Save your DNS zone: a checklist before changing nameservers
Changing the nameservers of your .at domain? First save DNS values, mail records and service responsibilities with this practical preparation checklist.
Read guide ↗The essentials
Changing your website service does not automatically require a new domain or a domain transfer. First inventory access, DNS values and important page URLs. Prepare the new website, agree its connection settings and test the website, HTTPS and email after the switch. End the previous service only once the functions you still need have been safely replaced.
1. Identify exactly what is changing
A relaunch may change only the design, or it may move the entire website to a different service. Domain management, the place running your website and your email service are separate responsibilities. Write down the relevant account for each of these three tasks and which services should stay. If your domain is with us and your website runs elsewhere, plan the new connection with the person managing your website. A domain transfer is a separate operation and does not move website content. Ask your existing service whether the domain and mailboxes depend on the same contract before cancelling anything.
Plan your domain separately from hosting2. Keep control of the address and account
Check who is recorded as the domain holder and who can access the customer account. Confirm the contact email and account access before an agency or website manager leaves the project. The new website is intended to use the same .at address; you do not need to buy that name again. For example, an Austrian bakery may replace its old builder while keeping the familiar address printed on packaging. Record that the domain and business email must continue. Avoid sharing passwords in open project notes, and agree which access will still be needed after handover day.
Arrange a safe domain account handover with an agency3. Make a focused inventory
Save the current nameservers and DNS entries used for the website, email and service verification. Also record important complete page URLs: contact details, opening hours, a menu or appointment booking. Include links printed in brochures and QR codes. Keep this inventory somewhere protected; real verification tokens should not appear in public screenshots. Add external functions such as a contact form or booking application to the list. This lets you check later whether the new website has taken over every required task. A copy of the old design alone does not capture these technical dependencies or confirm that they will continue working.
Inventory DNS before making changes
4. Review the new website before connecting it
Ask your website manager for a preview. On a phone, check navigation, readable text, telephone links, forms and the route to your main services. Agree who will connect the domain and when both teams will be available. Request the complete DNS instructions and confirmation of how HTTPS certificates will be configured for the published hostnames. A preview working on a temporary address does not prove that your own domain and its www version work. Plan a separate acceptance check after switching, and identify a person who can investigate faults during that window.
Separate domain connection from HTTPS setup5. Change DNS selectively and protect email
First establish where the active DNS zone is managed. If only the website is moving, ask whether changing its A, AAAA or CNAME records is enough. A nameserver change is not automatically necessary. If one is needed, the destination zone must contain the records that still serve a purpose. Preserve mail and verification values using confirmed instructions, rather than replacing the whole zone with an empty template. Record old and new values and the change time. Keep changes limited to the agreed connections. DNS caches can temporarily cause visitors to receive different answers during the transition.
Check the nameservers that are actually activeCheck email after changing the website connection6. Keep existing page addresses useful
Preserve existing page paths where possible. If the old menu address must be replaced with a new path, map the old address to its relevant replacement. Ask your website manager to configure suitable permanent HTTP redirects in the website service; a DNS record cannot map individual page paths. Sending every old page to the homepage often fails to take visitors to the information they wanted. Test important old links in full, including HTTPS and the chosen www variant. Record unexpected error pages and redirect loops. Neither a relaunch nor a redirect guarantees a particular position in search results.
Coordinate the main address and redirects
7. Test before ending the previous service
Use a short acceptance list: homepage reachable, important pages available, certificate valid, form message received, and incoming and outgoing email successfully tested. Try mobile data and a second device as additional checks, without treating them as proof for every network. Keep the previous configuration and the responsible contact available for faults. Agree a possible rollback before the switch rather than improvising during an outage. Cancel the previous service only after the agreed acceptance checks and after reviewing its contract deadlines. Do not delete mailboxes, files or DNS records while their continuing use remains uncertain.
Find domain help and support8. Budget for the domain independently
Moving your website does not restart the paid domain term. Review the dates for your existing domain in your account and plan its renewal separately from the website project. A standard new .at domain currently costs €12.99 total for the first year, with renewal at €15.99 total per additional year. Our three-year package for standard new .at domains costs €39 total and includes two annual renewals without another payment; paid package coverage and the technical registry period are displayed separately. Hosting, website creation and mailboxes are not included. Domain transfers have their own terms and prices.
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