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Nameserver

Also known as: DNS server, name server

The master directory that holds all your domain's settings — where your website lives, where your email goes — and answers the internet when it asks for them.

What it is

A nameserver is the authoritative source for everything about your domain: which server runs your website, where your email should be delivered, and any other settings attached to your name. When anyone, anywhere, tries to reach you, the internet ultimately asks your nameservers for the answer. You normally have two or more, so there’s a backup if one is unavailable.

Why it matters to your business

Your nameservers are the foundation everything else sits on. If they’re misconfigured, out of date, or all hosted in one place that goes down, your entire online presence can disappear at once — website, email, the lot — even though nothing is wrong with the website itself. Having healthy nameservers, ideally more than one and not all in the same basket, keeps your business reachable even when something breaks.

How to tell / what to do

The free check looks at your nameservers and flags common problems — too few of them, or ones that don’t agree with each other. If it spots an issue, our nameservers fix guide explains what to ask your domain provider to correct. There’s no cost, and changes happen behind the scenes.

Want to fix this on your own domain? See the free guide →