Domain, Hosting, DNS — Which One Is Actually Broken?
Almost every “my website is down” message turns out to be one of three separate things, and knowing which saves you both time and money.
- The domain is the name you rent — yourbusiness.com. If it expired, nothing else matters until it is renewed.
- The hosting is the computer your website files sit on. Server errors like 500 and 503 come from here.
- DNS is the wiring between the two. When a site shows “This site can’t be reached” but the hosting is fine and the domain is paid for, DNS is almost always the answer.
Our guide on the difference between a domain and hosting explains this properly if you want to work out which one you are dealing with before contacting anyone.
Two Problems You Should Not Pay Anyone For
Being straightforward about this costs us work, and it is still worth saying.
DNS propagation. If you have just changed your nameservers or pointed the domain somewhere new, the site can look broken while the change spreads: usually a few hours with Indian registrars, and up to 48 hours globally in the worst case. Nothing is wrong. Waiting fixes it, and paying somebody does not make it faster.
An expired renewal. If the domain or SSL simply lapsed, renewing it in your registrar’s dashboard is a two-minute job you can do yourself. Ask us only if the renewal fails or the account login is lost.
What genuinely needs a person is a migration between hosts without downtime, DNS records that must stay right while email keeps flowing, or a server error that returns after every fix. If you are not sure whether the fault is the server or the site at all, hosting and maintenance — who fixes what draws the boundary and gives two checks you can run yourself first.
What It Costs, and the Cost Nobody Mentions
What support costs is above. The number that matters more is the hosting itself, and it is where people quietly overpay: the price you sign up on is an introductory rate, and year two renews at the standard one. Nobody mentions this at checkout, and it is worth knowing before you pick a plan — our guide to website hosting charges in India sets out what renewal actually costs. If you would rather not think about renewals, SSL and backups at all, that is what a website maintenance plan covers month to month.
What Website Hosting Support Covers
Hosting support is the work that sits between your website and the company you rent the server from. Your hosting provider keeps the server running; it usually does not fix your WordPress site, set your DNS correctly or move your files for you. That gap is where most hosting problems wait. Typical jobs include:
- Server errors such as 500, 502, 503 and “Error establishing a database connection”, and working out whether the cause is the server or the site — see WordPress bug or hosting problem?
- Resource limits on shared hosting, where the site slows down or stops at busy times. Shared hosting resource limits explains what is being measured.
- Suspended accounts, often after malware is found — see hosting suspended for malware.
- SSL certificates that will not install, renew or cover every version of the address. Our guide on adding an SSL certificate covers the basics, and SSL certificate expired covers the urgent case.
- PHP versions and settings that are too old for current plugins.
- Backups and restores using the hosting panel.
The DNS Records Behind Your Website and Email
Most domain problems come down to a handful of DNS records. Knowing what each one does makes it much easier to explain a problem, or to spot a mistake:
| Record | What it does | When it causes trouble |
|---|---|---|
| Nameservers | Decide which company’s DNS is in charge of the domain | Changed during a hosting move, so every other record is suddenly ignored |
| A / AAAA | Point the domain to the server that holds the website | Still pointing at an old server after a migration |
| CNAME | Point one name, such as www, to another | www works but the bare domain does not, or the other way round |
| MX | Send incoming email to the right mail servers | Email stops after a hosting or DNS change |
| TXT (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) | Prove that mail from your domain is genuine | Mail goes to spam, or form notifications never arrive |
For more on the email side, see SPF, DKIM and DMARC explained. If DNS lookups themselves are slow, slow DNS lookup covers that.
Moving to a New Host
A hosting move is a larger, separate task from a single support session. The goal is that visitors and email never notice: the site is copied and tested on the new server first, DNS is switched only when the new copy works, and email records are carried across so mail keeps arriving during the change. Our WordPress migration service handles the full move, starting at ₹1,999.
Before deciding to move, it is worth checking whether the host is really the problem. When to upgrade hosting for speed and shared vs VPS vs cloud hosting in India help with that decision, and how to choose web hosting in India covers what to look for in a new provider.
Keep the Accounts in Your Name
A common problem has nothing to do with technology: the domain or hosting was bought by a former developer or agency, under their account. When that relationship ends, the business cannot renew, change DNS or even log in. Whoever manages your site, the domain and hosting accounts should be registered to your business, with your email address, and you should have the login. Who owns the hosting? explains how to check and how to get control back.
Watch for Fake Renewal Notices
Domain owners regularly receive emails and letters that look like renewal reminders but come from companies trying to move the domain or sell an unrelated service. Before paying any renewal, check the sender against the registrar you actually use and log in to your account directly instead of clicking the link. Fake domain renewal email scams shows what these messages look like. For the real costs, see domain renewal cost in India.