Domains & DNS

Question 1

Where should I buy my domain name?

Accepted Answer

Any reputable registrar works — Cloudflare Registrar, Namecheap, Google Domains (now Squarespace), Loopia or your country's registry. Cloudflare is recommended for at-cost pricing and built-in DNS.

Question 2

How much does a domain cost per year?

Accepted Answer

Most .com, .se and .es domains cost €10-15 per year. Premium TLDs like .ai or .io cost €40-80. Avoid 'introductory' pricing that triples at renewal.

Question 3

How do I pick a good domain name?

Accepted Answer

Short, memorable, easy to spell, hard to mishear. Prefer brand names over keyword stuffing — short brand domains age much better.

Question 4

Which TLD should I use: .com, .ai or my country TLD?

Accepted Answer

Use .com when you can get it, a country TLD (.se, .es) for a local business, and niche TLDs (.ai, .dev) only when they match your audience and you own the .com as backup.

Question 5

What is DNS in plain language?

Accepted Answer

DNS is the phone book of the internet. It translates a name (example.com) to the server IP that should answer. Changes take seconds to hours to spread worldwide.

Question 6

Which DNS record types do I need to know?

Accepted Answer

A and AAAA point to IPv4/IPv6 servers, CNAME points to another name, MX routes mail, TXT carries verification and SPF/DKIM, and NS lists the authoritative name servers.

Question 7

How do I point my domain at Blanca's Builder?

Accepted Answer

Add the two records shown at /domain — one A or CNAME for the apex and one CNAME for www. The page verifies in real time and shows a green check when ready.

Question 8

How do I transfer a domain to another registrar?

Accepted Answer

Unlock the domain, request the auth code (EPP), then start the transfer at the new registrar. It takes 5-7 days and your site keeps working throughout.

Question 9

Should I change my nameservers to Cloudflare?

Accepted Answer

Yes if you want one place to manage DNS, caching and security. No if your current provider also handles email and you do not want to migrate those records.

Question 10

Why are DNS changes slow to take effect?

Accepted Answer

Resolvers cache records for the TTL you set (often 1-24 hours). Lower the TTL to 5 minutes a day before you plan a change to make the cut-over fast.

Question 11

Should I use example.com or www.example.com?

Accepted Answer

Either works. Pick one as canonical and redirect the other. www is friendlier for CNAME flattening on traditional DNS; apex is fine on modern providers like Cloudflare.

Question 12

Which tools can I use to debug DNS issues?

Accepted Answer

dnschecker.org, mxtoolbox.com and the built-in /domain checker in Blanca's Builder show how your domain resolves around the world.

Question 13

What happens if my domain expires?

Accepted Answer

Most registrars give a 30-day grace plus a 30-day redemption period at a higher fee. After that the domain returns to the public pool. Enable auto-renew.

Question 14

How do I protect my domain from being stolen?

Accepted Answer

Enable registrar lock and two-factor authentication, keep WHOIS contact details current, and never share the auth code by email.

Question 15

Can I point multiple domains to the same project?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Add each one in /domain. Pick one as canonical; the others 301 to it so SEO authority does not split.

Question 16

Can I use subdomains like blog.example.com?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Add a CNAME for the subdomain in your DNS provider pointing to the value shown in /domain. Useful for staging, blogs or per-language sites.

Question 17

What is CNAME flattening and why does it matter?

Accepted Answer

Apex domains cannot use traditional CNAME records. Cloudflare and a few others 'flatten' a CNAME into A records on the fly. It makes connecting an apex domain trivial.

Question 18

Will pointing my domain at Blanca's Builder break my email?

Accepted Answer

No, as long as you only change the records listed at /domain. Your MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records are untouched.

Question 19

Should I enable WHOIS privacy?

Accepted Answer

Yes. WHOIS privacy hides your personal address and phone from public lookups. Almost every registrar offers it free.

Question 20

My domain still does not work. What do I check?

Accepted Answer

1) Records match exactly. 2) TTL has expired. 3) DNSSEC chain is intact. 4) No conflicting A record at the apex. 5) Browser cache cleared. The /domain checker walks through all five.