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Troubleshooting DNS Propagation Issues

• 7 min read • Custom Domains

Troubleshooting DNS Propagation Issues

When you're setting up a custom domain on Jottings, DNS propagation can feel like a black box. You've added the records, refreshed the page a hundred times, and nothing's happening. I've been there, and I want to walk you through what's actually going on and how to fix it.

The good news? Most DNS issues are straightforward to diagnose and solve. Let me share what I've learned from setting up custom domains for hundreds of users.

Understanding the Problem

DNS propagation isn't instant. When you update DNS records at your registrar, those changes need to spread across thousands of nameservers worldwide. This usually takes 5-15 minutes, but can sometimes take up to 48 hours in edge cases.

For Jottings custom domains, we need two things:

  1. A TXT record for domain ownership verification
  2. A CNAME record to point your domain to our system

If either of these is wrong or missing, verification will fail, and your SSL certificate won't issue.

The Most Common Issues

1. Using the Wrong Record Type

This is the number one mistake I see. Your registrar probably has a dropdown menu for record types: A, AAAA, CNAME, TXT, and more.

The fix: Make sure you're creating:

  • A CNAME record for your domain (not an A record)
  • A TXT record for verification

I can't count how many times someone creates an A record instead of a CNAME. They look similar in the UI, but they're completely different things. An A record points to an IP address. A CNAME points to another domain. We need the CNAME.

Double-check your registrar's UI. Some providers show record types as icons. Make sure you pick the right ones.

2. TTL Settings Are Too High

TTL (Time To Live) controls how long nameservers remember your DNS record. The default is often 3600 seconds (1 hour) or even 86400 seconds (24 hours).

When you're setting up a new domain, a high TTL means old data gets cached longer. If you made a typo and need to fix it, you'll wait forever.

The fix: Before adding records, lower your TTL to the minimum (usually 300-600 seconds). This lets changes propagate faster. Once everything's working and your SSL certificate is issued, you can raise it back to the default for better performance.

3. Conflicting or Malformed Records

DNS records need to be exact. A trailing period, wrong capitalization, or extra space breaks everything.

When you add a CNAME record, make sure:

  • You're entering exactly what Jottings tells you to (don't add your domain to it unless your registrar's interface requires it)
  • There are no extra spaces before or after the value
  • You didn't accidentally create multiple records for the same subdomain

DNS doesn't allow two CNAME records pointing to different targets. If you have old DNS records for your domain, they might conflict with the new ones.

The fix: Before adding new records, check if old ones exist. Most registrars show all records clearly. Delete any old CNAME records for the domain you're setting up.

4. DNS Propagation Really Is Just Slow (Sometimes)

I know this is frustrating, but sometimes DNS genuinely takes time. Your registrar updated, but the change hasn't reached all the nameservers globally yet.

This is especially common if you recently registered the domain or if your registrar uses default nameservers (instead of custom ones).

The fix: Wait. Seriously. Give it 30 minutes, then check again. If it's still not working after an hour, move on to the diagnostic tools section below.

How to Check if Your Records Are Actually Live

Don't just refresh the Jottings dashboard. Let's actually verify your DNS records are out there.

Using DNSChecker.org

Go to dnschecker.org and:

  1. Enter your domain name
  2. Select "CNAME" from the dropdown
  3. Hit search

You'll see DNS results from servers around the world. If they all show your record pointing to the right place, congrats—your DNS is live.

If you see "NXDOMAIN" (not found), your record isn't live yet. Wait and check again.

If you see different results from different servers, DNS is still propagating. This is normal.

Using Command Line Tools

If you're comfortable with terminal, these commands give you instant answers:

# Check CNAME record
nslookup -type=CNAME yourdomain.com

# Check TXT record
nslookup -type=TXT yourdomain.com

# Dig gives more detailed output
dig yourdomain.com CNAME
dig yourdomain.com TXT

These tools query real nameservers, so you're seeing actual DNS data, not cached data from your browser.

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting

Here's my recommended process:

Step 1: Verify you added the right records

  • Go back to your registrar's DNS settings
  • Check the exact values you entered match what Jottings specified
  • Make sure the record types are CNAME and TXT, not A records

Step 2: Lower your TTL temporarily

  • Edit your DNS records to set TTL to 300 seconds (5 minutes)
  • Wait 10 minutes and try verification again
  • Changes propagate much faster with low TTL

Step 3: Check if DNS is live globally

  • Use DNSChecker.org or the dig command
  • If DNS shows your records globally, the issue is with Jottings verification
  • If DNS shows it missing, wait longer or check for typos

Step 4: Contact support with diagnostic info

  • Tell us what DNSChecker shows
  • Share your exact record values (you can safely share these)
  • Let us know how long you've waited

When It's Actually Fast (The Happy Path)

For context, here's what usually happens:

  1. You add the DNS records (done in ~2 minutes)
  2. Your registrar updates their system (immediate to 5 minutes)
  3. Global propagation starts (5-15 minutes)
  4. Jottings automatically verifies and issues SSL (5 minutes after DNS is live)
  5. Site is accessible at your custom domain (total time: 15-30 minutes)

Sometimes it's even faster. I've seen verification complete in under 5 minutes. Sometimes the internet is slow. Add an extra hour and you're covered.

Pro Tips

Test locally first: Before publishing your site on the custom domain, test it at your subdomain (yourblog.jottings.me). Make sure everything looks right.

Keep the TXT record: Don't delete it after verification. Cloudflare needs it for renewal.

Watch for email conflicts: If you have email routing through your domain (MX records), don't accidentally delete those while adding CNAME.

Raise TTL after verification: Once your SSL certificate is issued and everything's working, set TTL back to 3600 or higher. This makes DNS faster for everyone.

Still Stuck?

If you've gone through these steps and your domain still isn't working after an hour:

  • Check if you're using the exact values Jottings provided (seriously, copy-paste them)
  • Verify your registrar actually saved the changes (look for a "save" or "apply" button)
  • Try a different browser or clear your cache
  • Wait another 30 minutes

DNS is usually pretty boring once you understand it. Most issues come from typos or waiting for propagation. You've got this.

If you run into something that doesn't match these common issues, our support team is here to help. We can usually spot DNS problems pretty quickly by looking at your records directly.

Have a custom domain working smoothly? Or did you run into a DNS challenge? I'd love to hear what worked for you.

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