{"id":26055,"date":"2020-05-27T08:39:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-27T13:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/?p=26055"},"modified":"2020-05-14T11:41:57","modified_gmt":"2020-05-14T16:41:57","slug":"domain-pointing-link-existing-domain-new-host","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/domain-pointing-link-existing-domain-new-host\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s Domain Pointing? How to Link an Existing Domain to a New Web Host"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This article is part of HostGator\u2019s Web Pros Series. In this series, we feature articles from our team of experts here at HostGator. Our Product Managers, Linux Administrators, Marketers, and Tech Support engineers share their best tips for getting the most out of your website.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here at HostGator, one of our goals is to make it as easy as possible for customers to transfer domains they\u2019ve registered somewhere else to us for hosting, or to host sites whose domains are registered with another company. For the most part, the process is simple enough. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there\u2019s one small and important aspect of using an existing domain with a new host that can trip up domain owners if they\u2019re not expecting it. That\u2019s domain pointing<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When your domain points to the server your host has assigned to you, people see your website when they type in your URL. If your domain doesn\u2019t point to your hosting service, they\u2019ll get some variation on a 'this site can\u2019t be reached'\u009d error message-and you\u2019ll miss out on those visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some site owners never need to worry about domain pointing. For example, if you register a domain with HostGator when you sign up for hosting, that domain will automatically point to the name server addresses assigned to you by your host<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what if you registered your domain name<\/a> with another provider and you want to set up your website with HostGator or another web hosting service? That\u2019s when domain pointing matters, because something has to bridge the gap between your registered domain and your web host-to 'point'\u009d the domain name to the server where your website data lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This may be unfamiliar, so let\u2019s walk through it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"register<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Basics of Domain Pointing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To understand domain pointing, it\u2019s helpful to keep in mind the key elements you need to set up your website: <\/p>\n\n\n\n