Managing DNS records in My WebOké (with examples for CNAME, TXT, and external services)

DNS records determine where your domain name points to: which server your website runs on, where your email is delivered and which services are allowed to use your domain. In My WebOké you manage the DNS of your domains entirely yourself. In this article you'll read how that works, with examples for CNAME and TXT records and for connecting an external service.

Viewing and changing DNS records

1. Log in to My WebOké.
2. Go to My Domains and choose the domain you want to manage.
3. Open the DNS tab. You'll now see all the records for your domain.
4. Click + Add record for a new record, or click Edit or Delete next to an existing record. All common record types are supported, such as A, AAAA, CNAME, MX and TXT.

In the window you fill in the Name. For the domain itself you type @. For a subdomain you only type the first part, for example www or shop: your domain name is automatically added after it. Below the field you'll see the full name.

Make a backup first

Are you going to make bigger changes, for example pointing your website to a different server or changing email records? Then make a backup of your DNS first. The window has the Create a backup now button for this and also reminds you of it. If something goes wrong, you restore the backup and everything works like before again. You can read how that works in Making and restoring a backup of your DNS.

Example: a CNAME record

A CNAME record makes a name point to another name. Webshop platforms, newsletter services and Microsoft 365 often ask for this. Let's say: you want shop.yourdomain.nl to point to shops.exampleplatform.com.

1. Click + Add record and choose the type CNAME.
2. Under Name fill in only shop, so without your domain name.
3. Under Points to fill in the target name, with a dot at the end: shops.exampleplatform.com.
4. Click Save record.

Type: CNAME   Name: shop   Value: shops.exampleplatform.com.

What's not possible with a CNAME?

• No CNAME on the domain itself (@). That's also where your MX and NS records are. If a service asks for your main domain, use an A record with the IP address the service provides. Other options are listed in CNAME records and the dot at the end.
• No CNAME alongside another record with the same name. If there's already an A record for shop, delete that first.

More explanation: CNAME records and the dot at the end.

Example: a TXT record for verification

Services like Google Search Console, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and Facebook want to know if the domain is yours. They give you a code that you put in your DNS as a TXT record.

1. Click + Add record and choose the type TXT.
2. Does the service ask for a record on the domain itself (or on @)? Then fill in @ under Name. Does the service ask for a custom name, such as _github-challenge-yourcompany, then fill in only that name, without your domain name after it.
3. Paste the code you received from the service into the value field. You don't need to type quotation marks.
4. Click Save record. Then go back to the service and click verify there.

Type: TXT   Name: @   Value: google-site-verification=abc123...

You can have multiple TXT records alongside each other, even with the same name. Only an SPF record (starting with v=spf1) may only occur once. More explanation: TXT records for verification.

Connecting your domain or email to an external service

Are you using a webshop platform like Shopify, or do you send newsletters via a service like Mailchimp, MailerLite or Brevo? Then that service will ask you to add a few records. Always copy exactly what the service specifies.

• Website or webshop with another provider: usually an A record for your main domain (@) with the service's IP address, and a CNAME record for www or a subdomain such as shop. See Adding or changing an A or AAAA record. A step-by-step plan with the records for Shopify, Wix and Squarespace can be found in Your website at Shopify, Wix or Squarespace, your domain and email at WebOké.
• Verification: a TXT record with a code, as shown above.
• DKIM for a newsletter service: usually CNAME or TXT records with a name like k1._domainkey. Copy the name without your domain name after it, and for a CNAME add a dot at the end of the value. See Enabling and checking DKIM.
• Supplementing SPF: if the service sends mail on behalf of your domain, don't create a second SPF record, but supplement the existing record with the service's include:. Keep include:webawere.nl in place, because your website and forms send mail through our servers. See Setting up and supplementing SPF.

v=spf1 a mx include:webawere.nl include:spf.exampleservice.com ~all

Checking whether it works

Changes are applied immediately. Due to DNS caching (the TTL of a record), it can take up to an hour before everyone on the internet sees the change, in exceptional cases up to 24 hours. Does a verification not work right away? Wait a quarter of an hour and try again.

Do you want to see whether your records are set correctly? Open the Domain / Email health card on the domain page in My WebOké and click Check again, or use the public tool Domain health. See also Domain and email health: checking and fixing.

Good to know

• Behind each record type in the list is a question mark. Click on it for an explanation in plain words of what that record does.
• For MX, SPF, DMARC, CAA and SRV the window has extra help. See DNS helpers: MX, SPF, DMARC, CAA and SRV.
• Not sure which record you need? Feel free to contact us via the Support Center, and we'll be happy to help you think it through.

You might also enjoy reading: The history of the Domain name

See also in the WebOké manual: Managing DNS: adding, changing and deleting records. In the DirectAdmin manual: Opening DNS Management and reading the records.

Detailed explanation with screenshots: DNS in My WebOké and with external nameservers such as Cloudflare in the DirectAdmin manual.