In my previous post about DNS and business email, I discussed why these seemingly small technical details matter more than most businesses realize. But understanding the importance of DNS is one thing. Knowing whether your own setup is working correctly is another.
The good news? You don’t need to be a networking expert to perform a few basic checks.
Whether you’re running a small business, managing a company website, or simply curious about what’s happening behind your domain, here’s where I’d start.
Start With Your Domain#
First, check the domain name itself. It sounds obvious, but domain ownership and renewal are easy to overlook when you’re busy running a business. Ask yourself:
- Is the domain registered under an account you or your business control?
- Is it set to renew automatically, where appropriate?
- Have you setup reminders or are you being notified by your domain provider on expiries?
- Are the registration and recovery details up to date?
- Is multi-factor authentication enabled on the account (for domain, hosting, other services)?
If someone else manages your domain, make sure you know who they are and how your business can regain access if necessary. Reason being, a domain of your business is more than a name on a business card. It’s an asset that may connect your website, email, and other services.
Note
Quick tip: Keep your registrar details and renewal dates documented somewhere secure. Don’t rely entirely on reminders sent to an email address you might eventually lose access to.
Check Whether Your DNS Records Make Sense#
Next, take a look at your DNS configuration. You can usually find it in the dashboard of the provider managing your domain’s DNS records. This might be your registrar (like GoDaddy, Name.com, Porkbun), hosting company (like GoDaddy, Hostgator), or a separate DNS provider (like Cloudflare).
You don’t need to understand every record reason behind its usage, but a few important ones are worth recognizing for business continuity.
- NS record (Name Server) – Identifies the authoritative nameservers managing your domain’s DNS records. Providers typically offer two or more for redundancy (e.g.,
ns1.example.com,ns2.example.com). - A record – Maps a hostname to an IPv4 address, directing users to the appropriate server (e.g.,
www.example.com → 192.0.2.1). - AAAA record – Similar to an A record, but maps a hostname to an IPv6 address.
- CNAME record (Canonical Name) – Points one hostname (instead of IP address like A/AAAA) to another, commonly used to alias
www.example.comtoexample.comor to another hostname. - MX record (Mail Exchange) – Specifies the mail servers responsible for receiving emails for your domain. Multiple MX records can provide backup, depending on the server configuration.
- TXT record – Stores text-based information used for domain verification and email authentication.
- SPF (Sender Policy Framework) – Specifies which servers are authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain.
- DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) – Uses digital signatures to help verify email authenticity and detect message tampering.
- DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance) – Helps protect your domain from email spoofing by defining how receiving servers should handle messages that fail authentication checks.
- PTR record (Pointer) – Maps an IP address back to a hostname through reverse DNS lookup. Often relevant to email servers and managed by the IP address provider.
The correct values depend on your hosting and email providers, so don’t copy records from another business and assume they’ll work for you. If you use a managed email service, check its documentation for the required MX and authentication records.
Also, be careful when changing nameservers. If you move DNS management to another provider without recreating the necessary records, your website or email could stop working. And you can always validate if the values are up-to-date using sites like DNS-CHECKER, MX-TOOLBOX.
Test Your Business Email#
This is one of the easiest checks you can perform yourself. Send an email from your business address to an account you control at another email provider. Then reply to it. Check the following:
- Does the message arrive?
- Does the reply reach your business inbox?
- Does the message land in the inbox or spam folder?
- Are there any delivery errors or bounce notifications?
If possible, repeat the test with another recipient provider. A successful test is a good starting point, but it doesn’t guarantee that every message will reach every recipient. Email delivery also depends on sender reputation, recipient policies, message content, and other factors.
If messages consistently bounce or land in spam, investigate before assuming the problem is DNS. The bounce message or email provider’s delivery logs may provide useful clues.
Check Your Email Authentication#
Now for the slightly more technical part, but don’t worry, you can check the results without manually configuring everything. Three important email authentication mechanisms are SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
- SPF: Helps receiving servers check whether a sending system is authorized to send email for a domain.
- DKIM: Uses a digital signature to help verify a message’s authenticity.
- DMARC: Applies a domain policy to messages that fail authentication and alignment checks, and can provide reporting.
These mechanisms help protect your domain from certain types of email impersonation and support email deliverability. You can use reputable DNS lookup tools or email authentication checkers to inspect your domain’s published records. Your email provider may also offer instructions for checking your configuration.
However, seeing a record isn’t the same as confirming that everything works correctly. A record may exist but contain an incorrect value, or legitimate email services may not be properly accounted for. Be particularly careful with SPF: a domain should not have multiple separate SPF records for the same DNS name. If your business uses several email-sending services, the configuration needs to accommodate them correctly.
Important
Don’t switch DMARC to a strict enforcement policy just because a checker recommends it. Identify legitimate email sources and understand the reporting results first, or you could disrupt genuine business messages.
Make Sure Your Accounts Are Secure#
DNS records aren’t the only thing worth checking. Your domain registrar, DNS provider, hosting platform, and email administrator accounts can all be important points of control. If someone gains unauthorized access to these accounts, the consequences can extend beyond a single website or mailbox.
Take a moment to check:
- Is multi-factor authentication enabled?
- Are strong, unique passwords being used?
- Do former employees or service providers still have access?
- Are recovery email addresses and phone numbers current?
- Is there a clear record of who manages each service?
You don’t need to turn this into a complicated security audit. Start with the accounts that control your domain and business email. Protecting those accounts is a sensible first step toward protecting your wider online presence.
What If Something Doesn’t Look Right?#
Suppose your website works, but business emails are landing in spam. Or perhaps everything appears normal, but nobody knows who manages the DNS records. Don’t start changing settings at random. First, identify the symptoms and gather whatever information is available. For email problems, check bounce messages, delivery logs, and authentication results. For website problems, compare the DNS configuration with the values supplied by your hosting provider.
Before making significant changes, document the existing settings.
If the problem involves business-critical email, unfamiliar DNS records, or a complicated setup involving multiple providers, getting the configuration reviewed by someone experienced may be the safer option.
The goal isn’t to make unnecessary changes. It’s to understand what’s happening and fix the actual problem.
A Quick Checklist Before You Call It a Day#
Here’s a simple summary check-list you can revisit periodically:
- I know who owns and manages my domain.
- My domain renewal and recovery details are up to date.
- My domain provider send expiry notice as well I have setup reminders.
- My website’s DNS records point to the intended service.
- My MX records match my email provider’s requirements.
- I’ve tested sending and receiving business email.
- I’ve checked SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configuration (optional).
- Multi-factor authentication is enabled on important accounts.
- I know who to contact if something stops working.
You don’t have to complete everything in one sitting. Even working through a few items can help you identify gaps worth investigating.
Final Thoughts#
Your website might look perfect, and your emails might appear to work just fine. But it’s worth knowing what keeps those services running behind the scenes.
A little housekeeping today can help you avoid confusion when it’s time to renew a domain, change hosting providers, investigate email delivery, or recover access to an important account.
And remember, the goal isn’t to change everything, rather it’s to know that the important pieces are in the right place.
If you haven’t checked your domain and email setup in a while, perhaps now is a good time to start.