DNS Problems
DNS issues can prevent your website, email, or SSL certificate from working correctly even when the hosting service itself is active.
Quick Checklist
Before making changes, confirm:
| Check | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| Website records | Main domain and www point to the expected destination |
| Mail records | MX, SPF, DKIM, and related TXT records are still present |
| Mail host | mail.yourdomain.tld resolves correctly if you use it |
| SSL timing | DNS has fully propagated before retrying certificate actions |
| DNS owner | You are editing DNS in the right place: SiteForge panel or an external provider |
The Website Still Opens on the Old Host
Symptoms
- The site still shows old content.
- One network sees the new site and another does not.
What to do
- Check the A, AAAA, or CNAME records against the values shown in your SiteForge panel.
- Clear local DNS cache if needed.
- Test from a mobile network or another device to compare results.
DNS Changes Are Not Visible Yet
Symptoms
- You updated records but the change is inconsistent.
What to do
- Wait for propagation.
- Remember that some networks can cache DNS for up to 24 hours.
- Avoid changing records repeatedly unless you are correcting a real mistake.
Email Stopped Working After a DNS Change
Symptoms
- New mail is not arriving.
- SMTP, IMAP, or webmail login works inconsistently.
What to do
- Verify MX, SPF, DKIM, and related TXT records.
- Confirm the mailbox host such as
mail.yourdomain.tldresolves correctly. - If the mailbox hostname is not ready yet or has an SSL/certificate issue, use webmail.siteforge.ie as a temporary fallback for browser-based mailbox access.
SSL Certificate Cannot Be Issued
Symptoms
- HTTPS provisioning fails.
- The certificate stays pending or invalid.
What to do
- Confirm the domain points to the correct server first.
- Make sure old or conflicting DNS records have been removed.
- Retry certificate issuance only after DNS has propagated.
Cloudflare-Managed DNS Looks Out of Sync
Symptoms
- Records appear correct in one place but not another.
What to do
- If your domain is managed through SiteForge's connected DNS workflow, keep editing records in the SiteForge panel.
- Avoid making the same change in two places unless support has specifically asked you to.