DNS Management Policy

WP Lifeline makes DNS changes only during a website launch or migration, releases its access 30 days after launch, and leaves all other DNS to the client and their DNS provider. We know DNS can be technical and a little intimidating. This page explains what we do, what we don’t, and where to go for help.

What we do

When we launch or migrate a website, we ask for access to your DNS and make only these changes. If you’d rather not give us access, we can provide the records and you can add them yourself:

  • Point the root domain (@) to our servers with an A record.
  • Make sure the www version of your domain reaches the site, using an A record or a CNAME.
  • Point additional domains you want forwarded to your website (for example, an old domain or a .com/.ca variant) to our servers with the same A records, so we can redirect them to your main site.
  • Optionally, add the TXT record that verifies your site for launch, such as for Google Search Console, when the launch needs it.

These launch records can be added or adjusted for up to 30 days after launch, while we still have access. This includes forwarding additional domains to your site. If something launch-related needs attention, such as propagation delays or an SSL certificate that won’t issue, we resolve it while we still have access.

What we don’t do

We take care of the hosting, maintenance and support for your WordPress website. The DNS settings for your domain name are separate, and they belong to you. Outside the launch or migration records above, we do not add, edit, remove or troubleshoot DNS records. This includes:

  • Email authentication records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
  • MX records and email routing
  • Domain verification records for other services, such as Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Meta and email marketing tools
  • Records for third-party services, such as a subdomain for your CRM, booking tool or email marketing platform (for example, info.yourdomain.com), or for any service we do not host
  • Nameserver changes and domain transfers (for domains registered in our account, see our Domain Name Management Policy)
  • Any DNS changes outside the launch records above, or after our 30-day access window ends

We do not offer these as a paid service or one-time request. Page-level redirects, such as sending an old page URL to a new one, are set up in WordPress or on our servers, not in DNS, so they are separate from this policy.

Where to manage your DNS

Your DNS is managed by the company your domain’s nameservers point to. That is usually your domain registrar (such as GoDaddy, Namecheap or WordPress.com) or a DNS provider (such as Cloudflare). If you’re not sure which, send us your domain and we’ll tell you where it is managed. Most providers publish a step-by-step guide for adding DNS records. Searching for your provider’s name plus “add DNS record” will find it.

  • When someone asks you to add records. App developers, email providers and marketing platforms know exactly what they need and how to confirm it works. Their support team can walk you through it.
  • When a vendor needs to make the change. Give them delegate access through your registrar instead of sharing your password, and remove it when they are finished. If you ever do share your password with anyone, including us, please change it as soon as they are finished. The login to your DNS settings protects your website, your email and every connected service.
  • When we host your DNS. This is uncommon. If we do, you can see and manage your records in your hosting panel.

Why we limit DNS changes and access

DNS controls your website, your email and every service connected to your domain. One wrong change can take any of them offline. More services are now tied to a domain name than ever, and more tools, including AI-driven ones, are being given access to make changes, so the cost of a mistake keeps growing.

  • Email records are high risk. SPF, DKIM, DMARC and MX records decide whether your business can send and receive email. We have no way to verify that these records are correct, and when they are wrong, email can silently stop arriving or sending, land in spam or bounce. A duplicate SPF record, a DMARC policy set too strictly or a DKIM value copied incorrectly are common causes. We don’t control your email platform, so we can’t safely test or take responsibility for these changes.
  • Verification records give outside services authority. Depending on the service, a verification record can let a third party send email as your business, claim your domain, or reach account data. That decision belongs to you as the domain owner.
  • DNS changes are hard to trace. Every DNS record carries some authority over your domain, so whoever adds one is effectively granting that authority, and we have no reliable way to track who made which change. As our team grows, that is not a responsibility we want to spread across it, especially for work outside what we do.
  • The vendor or service provider is best placed to help. The service that needs the records can tell you exactly what to add and confirm that it works. Routing it through us adds a step and makes problems harder to trace.
  • Fewer people with access means fewer mistakes. Only a small number of senior team members have DNS access, and we release it 30 days after launch. We remove our delegate access, or ask you to change your password if login details were shared, and we record the date. After that, your DNS is touched only by the people you choose, so a DNS issue that appears after that window is not the result of changes made by our team.

Existing clients (transition)

If your website launched before this policy, we may have worked in your DNS at launch using access you provided. That access was for launch records only. We do not use it for other changes, such as email, CRM or other third-party records. If you need one of those, please make the change with your DNS provider, or ask the service that needs the record to guide you. We know this is a change, and we’re sorry for the extra step. We will remove any remaining access to your DNS by January 31, 2027. If login details were shared with us instead of delegate access, we will ask you to change your password once our access is removed. If you need a launch-related change made before then, please send us the request by December 15, 2026.

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