Edit DNS records at Bluehost

Before you start

• Any plan. Connecting a domain you own is free on Free, Launch and Grow.
• A Bluehost login and a published yaya site.
• The DNS steps from Website > Domain in yaya. Keep that page open.

Bluehost can host DNS inside your hosting account. A domain can also use another company's name servers. Records you add at Bluehost then have no effect. Add them at the company that runs the name servers.

Sign in and find the DNS page

Bluehost shows two screens, and its own help names both.

1. Sign in to the Bluehost Portal.
2. Click Domains in the left menu.
3. Click your domain if you have more than one.
4. Click the DNS tab. The Manage Advanced DNS Records section opens.

On a hosting account with the older layout, open the Zone Editor instead. It is in the Domains section or on the Domains tab. Select your domain from the drop-down list.

What the screen calls the fields

The Zone Editor form uses these names:

• Host Record: the name of the record. Bluehost shows www as an example, so type only the part before your domain.
• TTL: leave it on the default.
• Type: CNAME, TXT and so on.
• Points To: where the record goes.

The Portal DNS tab has a + Add record button. Its own help does not list the field names. Match them to the list above.

Add the CNAME record for a subdomain or www

1. Copy the CNAME target from yaya.
2. Scroll to Add DNS Record in the Zone Editor. In the Portal, click + Add record.
3. Type www (or your subdomain) in Host Record.
4. Choose CNAME as the Type.
5. Paste the target in Points To.
6. Click Add Record.

The bare domain

Use www.example.com for the CNAME. Then forward example.com to www.example.com with Bluehost's own forwarding or redirect feature. See the provider's guide for where it is on your account.

Add the TXT ownership record

1. Choose TXT as the Type.
2. Type _cf-custom-hostname.www in Host Record. Use your own host after the dot. For the bare domain, type _cf-custom-hostname.
3. Enter the value from yaya in the field for the record value, then save.

Delete or replace a conflicting record

A CNAME cannot share a name with another record. Look for an old www A or CNAME record. Click Edit on a record to change it. Delete a record you no longer need.

Leave MX and TXT mail records as they are. See Keep your email working.

Check the result in yaya

1. Open Website > Domain.
2. Click Check again.

Bluehost says a change can take up to 48 hours. yaya sets up HTTPS on its own. There is no deploy step.

Fix common problems

There is no DNS page, or my records have no effect. The domain uses other name servers. Change records at that company.

The card stays on "Waiting on DNS". See Fix a domain that won't verify.

Provider's own guide: https://www.bluehost.com/help/article/dm-guide-to-the-dns-tab-in-the-account-manager and https://my1.bluehost.com/cgi/help/cname