DNS Records Explained: A Practical Guide for Website Owners Published: 19 Jun, 2026
DNS (Domain Name System) translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses and routes email. If your site or mail breaks after a migration, DNS is usually the cause. This guide covers the records every website owner should know.
Core DNS record types
A record
Maps a hostname to an IPv4 address. Example: example.com → 93.184.216.34. Required for web hosting.
AAAA record
Same as A but for IPv6. Increasingly important as networks adopt IPv6.
CNAME record
Aliases one name to another. Common for www pointing to the root domain or CDN endpoints.
MX record
Directs email to mail servers. Wrong MX = no inbound mail. Priority values determine order.
TXT record
Stores text for SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and domain verification (Google Search Console, etc.).
Propagation and TTL
DNS changes are not instant. TTL (Time To Live) controls cache duration. Lower TTL before migrations, then restore higher values for stability.
Troubleshooting checklist
- Confirm records at authoritative name servers.
- Compare global propagation with a DNS lookup tool.
- Check for conflicting CNAME + other records on same name.
- Verify SSL after A/CNAME changes to CDN.
Use WhoisSEO DNS lookup
Our DNS lookup tool queries major record types and presents them in a clean layout. Pair with WHOIS to see registrar and name server alignment.
Understanding DNS empowers you to fix outages faster, secure email properly, and support SEO migrations without prolonged downtime.