I have to admit something upfront: before this, I had zero experience with domain configuration. I always thought connecting a domain to a hosting platform was just a matter of a few clicks. Turns out, it’s not always that simple—especially if you make a mistake like I did.
Recently, I bought a domain on Name.com and deployed a project on Netlify. My goal was simple: connect my shiny new domain to my Netlify site so it would look professional. But the process wasn’t as smooth as I expected.
In this article, I’ll share exactly what happened, the mistakes I made, and how I finally got it right. Hopefully, this will save you from the headaches I had.
Step 1: Buying My Domain on Name.com
This part was straightforward. I searched for my desired domain name, saw it was available, and bought it. Within minutes, I had access to the Name.com dashboard where all my domain settings live.
"Here’s what my Name.com dashboard looked like after buying the domain. This is where all the DNS settings live."
Step 2: Deploying My Site on Netlify
I already had my site deployed on Netlify (via GitHub integration). Netlify automatically gives you a temporary URL like your-site.netlify.app.
The goal was to replace that with my custom domain: mydomain.com.
Step 3: Adding the Custom Domain in Netlify
Inside the Netlify dashboard:
I clicked on Domain Settings → Custom domains.
Added my new domain name (e.g., mydomain.com).
"In Netlify, I went to Domain Settings → Custom domains and typed in my new domain name here."
Netlify then provided me with DNS records to add on Name.com—CNAME, A records, and sometimes TXT records for verification.
"After adding the domain, Netlify provided these DNS records that I needed to add on Name.com."
Step 4: The Big Mistake—Changing Name Servers Instead of DNS Records
This is where things went wrong.
Instead of adding only the DNS records Netlify gave me, I went ahead and changed the name servers on Name.com to point to Netlify.
What happened?
My email stopped working because changing name servers moved all domain control to Netlify.
My domain wasn’t resolving properly because I didn’t set up email or DNS records correctly on Netlify.
I learned the hard way:
If you only want to connect your website but keep your email working, don’t change name servers. Only add the records Netlify asks for under DNS management on Name.com.
"This was my mistake: instead of just adding DNS records, I changed the name servers to point to Netlify—and my email stopped working."
Step 5: Fixing the DNS on Name.com
After some research (and frustration), I realized what I needed to do:
Revert the name servers back to the default Name.com ones.
Add the CNAME and A records provided by Netlify in the DNS records section.
"Here’s the correct way: I reverted to Name.com’s default name servers and added the CNAME and A records provided by Netlify."
Once saved, it took about 30–60 minutes for everything to propagate.
Step 6: The “It Finally Worked” Moment
After refreshing (and waiting a bit), my site finally showed up on my custom domain. Email started working again, and I learned a lot in the process.
"After waiting for DNS propagation, my site finally loaded on my custom domain—mission accomplished!"
Optional: Confirming DNS Propagation
To be extra sure, I used a tool like WhatsMyDNS to confirm that my DNS changes had propagated globally before celebrating.
"I used a tool like WhatsMyDNS to confirm my domain changes were fully propagated before celebrating."
Lessons I Learned
Don’t change name servers unless you know exactly what you’re doing.
Stick to DNS record updates when pointing your domain to hosting providers.
Propagation takes time—sometimes up to 24 hours. Don’t panic if things don’t work instantly.
Conclusion
What started as a simple task turned into a learning experience. But in the end, I now have a professional domain connected to my Netlify site—and my email works too.
If you’re setting this up for the first time, follow the steps carefully, avoid changing name servers unnecessarily, and be patient during DNS propagation.
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