Practical website guides
Connect your own domain without disrupting email
Your domain is the address customers recognise. Connecting it to a website should not require handing over its ownership or replacing working email settings. This guide explains the Analogy IT connection stages and what to check before changing DNS.
4 minute read · Updated
1. Know which account controls each part
Domain registration, DNS, website hosting and email are separate jobs, even when one provider supplies several of them. Your registrar maintains the registration. Your DNS provider controls where the address points. Analogy IT uses its Netlify platform to host the website; your email provider continues to handle business email.
Keep the domain registered in your own name or your business’s name, with access you control. Identify the account that manages DNS before making changes. You do not need a personal Netlify account to use this platform, and connecting a domain does not transfer its registration to Analogy IT.
2. Decide whether to use an existing or new domain
You can connect a domain you already own or register one with your chosen registrar. If a particular name is essential, confirm the domain arrangements before checkout. Availability and premium names are not guaranteed.
Online checkout costs A$539 initially: A$500 launch plus A$39 for the first hosting month. Hosting then renews at A$39/month until cancelled. Eligible first-year domain registration is included, but the name and renewal quote must be agreed before registration. Choose Request a launch review if you want Analogy IT to arrange that included domain. Buying it yourself has separate registrar charges; ask before buying if you want to use the included offer. Checkout does not automatically buy, transfer or renew a domain.
3. Preserve what already works
Before setup, save a record of the current DNS settings and identify any existing website, email and other subdomains. Keep the old website available until the intended switch is confirmed. This gives you a clear reference if a change needs checking.
- Keep working MX records and email-related TXT records, including SPF, DKIM and DMARC.
- Preserve unrelated subdomains and verification records.
- Do not replace nameservers or clear a DNS zone just to add a website.
- Use the exact records supplied for your domain; do not copy another business’s DNS values.
4. Verify ownership in your workspace
Open Package & launch and find Your domain. Your business. Enter the exact domain you own. The Verify ownership stage shows a TXT record for that request. Add its displayed name and value in the DNS account that actually manages the domain, then choose Check my DNS.
The ownership TXT record is not a website-routing instruction and does not replace email records. If verification is still pending, check for a mistyped name or value and allow time for the DNS change to become visible. Use Get domain help rather than guessing a different record. A successful ownership check alone does not mean the website is connected or secured.
5. Complete the assisted connection and HTTPS checks
Connect your website is the next stage. Analogy IT assists with the Netlify attachment and the precise DNS routing needed for your address. Website connection and HTTPS activation are separate from payment and can take additional time. Keep existing email settings intact while the website records are agreed.
The final stage is Secure it and go live. Wait for the ownership, routing and issued-certificate checks before treating the connection as complete. Open the exact public address over HTTPS and check that it shows your intended website, then confirm business email still works. A DNS save or a successful payment by itself is not evidence that the custom domain is ready.
6. Keep ownership, renewals and discovery clear
You can launch first at your Analogy IT website address and connect your domain later. Keep renewal reminders and registrar access under your control. Domain renewal after the included year is quoted separately; hosting is A$39/month for every hosted website, including one using an existing domain. Prices are AUD and no GST is charged.
Once the new address is working, update the website link on your business profile and social pages. If replacing an established website, agree how its existing pages and links will be handled before retiring it. Google discovery and indexing are separate from DNS and HTTPS and are not guaranteed. Ask for domain help when needed; a more complex migration or personally built website can be scoped and quoted separately.