While there are many DNS options out there, we find Cloudflare to be one of the most robust options. It allows you to easily connect both your www. and non-www. of your domain and even keep the appropriate path in a permanent redirect. You can even utilize Cloudflare as a DNS manager without changing where your domain actually lives (and it's free!). Follow these steps to walk through adding your domain into Cloudflare.
Step 1: Create a Cloudflare account.
- Click the cloud icon at the top left to go to the dashboard.
- Click +Add a Site
- Enter the site name and click “Add Site”.
- You’ll be directed to the plan page, where you can choose the option you prefer. If you scroll to the bottom you can select the free option, and then click Continue.
Step 2: Configuring DNS records and changing nameservers
- On the next page, the system will scan for existing DNS records.
- Click Continue to change nameservers.
- CloudFlare will tell you where the nameservers already exist. (In the video example, it shows a GoDaddy account. You’d need to log in to your GoDaddy account and change the nameservers over to the Cloudflare.)
- Note: it is critical to point to Cloudflare's nameservers. It's critical for activating your site successfully. Otherwise Cloudflare cannot manage your DNS and optimize your site.
- Click “Done, check nameservers” to continue
- Walk through the Quick Start Guide to improve security and optimize performance.
As long as you have input all of the nameservers in the domain registrar, then you're good to go.