How to connect a domain you registered elsewhere.

Your domain doesn't have to be at Rivervo to use Rivervo hosting. Three minutes of DNS work and you're done. Here are both approaches.

Approach 1: change nameservers (recommended)

Easiest, lets us manage all DNS for you.

1. Log in to your domain registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, whoever)
2. Find the DNS / Nameservers section. Sometimes called "Manage DNS" or "Custom Nameservers"
3. Replace the existing nameservers with:
   • ns1.rivervo.com
   • ns2.rivervo.com
4. Save

DNS propagation takes 1-6 hours typically. Once it propagates, all DNS records (A, MX for email, TXT for verification, etc.) are managed in the Rivervo panel (Website → DNS zone). Your registrar still owns the domain, but DNS is delegated to us.

This is the right approach for most users — simpler, less to break.

Approach 2: keep DNS at your registrar, just point an A record

Use this if you specifically want to keep DNS where it is (e.g., you're using Cloudflare DNS for its CDN, or AWS Route 53 for its programmatic control).

1. In your registrar's DNS panel, find your A records
2. Edit the @ record (the root) to point at your hosting's IP address — it is the IP address in the A record of your domain on Website → DNS zone. If you can't find it, ask support
3. If you want www to work too, add a CNAME www → yourdomain.com
4. Save

That's it. Your domain now resolves to Rivervo for web traffic. Email, however, still depends on your MX records — if you want the website's own mailboxes too, also point MX at mail.yourdomain.com (and add the A record for that subdomain). If you use Rivervo Business email instead, add the MX, SPF and DKIM records shown on the project's Email tab.

Verifying it worked

After waiting 30-60 minutes:

dig +short yourdomain.com

Should return the Rivervo IP. Then visit https://yourdomain.com in incognito — you should see whatever's at your hosting (the WordPress install, or a default page if you haven't set up a site yet).

Common mistakes

"It's been 48 hours, still not working." Check that you saved at the registrar. Some registrars require an extra "publish" or "apply changes" click after editing.

"DNS works but I get a security warning." SSL needs to be issued for the new domain. It happens automatically within minutes once the domain points here; to hurry it, Website → SSL → issue or renew the certificates now.

"Email stopped working." If you used Approach 2 (A record only), your email still goes wherever the MX records point. If MX points at the old host, email is still on the old host. To move email to Rivervo, change MX records too.

"I don't see my domain on the hosting." Pointing DNS doesn't add a domain to the hosting. Your hosting's main domain is the one you chose when ordering. To serve another domain from the same hosting, add it in the project → Domains → Add a domain and choose A website of its own or The same website (your plan's website limit applies) — see More domains, subdomains or a folder. Changing the hosting's main domain is done by support.

When to transfer the domain to us

You don't have to. But if your registrar is expensive ($20+/year for a .com) or has a confusing UI, transferring to Rivervo can simplify things. See Transferring a domain to Rivervo for the process.