In this article you will learn:
- What requirements you must meet before changing the domain
- How to change the domain of a WebSite service
- Common problems
- Frequently Asked Questions
Renaming requirements
Before renaming the WebSite service, make sure that:
- The new domain, if registered with WEDOS, is in your customer account, or you are its authorized user.
- The new domain or subdomain is not the name or an alias of another VEDOS service. The exception is the name WebSite Free in combination with the Mailhosting service.
Changing the domain
Note that changing the domain of WebSite includes an automatic DNS change, which for WebSite Profi and Premium also modifies the domain’s MX records used for routing email. If you use your own email service provider, the domain will stop routing email to it after the automatic DNS change!
A WebSite service can run under any domain (domain.tld) or subdomain (sub.domain.tld). To change it, follow these steps:
- Log in to the Customer Administration ⧉.
- In the top menu, select Hosting services WebSite.
- In the list of services, select the one you want to rename.
- In the box Change domain of the WebSite service in the detail, enter the new name of the service. Then tick whether you want the change to be entered into WEDOS DNS automatically.
- Confirm the name with the button Change Domain.
After the change, wait 60 – 90 minutes for the DNS setup to finish and for the Let’s Encrypt HTTPS certificate to be issued.
Common problems
Common errors when renaming WebSite include:
- An existing hosting service for the given domain
- The domain is in another customer account
- The old website is displayed on the new domain
- Email has stopped arriving at the new domain
An existing hosting service for the given domain
Problem: The following error is displayed: A web hosting order for the same domain already exists in the system.
Cause: With few exceptions, the system does not allow two or more services with the same name (domain). If you want to use a domain that is used by one service for another service, you must first remove it from the original service.
Solution: Also renamethe original service, or remove its alias. If you run into problems, ask Support via the form ⧉ to remove the name or alias of the service.
The domain is in another customer account
Problem: The following error is displayed: The domain is in a different customer account.
Cause: For security reasons, both the domain and the corresponding WebSite service must be in the same customer account during renaming, or the domain user must have permissions set up.
Solution: Ask the customer who has the domain in their account to either set you up as an authorized user, or at least temporarily move the domain to your account.
The old website is displayed on the new domain
Problem: After the domain is renamed, an error message or the old website is displayed at the new address.
Cause: After renaming, the system (usually) changes our DNS settings and activates a Let’s Encrypt certificate. This process can take up to 90 minutes.
If the domain does not use our DNS, the system cannot make the change, so you must point the domain to WebSite manually at your DNS provider.
The old website may also be shown because of the browser cache.
Solution: After renaming, wait 90 minutes. If the problem persists, check whose DNS your domain uses and, if necessary, set the A records and, if applicable, MX manually at your provider. Clear the browser cache ⧉.
Email has stopped arriving at the new domain
Problem: After WebSite was renamed, email stopped arriving at the new domain.
Cause: The automatic DNS record update overwrote the MX records with our mail servers.
Solution: Correct the DNS MX records manually back to the original provider.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I rename WebSite to if I no longer want to use it but it blocks the service name?
We usually recommend the subdomain delete, oldsite and the like, for example delete.domain.tld, where domain.tld is the name of your domain.