Domain Names on SecurePanel.US
Where and How to Purchase Domain Names
To register a new domain name, such as MyNewBusiness.com, let us know what domain you want. We’ll add it to your account and do everything needed to protect your functionality and SEO. See fees here: See Hosting & Domain Fees
Domain Name Security
Registering a domain with Brazzell Marketing Agency is safer. Businesses lose their domains with other registrars all the time, because the emails they need go to spam, they changed their email address, etc. You will never lose your domain name with Brazzell Marketing Agency like that. We give you two months’ notice if there is a problem, and we’ll always call you before letting you lose a domain name.
Domains Purchased Elsewhere
If you buy a domain name elsewhere and need help managing it, we have paid support available. Make sure we have a time-fee work authorization on file, and contact us to schedule an appointment.
How to Point Your Domain to SecurePanel.US
If you have registered a domain elsewhere, there are two ways to point that domain to SecurePanel.US. You can “forward” the domain, or you can change the “name server” settings. Google the name of the company where you purchased the domain plus “how to forward a domain” or “how to change the name server settings.”
Note: Changing the A Record to point a domain to SecurePanel.US is suboptimal. Our dynamic servers cannot set a free encryption certificate when a domain is pointed only by the A record.
Forwarding a Domain
Forwarding a domain leaves the email functions where you registered the domain, but redirects website traffic to your SecurePanel.US domain name. When you find the setting with your domain registrar, enter the domain we have registered for you in SecurePanel.US. For instance, if you purchased ExampleDomain.com at GoDaddy, and we have your website at ExampleDomain.NET, forward your GoDaddy domain to ExampleDomain.NET.
Changing the Name Server Setting
Changing the name server setting moves all functions to your SecurePanel.US account, including website display and email. This allows you to use your unlimited number of free, HIPAA-compliant email accounts with the domain. However, at any time, you can change more settings here to use the domain name with any email service you choose. Paid support is available to help you complete this process, or you can follow the procedure below. Please read these instructions all the way through, before embarking on this procedure. When you find the domain name server settings in your registrar’s website, change them to:
ns1.securepanel.us
ns2.securepanel.us
ns3.securepanel.us
ns4.securepanel.us
Disable DNSSEC: Your domain registered elsewhere, may or may not have DNSSEC enabled. Look for a setting or option related to DNSSEC in your domain settings at your third-party registrar. If you see DNSSEC enabled, you will need to use your registrar's user interface/instructions to disable it. The change typically applies immediately, but allow up to 48 hours for it to fully propagate across the internet. Having DNSSEC enabled when you change your name server settings can cause some internet service providers to refuse to display your website until you get it sorted. For this reason, it is a good idea to perform this step before changing your name server settings.
Add Domain: Changing the name server setting sends your domain traffic to SecurePanel, but SecurePanel has to know what to do with that traffic when it arrives. Login to SecurePanel home, and click Domains. Type your domain, such as mynewdomain.com, and click Add Domain. If your website uses subdomains, you will need to set those up as well. In SecurePanel home, find and click Subdomains in the Domain Names section. Follow the on-screen instructions. It's a good idea to perform this step before changing your name server settings.
Choose the Correct Directory: By default, the domain will point to the directory public_html, where your first website will be. If you have multiple websites, and this domain is not for your first website, scroll down and type the name of the directory containing the website you want. Then click update.
Set Your Canonical Domain Structure: If you have more than one domain name for a single website, it’s best for SEO if there is one main domain name, and all the other domains point to the main domain. The main domain name is known as the canonical domain. If the domain you have added is not the only domain for the website, you should redirect the secondary domain(s) to the canonical domain. From SecurePanel home, click Redirects, which can be found in the Web Tools section. Select your domain » ignore the “Redirect From” question » enter the canonical domain beginning with https:// » select 301 permanent » Create Redirect.
Set Encryption: Each domain name must have a valid encryption certificate for that specific domain name. SecurePanel.US has one-click installation for your encryption certificate. From SecurePanel home, click SSL/TLS. If available, click the button labeled Activate Free SSL. Then scroll down and toggle on Force HTTPS. If you don’t see the button for “Activate Free SSL,” you will have the alternative message beginning “Domain does not appear to be on our name servers.” Wait two hours and try again. If after two hours, your new name server settings have still not resolved, go back to your domain registrar and verify you have the correct name server settings from the start of this section. Technically, it can take up to 48 hours for name server settings to resolve. However, it’s uncommon for this to take longer than two hours.
Set Your Mail Exchange and Other Email Records: If you intend to use your external domain with the unlimited number of free, HIPAA compliant emails that comes with your Brazzell Unlimited hosting, you do not need to change the mail exchange records. You don’t need this paragraph. If you already have an email service and do not want to change to SecurePanel, you will find "forwarding" your third-party domain to have fewer steps than changing the name server settings. See above for notes on “forwarding” your domain. However, you may have marketing preferences that cause you to want to use SecurePanel.US as your name server while using a third-party email server. This can be accomplished by changing some of the DNS (domain name server) settings. When you add a domain in SecurePanel, the DNS settings will default to using SecurePanel.US as the email server for that domain. By changing the DNS settings, you can redirect all emails to the email server of your choice. For most email servers, you will need to learn from them what settings to change. When you have that information, from SecurePanel home, click Manage DNS in the Domain Names section. This will take you to the Manage DNS screen. Then, make the needed changes. Note that we have pre-configured the DNS records needed for G Suite (email only), G Suite (All Services), and Office 365 Mail. To enable one of those configurations, in the Manage DNS screen, click the Preconfigured Settings drop down, and select the one that applies to your third-party services. Erroneous DNS entries can cause your hosting/website to malfunction. If you have made such an error, you can click the drop down for Preconfigured Settings and “Reset to Defaults.” Then, try again. It’s a good idea to address these settings before you change your name server settings.
