” in plain English. For instance, “TXT record for email authentication” is more useful than “TXT record”. If the record relates to a vendor, include the vendor name and where the configuration is managed. If it relates to a service running on a platform, include the platform and the environment.

Version control can also be applied to DNS documentation. Even if the DNS itself is not managed as code, tracking documentation in a change-controlled system helps teams see what changed and when. That history becomes important during incident reviews or when a domain is being prepared for acquisition due diligence.

Finally, documentation can support security. Many DNS records exist specifically to reduce impersonation risk in email and brand assets. Keeping those policies visible, and reviewing them periodically, helps ensure they remain correct as providers and workflows evolve.

Once record snapshots, incremental changes, field literacy, overlap prevention, and documentation are in place, DNS stops being a fragile “do not touch” area and becomes a manageable system. The next step is applying that same discipline to change planning, propagation timing, and security hardening, so DNS supports growth rather than slowing it down.

Verification records (TXT).

TXT records are one of the most practical, quietly powerful tools in DNS. They store plain text values that other systems read to confirm domain ownership, validate sending identity, and apply policies that reduce fraud. For founders and small teams, they often sit in the background until something breaks: emails start landing in spam, a SaaS tool refuses to connect, or a platform blocks a domain until verification is completed.

They matter because the modern web runs on proof. Email providers want proof that a message truly came from the brand shown in the “From” field. Hosting and productivity suites want proof that the business controls the domain. Security tooling wants proof that policies are intentional rather than accidental. Done well, these records raise deliverability, reduce impersonation risk, and prevent avoidable support work. Done poorly, they create a chain reaction: lost leads, missed password resets, broken onboarding, and confused customers.

Use TXT records for verification and authentication.

Most organisations first meet TXT records through “please add this value to your DNS to verify the domain”. That is domain verification in its simplest form: a third-party checks whether the domain can publish a specific token, and if it can, the platform treats the domain as controlled by the right party. This is common with services such as Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, but it also shows up in analytics tools, payment processors, and marketing platforms.

The more operationally important use is email authentication. TXT records publish policies that tell mail receivers which systems are allowed to send mail for the domain and how to validate the message. This is how a domain signals that “only these servers are legitimate senders” and “reject or quarantine messages that fail checks”. In practice, this lowers the odds of customers receiving convincing phishing emails that appear to come from the brand, while also improving the odds that legitimate messages reach inboxes.

Email authentication usually includes three layers. SPF defines which servers may send on behalf of the domain by listing allowed sources. DKIM adds a cryptographic signature so the receiver can verify the message was not altered and was authorised by a sender with access to the signing key. DMARC ties SPF and DKIM together and adds enforcement and reporting, allowing domain owners to specify what a receiver should do if authentication fails and to receive reports about failures.

For small businesses, the most common real-world scenario is mixed tooling. A company might send transactional emails via a commerce platform, marketing emails via an email service provider, and internal emails via a productivity suite. Each system may require its own SPF include, DKIM selector, and DMARC alignment decisions. TXT records become the coordination layer that makes this multi-tool setup behave like a single, trustworthy sending identity.

Key uses of TXT records.

Domain ownership verification for platforms, dashboards, and integrations.
Email authentication policies using SPF and DKIM.
Enforcement and reporting of email authentication via DMARC.
Publishing domain-related metadata for third-party services that require proof of control.
Supporting operational workflows where a tool must confirm a domain before enabling features.

Ensure TXT formatting is correct.

TXT records look simple, but they are easy to misconfigure because DNS interfaces vary. Some DNS providers ask for a “name” field, others use “host”, and others auto-append the domain. A value that is correct in one interface may be wrong in another if the host is entered incorrectly or if quotation marks are handled differently.

With email authentication, small formatting issues can have outsized consequences. A single missing character can cause receivers to treat the policy as invalid, which means the domain loses the protections it thought it had. For example, an SPF policy is a structured string, often resembling SPF record syntax like “v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all”. If that string is malformed, receivers may interpret it as “no policy”, which weakens deliverability and increases spoofing risk.

Character and length limits also matter. DNS implementations treat TXT values as chunks with a maximum size, often 255 characters per segment. Many DNS consoles handle this automatically, but not all do. When a policy grows because multiple sending services are included, a team may discover that the provider truncates the value or rejects it. That is not only annoying, it can create partial policies that behave unpredictably.

Edge cases appear frequently in growing organisations. A marketing team adds a new sending provider, which requires another SPF include. The SPF record grows beyond the “ten DNS lookups” evaluation limit that many receivers enforce. Even if the TXT value is syntactically correct, it can still fail at runtime because it triggers too many lookups. That is a formatting-adjacent problem, and it is one of the most common reasons deliverability suddenly deteriorates after “a quick DNS change”.

Formatting tips.

Use quotes only if the DNS provider requires them, and avoid mixing quotation styles.
Remove accidental extra spaces, especially around separators such as “;” and “=”.
Follow the exact syntax required by the protocol being implemented, particularly for SPF and DMARC.
Keep TXT values within provider constraints, and confirm the DNS tool does not truncate long strings.

Place the TXT record correctly.

Placement is one of the most common sources of failed verification. A TXT record can live at the root of a domain or under a subdomain, and the correct location depends on what the verifying service is checking. If a platform verifies the apex domain, the record must be attached to that exact name. If the platform verifies a subdomain, the record must be attached to that subdomain.

This gets confusing because DNS panels often represent the root as “@”, while subdomains are represented as labels such as “blog” or “shop”. Some interfaces expect the full name (“blog.example.com”), while others expect only the label (“blog”) and append the domain automatically. The safest approach is to read the provider’s instruction and then cross-check the final FQDN the DNS UI will generate. If the final name is wrong, verification will fail even if the TXT value is perfect.

Subdomain-based products introduce a common operational pitfall. A business might host its main site at the root domain but use a separate subdomain for a help centre, a marketing landing page system, or an app. Each of these may require its own verification and its own email authentication decisions. In particular, sending mail from subdomains can require separate SPF/DKIM/DMARC policies if mail is branded as coming from those subdomains, rather than the root.

There is also the risk of conflicting records. Some DNS providers allow multiple TXT records with the same name. Others merge them. Receivers and verification systems may behave differently depending on what they see. That is why teams should understand whether they are adding a new TXT record alongside existing ones or updating a single record that already exists.

Location considerations.

Root domain versus subdomain: the record must match what the service queries.
DNS UI behaviour: whether it auto-appends the domain name to the host field.
Multiple TXT records: whether the provider supports multiple values at the same hostname safely.
DNS hierarchy: how record resolution differs between apex and nested subdomains.

Avoid deleting old records prematurely.

DNS often accumulates “mystery records”, especially after tool changes, migrations, or agency handovers. It is tempting to tidy them up, but removing TXT records without understanding their role can cause sudden operational issues. Email is the most fragile area: deleting an active SPF, DKIM, or DMARC-related TXT record can immediately impact inbox placement, and in some cases it can cause receivers to reject mail outright.

A high-risk scenario is replacing an old email platform while forgetting that some systems still send mail through it. For example, a site may have moved newsletters to a new provider, but password reset emails might still be configured in an older tool. Removing “unused” includes from SPF or deleting an older DKIM selector can break those messages silently. The team often notices only after customers complain that they cannot log in.

Record removal also affects verification. Many platforms use TXT verification as a continuing trust signal. Even if initial verification succeeded, the platform may periodically re-check domain control. If a record was removed to “clean up”, the platform might disable an integration, de-authorise a sender identity, or halt a feature until verification is restored.

A disciplined approach is to treat DNS like production infrastructure. When records are changed, changes should be intentional, reviewed, and reversible. A simple internal note explaining why a TXT record exists can prevent hours of guesswork later, especially for small teams where responsibilities shift frequently.

Best practices for record management.

Document why each record exists, including which tool required it and when it was added.
Confirm whether any current systems still depend on the record before removal.
Export or copy all existing records before making changes so rollback is possible.
Run periodic audits to identify outdated or duplicated entries and validate that policies still reflect reality.

Verify propagation and document changes.

After editing TXT records, success depends on propagation and verification. DNS changes are not always visible instantly because resolvers cache results for a period defined by TTL. A team can publish a correct record and still see verification fail for a while because a checking service is reading cached data. That is not a reason to panic, but it is a reason to plan. Critical changes should be made with awareness of TTL and business impact, particularly when mail flow is involved.

Verification should be done with DNS lookup tools that show what the public internet sees, not just what the DNS dashboard displays. If the record appears in the authoritative DNS but not in public lookups, the issue may be that the domain is pointing at a different DNS provider than the one being edited. This happens frequently after domain transfers or when a domain registrar and a hosting provider both offer DNS management.

Documentation is not busywork, it is operational resilience. A lightweight change log helps teams attribute deliverability changes to specific policy edits, and it helps marketing, ops, and development teams coordinate. When something goes wrong, the difference between “we changed something in DNS last month” and “we added a DKIM selector for the marketing sender at 14:05 UTC on Tuesday” is the difference between guessing and troubleshooting.

Teams that want to be proactive can schedule a regular review cadence. Quarterly is often enough for SMBs, but higher-change environments may benefit from monthly checks. Reviews should confirm that the current sending services match SPF includes, DKIM selectors remain present for active senders, and DMARC policy reflects the organisation’s risk tolerance. Over time, this shifts DNS from an emergency-only activity into a routine reliability practice.

Verification and documentation steps.

Use public DNS lookup tools to confirm the exact hostname and value seen externally.
Track changes in a simple log, including date, purpose, and the tool or owner responsible.
Share DNS notes with the people who manage email, web, and integrations to prevent siloed edits.
Schedule recurring reviews to keep verification tokens and authentication policies accurate.

TXT records sit at the intersection of identity, deliverability, and platform trust. When they are treated as living infrastructure rather than one-off setup steps, they reduce support load, protect reputation, and keep growth tooling connected without surprises. The next step is usually turning these principles into a repeatable DNS workflow that fits how a team ships changes and manages risk, especially as more tools, subdomains, and sending sources are introduced.

Rollback habits.

When a team manages a domain’s DNS settings, “rollback habits” are the difference between a quick recovery and a drawn-out incident. DNS is the routing layer that tells the internet where a website, email service, and many third-party tools live. One incorrect record can cause a site to disappear, forms to fail, or business email to stop delivering. For founders, operations leads, and web owners, the practical risk is not theoretical: downtime can stall leads, interrupt transactions, and erode trust in minutes.

Rollback is not simply “undoing a change”. It is an operational capability built from a few repeatable behaviours: capturing a safe baseline, making changes in a controlled way, knowing when to reverse course, and verifying the full stack after reverting. The intent is to make DNS changes routine rather than stressful, particularly for teams juggling Squarespace, e-commerce checkout flows, marketing tools, and automated workflows where many systems depend on the same domain.

Maintain a last known-good DNS reference.

A last known-good reference is a reliable snapshot of working DNS records that can be restored quickly. In practice, it functions like a “restore point” for the domain. DNS changes are often small, such as adding a record for email authentication or verifying a third-party service, but small errors can have large impact. Having a baseline removes guesswork under pressure and shortens the time needed to recover.

Good teams treat DNS configuration as living infrastructure, not a one-off setup. A stable reference should capture the exact values and structure that were confirmed to work, including record types, hostnames, and targets. Screenshots help, but structured exports are more dependable because they reduce the chance of copying a value incorrectly. Where the DNS host supports it, change history logs and record exports can be treated as the canonical source of truth.

Make reversibility a default behaviour.

Steps to maintain a reference.

Take periodic screenshots of the full DNS record table, including record type, name/host, value/target, TTL, and any proxy settings.
Export records where the provider supports it, keeping the export file named with a date and context (for example, “2025-12-28 pre-email-auth-change”).
Write a short change note: what changed, why it changed, who changed it, and what “success” looked like at the time.

This reference becomes valuable in three common scenarios. First, it speeds up incident response: the team can restore a proven configuration instead of debating what “should” be correct. Secondly, it prevents silent drift, where multiple small tweaks over months create a configuration that nobody fully understands. Thirdly, it supports collaboration: when a marketing lead adds a verification record, or a developer adds a subdomain for an API, everyone can see what changed and why.

For organisations running multiple tools, it helps to explicitly document which records belong to which service. For example, email authentication records can be grouped (SPF, DKIM, and DMARC), site hosting records can be grouped (A records and CNAMEs), and verification records can be grouped (short-lived TXT records for Google, Meta, and other platforms). This grouping makes later rollbacks safer, because the team avoids removing a record that was added for a different reason.

Revert to a previous state when uncertainty appears.

DNS incidents often worsen because people keep editing while unsure what is broken. A disciplined approach is to revert as soon as uncertainty outweighs confidence. That choice is not “giving up”; it is controlling blast radius. If a change introduced instability, restoring the last known-good configuration puts the domain back into a predictable state, creating breathing room to diagnose properly.

A methodical revert means isolating what changed, rolling back only what is necessary, then validating the business-critical paths. The emphasis is on restoring service fast, then investigating after stability returns. This sequence matters because DNS errors can affect revenue paths (checkout, lead forms) and internal operations (email delivery, customer support inboxes).

Reversion tips.

Identify the smallest set of records that changed, and revert only those first if the cause is clear.
Use the last known-good reference to restore exact values, including hostnames and trailing dots where applicable.
Validate in layers: DNS resolution, website availability, and dependent services such as email and payment flows.

Verification should be broader than “the homepage loads”. A rollback may restore a site while leaving a subdomain broken, or it may fix web traffic while email remains misconfigured. In service businesses, a broken mailbox can be as damaging as a broken website. In e-commerce, a payment provider or transactional email sender may depend on specific DNS records that are easy to overlook.

Practical verification checks often include: confirming the apex domain resolves, confirming the www hostname resolves (if used), testing a key landing page, submitting a contact form, and confirming receipt of the form notification email. If the business runs appointment booking, membership login, or customer portals, those flows deserve explicit tests too. Teams using automation platforms such as Make.com can also confirm that webhooks or custom subdomains still resolve, because automations can fail quietly until they are needed most.

Understand TTL delays during rollback.

TTL (Time to Live) controls how long resolvers cache DNS answers. This caching is what keeps DNS fast globally, but it also means rollbacks are not always immediate. Even after restoring correct records, some users will continue seeing the old, incorrect data until their resolver cache expires. That delay can create the false impression that the rollback “did not work”, which can trigger unnecessary edits and extend downtime.

Propagation is not a single event; it is a staggered process across many caches. Internal IT teams might see the fix quickly if they flush local caches, while customers in other regions might still hit the old route for a while. Understanding this behaviour reduces anxiety and improves incident communication, especially when stakeholders are asking why the website is still unstable after changes were reverted.

Managing TTL.

Check the TTL per record before changing it, because email, site hosting, and verification records may have different values.
Lower TTL in advance of planned changes (for example, a migration), then raise it again after the change is stable.
After a rollback, allow time for caches to expire before declaring failure, and verify from multiple networks if possible.

Lowering TTL is useful for planned work, but it has trade-offs. Very low TTL values can increase DNS lookup volume, which may raise load on certain providers and can make resolver behaviour noisier when diagnosing. The healthiest pattern is temporary: lower TTL a day or a few hours before a high-risk change, execute the change, confirm stability, then restore TTL to a sensible value that balances performance and flexibility.

Teams can also reduce confusion by using basic diagnostic tooling. Running lookups from multiple vantage points (local machine, mobile network, remote checker) helps distinguish “the record is still cached” from “the record is still wrong”. The goal is not to turn every operator into a DNS engineer, but to apply enough evidence to avoid unnecessary edits while waiting for propagation.

Avoid panic edits that create new faults.

Panic edits happen when the pressure to “fix it now” overrides process. In DNS, quick changes can compound because multiple records interact. A well-intended tweak to a CNAME might conflict with an existing record, or a rushed copy-paste might introduce invisible formatting errors. Once a team starts editing repeatedly, it becomes difficult to know which change caused which symptom, and the rollback reference loses some of its usefulness because the timeline is unclear.

A calm response is operational, not emotional. It is a deliberate choice to slow down, re-check the baseline, and revert first if needed. For SMB teams, this is especially important because DNS is often handled by non-specialists who also own marketing, operations, or product. A structured approach protects them from turning a recoverable issue into a wider outage.

Best practices to avoid panic edits.

Pause and confirm what is failing: web, email, a subdomain, or a third-party verification step.
Consult the last known-good reference and the change notes before editing anything else.
Make one change at a time, then wait the appropriate propagation window before changing again.

Collaboration reduces mistakes. A second person can read back the intended values and spot common DNS pitfalls, such as mixing up hostnames (apex versus subdomain), entering an A record where a CNAME is required, or leaving an old record in place that conflicts with the new one. Even in a small company, a short “two-person check” for high-risk DNS changes can prevent hours of downtime.

It also helps to pre-define “stop conditions”. For example, if the team has made a change and cannot explain the current symptoms in plain language, that is a signal to revert to the baseline, document what happened, and resume troubleshooting from a stable state. This keeps changes reversible and keeps the incident timeline understandable.

Use a rollback checklist: revert, verify, check email.

A checklist makes rollback repeatable under stress. The point is not bureaucracy; it is consistency. DNS affects multiple business systems at once, so a rollback that only verifies the website can still leave email broken, or vice versa. A short, standard checklist ensures the team always checks the same critical paths and reduces the chance of “false recovery”, where one part of the system looks fixed while another remains down.

For teams working across multiple platforms and integrations, the checklist is also a training tool. It encodes what matters operationally, so that a newer team member can follow the same safe process as a more experienced operator. Over time, the checklist can be tailored to the business’s actual dependencies, including membership areas, checkout flows, marketing pixels, and API endpoints.

Rollback checklist.

Revert changed DNS records to the last known-good state, confirming type, host, value, and TTL.
Verify website resolution for both apex and common hostnames (such as www), then test key pages and forms.
Check email delivery and authentication outcomes, including sending a test email and confirming mailbox access.

A more mature checklist can include targeted checks such as: verifying that payment provider webhooks still resolve, ensuring that tracking and analytics scripts load on primary landing pages, and confirming that key third-party services remain verified if a TXT record was involved. Some teams also keep a “known dependencies” list that maps DNS records to services, which turns verification into a quick set of intentional tests rather than an unstructured browse around the site.

As rollback habits improve, teams often move from reactive recovery to controlled change management. DNS updates become safer because every change starts with a baseline capture, includes a revert plan, and ends with verification. The next layer is planning how those same habits apply to other high-impact configuration areas, such as SSL settings, domain redirects, and platform-specific code injection.

Domain name security best practices.

Choose a registrar built for security.

Selecting a trustworthy domain registrar is the foundation of protecting a brand’s online identity. The registrar is not just where a domain is purchased, it is the control panel for nameservers, DNS records, renewals, and ownership transfers. If an attacker gains access at this layer, they can redirect traffic, capture emails, or hold the domain hostage. For founders and SMB operators, the risk is operational as much as it is technical: a hijacked domain can stop sales, interrupt customer support, and damage search performance.

A safer starting point is to prioritise registrars that are ICANN-accredited, have clear security controls, and provide responsive support with an audit trail of account activity. Common “security features” should not be treated as marketing bullets; they should be evaluated as operational controls. Domain locking, two-factor authentication, and change alerts reduce the chance that a single compromised password turns into a full domain takeover. Strong customer support matters too, because domain incidents often require fast, human intervention rather than slow ticket loops.

Well-known registrars such as GoDaddy, Namecheap, and Bluehost offer varying levels of security options. The difference is rarely the existence of a feature, it is how consistently that feature is enforced, how easy it is to verify, and how quickly critical changes can be reversed. A practical approach is to review the registrar’s incident history and transparency. If a provider has previously experienced security issues, the key question is whether they communicated clearly, remediated quickly, and improved controls afterwards.

Key considerations.

Accreditation status and compliance approach
Account security features: lock, MFA, alerts, access logs
Support responsiveness for urgent domain incidents
Reputation, user reviews, and clear escalation paths

For teams running sites on Squarespace, it is also worth checking how smoothly the registrar supports DNS configuration, especially for records that frequently change during set-up (such as verification records, email authentication, and CDN-related entries). A registrar with a clean DNS interface reduces human error, which is one of the most common “quiet” causes of downtime.

Enable registrar lock and control transfers.

Registrar lock prevents unauthorised transfers of a domain to another registrar. This matters because many real-world hijacks are not about vandalising a website; they are about taking ownership of the domain itself. Once transferred away, recovering it can be slow, legally complex, and sometimes impossible within a useful timeframe.

Most registrars enable a lock by default, but relying on defaults is risky because settings can be changed during troubleshooting, migration, or team handovers. A simple habit helps: after any DNS or domain administration task, the owner checks that the domain is still locked. For businesses that handle multiple domains, a monthly review schedule can catch accidental unlocks. Where supported, transfer restrictions should be paired with notifications so that any attempt to unlock or transfer generates an immediate email alert.

There is also a process risk: transfers may be legitimately required during replatforming, mergers, or changes in ownership. The safer pattern is to treat unlocking as a time-bound action. The domain is unlocked only when a transfer is actively in progress, and then re-locked immediately. Some registrars support additional safeguards such as “transfer whitelist” or manual approval gates, which can be useful when several operators share responsibility.

Use strong, unique passwords and MFA.

Account access is still the most common failure point because compromised credentials bypass many technical controls. A strong password is not simply a longer version of a weak one; it is a credential that cannot be guessed, reused, or derived from public information. In practice, that means avoiding names, dates, brand terms, and predictable patterns. It also means avoiding password reuse across services, because a breach on a separate platform can become a domain takeover through “credential stuffing”.

Using a reputable password manager reduces friction and encourages unique credentials per account. It also improves team operations by allowing shared access through controlled vaults rather than spreadsheets or chat messages. That operational layer matters for founders and growth teams because domains are often handled by multiple people across marketing, web, and operations.

Two-factor authentication (2FA) should be enabled wherever possible, especially on registrar accounts and the email inbox used for registrar communication. Email access is frequently the hidden backdoor: if an attacker can reset registrar credentials through email, the registrar’s security settings become irrelevant. Authentication apps are often stronger than SMS-based codes, although the best choice is the one that the team can reliably maintain without lockouts. The goal is resilience: secure access that is also recoverable through documented procedures.

Keep registrar contact details current.

Registrar contact details are not “profile information”, they are part of the security boundary. Renewal notices, transfer approvals, and compromise alerts typically flow through the account’s primary email and phone number. If those details are outdated, a business may lose the chance to respond in time. For example, an expired domain can be re-registered by a third party, leading to lost traffic and potential brand impersonation.

It helps to treat these details as critical infrastructure. Many businesses use a role-based mailbox (such as domains@company) that is controlled by a small group rather than a single person’s email address. This reduces key-person risk when staff change. Where the registrar supports multi-channel alerts, enabling more than one notification path can add redundancy, although it should not become noisy enough that the team ignores warnings.

A practical maintenance routine is to review contact details during quarterly operations reviews, alongside billing and vendor checks. This makes domain ownership part of standard business hygiene rather than an emergency task discovered during an outage.

Defend against phishing and social engineering.

Phishing remains one of the most effective techniques for stealing domain access because it targets humans rather than systems. Attackers frequently impersonate registrars with “urgent” messages about domain expiration, verification problems, or security incidents. The objective is to trick someone into clicking a link, entering credentials, or approving a transfer.

Better defence starts with behavioural controls. Teams should treat all unexpected domain-related emails as suspicious, especially those requesting login actions or personal data. Instead of clicking, operators can navigate directly to the registrar’s official website and sign in from there to check notifications. Sender addresses can be spoofed, so “looking official” is not proof. Poor grammar is a clue, but many modern phishing campaigns are written well, so the safest rule is procedural: never authenticate through an email link for high-value services like registrars.

For businesses with multiple team members, training should include realistic examples of domain-themed phishing attempts. Mock exercises can be valuable, but even a simple internal checklist helps: verify the domain, verify the request, use a direct login, and confirm changes through a second channel if the request is unusual. This reduces the chance that a single rushed action creates a high-impact incident.

Use DNSSEC to reduce DNS spoofing risk.

DNSSEC strengthens the integrity of the Domain Name System by digitally signing DNS records, helping prevent attackers from redirecting visitors to the wrong destination through forged responses. Without this protection, users may be silently sent to a lookalike site where credentials or payments can be stolen. This type of attack can also undermine brand trust because the domain appears correct in the browser, even while the underlying routing is compromised.

DNSSEC adoption depends on registrar support and sometimes DNS provider support as well. When it is available, enabling it is a meaningful upgrade for domains that handle logins, payments, customer portals, or high-volume lead capture. It is particularly relevant for SaaS and e-commerce operators, where user trust is central to conversion and retention.

DNSSEC does add operational responsibility. Keys must be managed correctly, and misconfiguration can cause resolution failures. This is not a reason to avoid it, but it is a reason to implement it carefully, ideally with documented steps and verification checks. After enabling DNSSEC, it is sensible to validate DNS resolution and monitor for errors. When teams change DNS providers or registrars, DNSSEC settings should be reviewed as part of the migration checklist.

Monitor domain activity and renewals.

Domain security is not a one-time set-up, it is an ongoing practice. Regular monitoring helps detect unauthorised changes to nameservers, DNS records, contact details, and security settings. Many registrars offer activity logs, but logs only help if someone checks them. Alerts for changes are often more effective because they surface issues immediately, which is crucial when minutes matter.

Renewals deserve equal attention because expiration is a preventable cause of downtime. Auto-renewal is useful, but it should be paired with valid payment details and monitored confirmation emails. Some businesses also register key domains for multiple years to reduce renewal frequency, though that should still be complemented by alerting and access control. Renewal failures can happen for mundane reasons such as expired cards or accounting changes, so the system should assume “billing will break eventually” and be designed to warn early.

Where a business owns multiple domains (main site, product domains, campaign domains, country domains), centralising ownership and creating a simple inventory list can prevent orphaned assets. That inventory should include registrar, renewal date, DNS provider, and the internal owner. It is not glamorous work, but it reduces emergency fixes and protects continuity.

Build team capability and clear procedures.

Even the best tools fail if the team lacks shared standards. Domain management often touches founders, marketing leads, web leads, and operations staff, especially in SMBs where roles overlap. Security improves when there is a defined process for requesting and approving domain changes. That process should cover who can edit DNS, who can unlock transfers, and how changes are recorded.

Least privilege is a useful principle here: people receive only the level of access they need. For example, a content lead may not need the ability to transfer domains, while a technical operator might need DNS edit access but not billing control. Many registrars allow role-based access; if they do not, that limitation should influence registrar choice.

Training topics should include recognising phishing, using password managers, enabling MFA, and understanding the impact of DNS changes. It also helps to document a “domain incident runbook” that states what to do if a suspicious change is detected: lock the domain, reset credentials, contact the registrar, check DNS, and validate website and email systems. When stress is high, checklists reduce mistakes.

Enable WHOIS privacy where appropriate.

The WHOIS database can expose registrant details, depending on jurisdiction and registrar policies. Public contact information can lead to spam, targeted phishing, and identity risks. WHOIS privacy protection replaces personal details with proxy information, reducing exposure and making it harder for attackers to tailor social engineering attempts.

Privacy is not the same as security, but it supports security by shrinking the amount of data available to adversaries. For some businesses, transparency requirements may exist, especially in regulated sectors or when ownership disclosure is required. In most common commercial cases, privacy protection is a sensible default, particularly for founders using personal addresses or phone numbers for domain registration.

Registrars can change their privacy options and default behaviour over time, so it is worth checking these settings periodically. The aim is not secrecy for its own sake, but reducing unnecessary risk surface.

Back up domain settings and recovery data.

Backups are often discussed in the context of websites, but domain configuration should also be captured. A domain’s active setup includes nameservers and DNS entries such as A, CNAME, MX, TXT, and verification records. If those records are deleted or altered, services can fail in confusing ways, email stops delivering, analytics verification breaks, and customer logins can fail. Keeping a backup of the current configuration turns recovery from guesswork into a predictable process.

A sensible approach is to export or record DNS settings after major changes and store them in a secure location. Many teams use versioned documentation, with dates and change reasons, so they can quickly roll back. This is especially useful when integrating third-party services, such as email providers, payment tools, or automation platforms, where a single incorrect record can create a chain of failures.

Domain security also depends on broader resilience. Backing up website content and databases remains important so that even if the domain is recovered, the organisation can restore the digital experience quickly. Cloud storage adds redundancy, but backups should be tested. A restoration process that has never been validated is a hope, not a plan. Periodic tests, even simple ones, confirm that recovery steps work and that access to backup locations is still available.

With these fundamentals in place, the next step is to connect domain security to day-to-day operations, including how DNS choices affect email deliverability, website performance, and automation tooling used across modern stacks.

Tools for domain management.

Utilise GoDaddy SSL for stronger security.

Implementing an SSL certificate is one of the clearest signals that a domain is being managed responsibly. It protects visitors by securing the connection between their browser and the website, and it protects the business by reducing the chance that sensitive data is exposed in transit. When SSL is active, browsers typically show a padlock icon and the site runs on HTTPS, both of which reinforce trust at the exact moment a visitor is deciding whether to browse, enquire, or buy.

On a technical level, SSL enables HTTPS, which encrypts traffic so third parties cannot easily read or alter what is being sent between the user and the server. This matters for obvious high-risk moments such as checkout, logins, and form submissions, but it also matters for “normal” browsing because modern sites constantly exchange session data, analytics events, and personal identifiers. Encrypting that flow reduces the blast radius of Wi-Fi interception, malicious proxies, and other man-in-the-middle scenarios.

There is also a measurable performance and visibility upside. Major search engines use site security as a ranking signal, and browsers increasingly warn users away from non-secure pages, especially where forms exist. Even if a site is not selling online, a “Not secure” warning can quietly suppress conversions because it introduces doubt. For service businesses, the first conversion is often a contact form, a brochure download, or a booking enquiry, and those actions rely on visitors feeling safe.

Benefits of using SSL.

Encrypts data for secure transactions, protecting details such as card data, addresses, and login credentials.
Improves search engine visibility because secure sites are generally favoured over non-secure ones.
Builds trust by removing browser warnings and reinforcing legitimacy at the point of decision.
Reduces tampering risks by helping prevent traffic interception and content manipulation.

Practical guidance helps avoid common missteps. SSL should cover every hostname the business uses, including “www” and non-“www”, and any subdomains that host key functions such as “shop”, “support”, or “app”. After SSL is installed, redirects should be configured so HTTP automatically becomes HTTPS, preventing duplicate indexing and mixed user experiences. If third-party scripts load insecure assets, browsers may block them or flag “mixed content”, so checking templates, embedded videos, and legacy image URLs is worth the time.

Activate the Security Check feature in The Hub.

Domain security is not a one-time action; it is an ongoing process of detecting issues early enough to avoid downtime, data loss, or reputational damage. GoDaddy’s Security Check in The Hub supports that routine by scanning for common website risks such as malware signatures and known vulnerabilities. When configured to run on a schedule, it becomes a background safety net that can catch problems that might otherwise remain invisible until rankings drop or users report suspicious behaviour.

This feature is particularly useful for small teams who do not have a dedicated security function. Websites often depend on third-party templates, embedded scripts, forms, and integrations, and security debt can build up quietly. A scheduled scan helps create a consistent cadence, and a regular reporting workflow encourages prompt remediation. For businesses operating e-commerce stores, SaaS marketing sites, or service sites that rely on lead forms, early detection reduces the likelihood of disruption during revenue-critical periods.

Choosing scan frequency should reflect risk exposure. A site with frequent content changes, many integrations, or high traffic has more potential entry points and benefits from more frequent scans. A brochure site that changes monthly may be fine on a weekly cadence, but it still benefits from monitoring because even “static” sites can be compromised via reused passwords, outdated scripts, or vulnerable third-party embeds.

Steps to activate Security Check.

Log in to The Hub.
Select the relevant site from the list.
Choose the Security Check option.
Activate scanning and set a schedule that matches the site’s risk profile.

It helps to pair Security Check with a simple internal habit: log and assign. If a scan flags an issue, it should be clear who owns it, what “done” looks like, and how quickly it must be resolved. Even a lightweight tracking document can prevent security tasks being forgotten when the team gets busy.

Monitor security check results for vulnerabilities.

Running scans without reviewing results is a false sense of safety. Once Security Check is active, the real value comes from treating scan output as actionable intelligence. GoDaddy reports typically surface threats and weaknesses that can include malware indicators, suspicious file changes, or configuration gaps. Reviewing these reports regularly helps teams address issues while they are small, rather than waiting until a compromised site affects users, email deliverability, or search visibility.

Effective monitoring means more than simply “fixing the alert”. It involves identifying the root cause and reducing recurrence. If malware is detected, removal is only step one. The team should also check how it got in, such as weak credentials, a compromised admin account, or a vulnerable integration. If a vulnerability points to outdated software, the response should include an update plan and a repeatable maintenance routine.

For organisations that run multiple web properties, a consistent review cadence matters. A weekly security review meeting, even fifteen minutes, is often enough to keep threats from building. For fast-moving teams, it can be helpful to align security check reviews with content releases or marketing pushes, because high-visibility campaigns tend to attract more automated probing and spam activity.

Key actions after monitoring.

Review scan results on a fixed schedule so issues do not linger unnoticed.
Resolve vulnerabilities quickly, prioritising items affecting logins, payments, and forms.
Document what was changed and why, supporting audits and repeatable internal processes.
Periodically conduct a broader review of security posture beyond automated scans.

Edge cases are worth anticipating. False positives can happen, especially when a legitimate script resembles a known pattern. That is why teams should verify changes before deleting assets. On the other side, a clean scan is not proof of invulnerability, so it should be paired with strong access controls, unique passwords, and ideally multi-factor authentication where available.

Use domain privacy features to protect personal information.

Public domain records were originally designed for transparency, but they can expose too much about a domain owner. Domain privacy limits what appears in WHOIS lookups, typically masking personal contact details and replacing them with proxy information. For founders, freelancers, and SMB owners, this is a straightforward step that reduces spam, unwanted sales outreach, and the risk of bad actors using publicly visible details to craft targeted phishing attempts.

This protection becomes more important when the domain owner’s name and email address are used across other systems. Attackers often combine WHOIS data with social profiles and data leaks to build realistic impersonation attempts. By minimising publicly available identity signals, domain privacy reduces the available material for social engineering. It also helps keep business operations cleaner by routing domain-related communication through more controlled channels.

Privacy also supports brand presentation. Many small teams register domains personally before a company is fully incorporated or before administrative responsibilities are formalised. Masking the registrant record helps avoid awkward public mismatches and keeps the boundary between personal life and business operations clearer.

Advantages of domain privacy.

Protects personal details from broad public exposure.
Reduces spam and unsolicited contact, lowering distraction and noise.
Minimises the risk of takeover attempts that rely on publicly accessible owner details.
Helps maintain a more professional boundary between personal and business identities.

Teams should still maintain accurate registrant details internally, even when privacy is enabled. If ownership disputes, renewals, or registrar transfers occur, having verified and current records can prevent delays and headaches.

Regularly review and update payment details to prevent expiry.

A domain expiring is one of the most avoidable causes of downtime, and it can be far more costly than it looks. When a renewal fails, websites can go offline, emails can stop delivering, and customers can lose confidence quickly. Keeping billing information current in GoDaddy helps ensure continuity of ownership, which is central to maintaining a stable online identity and protecting ongoing marketing investments.

It is also a governance issue. Many domains were initially purchased with a personal card, an old finance email, or an expired payment method. As a company grows, those details often become outdated. Reviewing payment details on a schedule helps reduce the risk of renewal surprises, especially for teams managing multiple domains, regional variations, or campaign-specific domains.

Automatic renewal is a strong baseline, but it is not a complete guarantee. Cards can expire, banks can block transactions, and account emails can become inaccessible. Mature operations treat renewals as a tracked asset management process rather than a background assumption.

Tips for managing payment information.

Review payment methods quarterly and immediately after any finance or bank changes.
Enable automatic renewal to reduce reliance on manual reminders.
Add a backup payment method to reduce the chance of failed renewals.
Audit billing statements so discrepancies are caught early rather than at renewal time.

For more resilience, some teams centralise domain ownership under a shared admin account and use role-based access for marketing or web leads. That approach reduces single-person dependency and supports smoother handovers when staff change.

Leverage DNS management tools for better control.

DNS management determines where a domain “points” and how services such as websites and email work. GoDaddy’s DNS interface allows teams to edit records that control routing, verification, and service integrations. A solid grasp of DNS helps organisations move faster when launching new tools, switching providers, or troubleshooting deliverability issues, and it reduces reliance on guesswork when something breaks.

It helps to treat DNS changes as production changes. A small record edit can take a website offline or disrupt email, so changes should be intentional and documented. When a business moves hosting, updates e-commerce providers, or adds a no-code tool, DNS is often the connector. Having clear ownership of DNS avoids bottlenecks between operations, marketing, and development.

Common scenarios illustrate why DNS matters. If email is handled by Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, the correct mail routing depends on MX records. If a site uses a third-party platform, A records or CNAME records must match the provider’s requirements. If a business needs to prove domain ownership for a service, TXT records often support verification and security policies. Understanding these moving parts helps teams diagnose problems quickly, such as “emails are bouncing” or “the site loads intermittently”.

Key DNS records to manage.

A Records: Direct a domain to an IPv4 address, commonly used for website hosting.
CNAME Records: Alias one hostname to another, useful for services and subdomains.
MX Records: Define which servers receive email for the domain.
TXT Records: Store text-based policies and verification, including SPF-style email authentication signals.

Technical depth that saves time: teams should understand propagation and caching. DNS updates are not always instant because resolvers cache results based on a record’s TTL (time to live). When making planned changes, lowering TTL ahead of time can speed up cutovers. When troubleshooting, checking records with multiple resolvers can confirm whether an issue is local caching or an actual configuration error.

Utilise website analytics tools for performance monitoring.

Domain management is not only about renewals and DNS; it also includes understanding how visitors behave once they arrive. Website analytics helps teams measure whether the site is discoverable, fast enough, and persuasive enough to convert interest into action. GoDaddy’s built-in analytics can provide a baseline view of traffic and engagement, which supports better marketing decisions and better prioritisation of site improvements.

Analytics becomes most useful when tied to operational questions. If traffic spikes but enquiries do not, the site may have a messaging or conversion problem. If organic traffic declines, it may point to technical SEO issues, content decay, or competitive shifts. If visitors drop off on mobile, it may indicate performance or layout friction. The value is not the charts, it is what teams do next based on the evidence.

For example, a services business may notice that blog posts drive steady traffic but users leave quickly. That could signal mismatched intent, weak internal linking, or lack of clear calls to action. An e-commerce brand may see strong product page views but low checkout completion, which could indicate trust gaps, payment friction, or slow load times. Analytics helps isolate where to investigate.

Benefits of using analytics tools.

Reveal visitor behaviour patterns, supporting more informed UX and content decisions.
Identify traffic sources so marketing spend and effort can be prioritised accurately.
Monitor engagement metrics that correlate with trust and interest.
Track conversions to assess whether campaigns and landing pages are performing.

Teams often benefit from combining analytics with simple qualitative checks: reviewing top landing pages, testing core forms, and validating that key journeys work across devices. Where a site runs on Squarespace, performance and UX enhancements can sometimes be supported through codified plugins, which is the type of area tools like Cx+ are designed to address when a business needs improvements without heavy custom development.

Stay informed about domain trends and updates.

Domain and website operations evolve quickly. Changes in browser behaviour, security expectations, email authentication rules, and search ranking factors can all affect how a domain performs in the real world. Staying up to date through GoDaddy resources, industry publications, and peer communities helps teams anticipate issues rather than reacting after something breaks.

Learning also improves decision-making. For instance, understanding current phishing trends can influence how a team configures account access. Knowing how search engines treat site experience can affect priorities for performance improvements. Keeping track of platform changes can prevent surprise incompatibilities when new features roll out, especially for businesses relying on interconnected tools across marketing, operations, and web delivery.

Community learning is often underrated. Operators who participate in forums, attend webinars, or follow specialists in DNS, security, and SEO gain practical shortcuts: common failure modes, safe rollout patterns, and vendor-specific nuances. These insights reduce time spent troubleshooting and increase confidence when making changes under pressure.

Ways to stay informed.

Subscribe to GoDaddy newsletters for product updates and operational tips.
Follow reputable industry blogs and technical communities for real-world patterns.
Attend webinars and workshops to keep skills current across security and performance.
Join focused social groups for timely discussions about outages, policy updates, and tools.
Consider professional associations relevant to web operations for deeper resources and networking.
Use structured online learning to build competence in DNS, security hygiene, and analytics.

As domain operations mature, many teams benefit from documenting a lightweight “domain runbook” that includes renewal dates, DNS responsibilities, access control policies, and incident steps. With the fundamentals in place, the next step is turning routine domain management into a reliable operational system that supports growth, faster launches, and fewer avoidable outages.

Next steps after domain registration.

Set up a custom email address.

A registered domain is useful on its own, but it becomes far more credible once the business ties daily communication to it. Creating a domain-based email address, such as name@domain.com, signals legitimacy and helps a company look established when sending proposals, invoices, onboarding links, or support replies. Many registrars bundle email hosting, and providers such as GoDaddy often make it possible to attach mailboxes during checkout or via an account dashboard.

Email structure matters more than most small teams expect. Instead of using personal mailboxes for everything, businesses can create role-based addresses that survive staff changes and keep workflows tidy. A simple pattern is enough to cover most needs without overbuilding an internal system.

sales@domain.com for inbound leads and quotes
support@domain.com for customer issues and product questions
accounts@domain.com for billing, invoices, and renewals
hello@domain.com for general contact and partnerships

There is also a technical advantage: domain-based sending tends to perform better than free mailbox services when it comes to deliverability, especially once authentication is set up correctly. In plain terms, inbox providers are more likely to trust mail that can be verified as legitimate, and less likely to push it into junk folders.

Deliverability is an infrastructure task, not a “marketing trick”.

To protect that deliverability, the domain’s DNS should be configured for modern email authentication. The essentials are SPF (which servers are allowed to send), DKIM (cryptographic signing), and DMARC (policy and reporting). These records reduce spoofing risk and improve inbox placement, especially when the business sends newsletters, password resets, booking confirmations, or receipts. Without them, even well-written emails can be silently filtered or flagged.

Custom email can also produce operational insight, but only when teams separate “sending” from “measuring”. Some mailbox hosts provide basic open and click metrics, but serious measurement typically lives in email platforms (for newsletters) or product tooling (for transactional email). The practical takeaway is that a custom domain makes those systems easier to trust, because a consistent sender identity improves tracking accuracy and reduces false spam classification.

For growing teams, the governance layer is worth setting early. Shared inboxes, forwarding rules, mailbox delegation, and retention policies prevent a common failure mode where critical messages disappear into an individual’s inbox. A small business does not need enterprise complexity, but it does benefit from a clear convention and documented ownership for each address.

Create a website linked to the domain.

After email, the next step is making the domain resolve to a website that matches the brand’s intent. A domain is an address; the website is the place people arrive. Whether the business uses a no-code builder, a CMS, or a fully custom build, the priority is the same: visitors should understand what is being offered, who it is for, and what to do next within seconds of landing.

There are three common build paths, each with trade-offs. A service business might prioritise speed and clarity, while an e-commerce brand may need merchandising tools and product schema. A SaaS product might require account flows and documentation. The build approach should reflect those needs rather than personal preference.

Website builder for fast publishing, predictable maintenance, and consistent templates
CMS for content depth, editorial workflows, and flexible SEO structures
Custom build for unique UX, complex integrations, or performance control

Brand consistency is not only aesthetic. Consistent typography, colour, layout rhythm, and imagery reduce cognitive load and help users trust what they are seeing. A site that looks polished but behaves inconsistently, such as confusing menus, unclear buttons, or unpredictable page layouts, can still underperform. Good branding is felt in navigation clarity, page speed, and how well the content answers real questions.

SEO starts with structure, not keywords.

Search performance improves when the site is technically readable and semantically clear. Basic SEO hygiene includes descriptive page titles, unique meta descriptions, clean URL slugs, internal linking, and fast mobile performance. For teams using Squarespace, this often comes down to consistent page naming, avoiding duplicate pages, compressing media properly, and ensuring headings are used in a logical order rather than for visual styling alone.

Adding a blog or resource section can be valuable, but only when it has a purpose beyond “posting content”. The strongest blog strategies map to real customer journeys: answering sales objections, explaining processes, documenting pricing logic, or teaching customers how to use a product. Over time, these articles become a searchable library that reduces support load and improves conversion quality because prospects self-educate before contacting the business.

Social links and share buttons can help, but they should not distract from the site’s primary actions. A better default is to make the website the source of truth, then distribute content outward. Newsletter sign-ups are often underused in SMB sites; they work best when paired with a specific promise, such as a short guide, a checklist, a monthly insights email, or early access to offers. The key is to set expectations so subscribers know what they will receive and how often.

If the website runs on Squarespace and the team expects frequent updates or recurring content, a system approach pays off. Lightweight operational support, content routines, and governance can be handled internally, but it is also where managed subscriptions can become relevant. In some cases, Pro Subs can fit naturally when a business wants predictable website upkeep and consistent publishing without building an internal content function.

Consider an online store on the domain.

When a business is ready to sell directly, linking e-commerce to the domain creates a single destination for discovery, trust, and purchase. This can be a full shop, a limited catalogue, or even a small set of “starter” products designed to validate demand. Many registrars and website platforms offer built-in commerce tooling, but the technical and operational choices still matter because they affect margin, fulfilment, and customer experience.

Before building pages, it helps to define the operational model. Physical goods require inventory discipline and shipping logic. Digital products require secure delivery and clear licensing terms. Services require scheduling, deposits, and a boundary between what is included and what is not. Weak definitions here usually show up as refund requests, support churn, and missed fulfilment deadlines.

Inventory logic: stock levels, variants, backorders, and supplier lead times
Payments: supported cards, local methods, taxation, and fraud controls
Fulfilment: shipping zones, rates, tracking, and returns
Policies: delivery timelines, refunds, warranties, and contact routes

A secure payment setup is not only about encryption. It is about reducing checkout friction while preserving trust. Clear totals, honest shipping costs, visible trust signals, and straightforward error messages all contribute. The store should also treat mobile as the default interface. A large share of buyers browse and purchase on a phone, and a store that looks fine on desktop but feels clumsy on mobile will leak revenue.

Conversion improvements often come from small changes: sharper product photography, fewer competing buttons, clearer delivery expectations, and genuine reviews. Reviews are not only social proof; they also surface language customers use, which can be reintroduced into product copy to improve relevance.

Traffic generation for new stores tends to become expensive quickly if the business leans only on paid ads. SEM can work well when there is a clear margin and a controlled funnel, but it requires ongoing testing and measurement. Social ads can create demand, but they rely on strong creative and offer design. The stable approach combines multiple channels: search-optimised product pages, content-led discovery, email capture, and selective paid campaigns that are measured against real profit, not vanity metrics.

When automation is available, it should be used carefully. Order confirmations, shipping updates, abandoned cart reminders, and post-purchase instructions can reduce support volume. The edge case to plan for is failure handling: payments that succeed but fulfilment that fails, address errors, out-of-stock variants, and returns. A store is judged most harshly when something goes wrong, so the “what happens next” logic should be designed as deliberately as the homepage.

Explore selling the domain if needed.

Sometimes a domain stops fitting the business, such as after a rebrand, a pivot, or a consolidation of product lines. In those cases, the domain may still have value. Short, memorable domains, industry keywords, and strong brandability can attract buyers, and marketplaces run by registrars can simplify listing and transfer. Platforms such as GoDaddy provide routes for selling, though sellers should understand the fees, transfer rules, and settlement timing.

Preparation affects price. A domain in good standing, with clear ownership, no payment issues, and no security flags, is easier to sell and less risky for buyers. If the domain has existing traffic, backlinks, or historical use, buyers may see additional value, but only when that history is clean and relevant. A domain with spam history or prior policy violations can become a liability.

Pricing is part research and part positioning. Comparable sales can guide expectations, but the business should also consider whether the domain is genuinely scarce. Many sellers overestimate value because the name feels important to them. Markets usually reward objective traits: length, clarity, commercial intent, and brand fit across multiple use cases.

A domain broker can help for higher-value names, especially when negotiation or outbound buyer discovery is needed. Brokers may have networks and experience with contracts and transfer security, but they typically take a commission, and sellers should verify the broker’s reputation and process before sharing access or authorising actions.

A simple landing page can support the sale by reducing friction. Even a basic page that states the domain is for sale, includes contact details, and explains possible uses can capture inbound interest. The important constraint is compliance: the page should not mislead or imply affiliation with other brands, and it should not publish copyrighted content.

Manage renewals and protect the domain.

Domains are easy to register and surprisingly easy to lose. Ongoing management prevents expiry, account lockouts, and hijacking attempts. Automatic renewal is a useful baseline, but it is not a complete strategy because it still depends on valid payment methods and current contact details. A quarterly check is often enough for small businesses to stay safe without turning administration into a distraction.

Security controls protect revenue, not just “IT”.

Domain security is part of brand protection because the domain often controls email, website access, and password resets. Enabling 2FA, turning on domain lock, and restricting who can approve transfers reduces the risk of takeover. Teams should also ensure that registrar accounts use strong, unique passwords and that recovery email addresses are controlled by the business, not an individual’s personal mailbox.

As the business expands, additional domains can function like defensive assets. Common variations, key product names, and region-specific versions can prevent confusion and reduce the chance of competitors capturing lookalike domains. The practical approach is to register only what can be maintained. Buying too many domains without a plan can create a renewal burden and increase the number of assets that could be forgotten.

Domain management links directly to website performance and reputation. A neglected site can hurt rankings, but it can also undermine trust if visitors find outdated content, broken pages, or expired certificates. Regular audits help: checking redirects, removing dead links, updating key pages, and verifying that analytics and tracking still work after template or plugin changes.

Measurement should support decisions rather than generate noise. Google Analytics can show which channels and pages produce real engagement, while Search Console can reveal indexing issues, query patterns, and technical warnings. Combined, these tools allow teams to prioritise improvements with evidence, such as improving a high-traffic page that converts poorly, or expanding an article that ranks well but does not satisfy intent.

The next step is turning the domain into a stable operating system: email that is trusted, a website that is structured for users and search engines, and workflows that stay resilient as the business grows. From there, attention can shift towards deeper optimisation, content operations, and automation that removes repeated manual work without compromising quality.

Frequently Asked Questions.

What is the importance of two-factor authentication (2FA)?

Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security by requiring a second form of verification, making it harder for unauthorized users to access your account.

How can I manage my DNS records effectively?

To manage DNS records effectively, take snapshots before changes, change one record at a time, and document the purpose of each record for clarity.

What are TXT records used for?

TXT records are used for domain verification, email authentication (like SPF and DKIM), and providing additional information about the domain.

Why is it important to use a reputable domain registrar?

A reputable domain registrar offers strong security measures, customer support, and helps protect your domain from unauthorised access and potential threats.

What is registrar lock?

Registrar lock is a security feature that prevents unauthorised transfers of your domain, ensuring that only you or authorised personnel can make changes.

How often should I review my domain settings?

Regularly reviewing your domain settings, at least every few months, helps ensure that all information is accurate and up to date, preventing potential issues.

What should I do if I suspect a phishing attack?

If you suspect a phishing attack, do not click on any links in the email, verify the sender's address, and report the incident to your registrar.

How can I protect my personal information associated with my domain?

Utilise WHOIS privacy protection to keep your personal information private and reduce the risk of spam and identity theft.

What are the benefits of using a password manager?

A password manager helps generate strong, unique passwords, stores them securely, and reduces the risk of password fatigue by managing multiple accounts.

How can I ensure my domain does not expire?

Set up automatic renewal with your registrar and regularly check your payment information to avoid losing your domain due to missed payments.

References

Thank you for taking the time to read this lecture. Hopefully, this has provided you with insight to assist your career or business.

GoDaddy. (2025, May 15). 14 tips for improving domain name security. GoDaddy. https://www.godaddy.com/resources/skills/tips-for-improving-domain-name-security
GoDaddy. (n.d.). View or change Security Check settings in The Hub. GoDaddy Help GB. https://www.godaddy.com/en-uk/help/view-or-change-security-check-settings-in-the-hub-40452
GoDaddy. (n.d.). Search. GoDaddy Help Center. https://www.godaddy.com/en-uk/help/search?slug=view-or-change-security-check-settings-in-the-hub-40452&q=security&productIds=1000001&productIds=1000054&pageNum=1
GoDaddy. (n.d.). Sign in to my GoDaddy account with a security key. GoDaddy Help. https://www.godaddy.com/en-uk/help/sign-in-to-my-godaddy-account-with-a-security-key-31905
GoDaddy. (n.d.). Activate the Security Check. GoDaddy Help. https://www.godaddy.com/en-uk/help/activate-the-security-check-40363
GoDaddy. (2025, January 6). You’ve registered a domain name. Now what? GoDaddy Blog. https://www.godaddy.com/resources/skills/youve-registered-domain-name-now
GoDaddy. (2025, July 16). How to buy a domain name in 3 steps. GoDaddy Blog. https://www.godaddy.com/resources/skills/how-to-buy-a-domain-name
Carrot Help Center. (2024, June 29). Godaddy domain setup. Carrot Help Center. https://help.carrot.com/tutorial/godaddy-domains/
Visser Analytics. (n.d.). What is a Domain Name? Complete Guide to Domains, Registrars & DNS. Visser Analytics. https://visseranalytics.com/blog/what-is-domain-name-complete-guide/

Key components mentioned

This lecture referenced a range of named technologies, systems, standards bodies, and platforms that collectively map how modern web experiences are built, delivered, measured, and governed. The list below is included as a transparency index of the specific items mentioned.

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