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SOA record

Also known as: Start of Authority record

The cover sheet for your domain's settings — it names who's in charge and how often other systems should refresh their copy of your details.

What it is

Every domain has one SOA (“Start of Authority”) record. Think of it as the cover sheet on your domain’s file of settings. It names the main nameserver responsible for your domain, lists a contact, and carries timing instructions that tell other systems across the internet how often to check back for updates and how long to keep your details if your servers are briefly unreachable.

Why it matters to your business

You rarely touch the SOA directly, but when it carries the wrong timings it causes real, confusing problems. Changes you make — a new website server, a new email provider — can take far longer than expected to take effect, or visitors can keep hitting an old setting long after you’ve fixed it. Sensible SOA settings mean updates roll out predictably and your domain recovers smoothly from hiccups. A broken SOA is often the hidden reason behind “I changed it, but nothing happened.”

How to tell / what to do

The free check reviews your SOA alongside your nameservers and flags timings that are unusually high or low. If it needs attention, the nameservers fix guide covers it as part of getting your domain’s foundation healthy. It’s a setting at your domain provider and costs nothing.

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