Get the job done
Complete procedures with the actual record values, settings and commands. Each one names the mistake people make, because that is usually why you are here.
Domains & DNS
Point your domain at Serverlys
The two ways to connect a domain to your hosting, and how to choose between them.
6 steps · About 10 minutes
Lower your TTL before a migration
The one preparation step that turns a day of split traffic into minutes.
5 steps · About 5 minutes
Change your domain's nameservers
Hand a domain's DNS to a new provider without losing email, and know when the switch has actually happened.
6 steps · About 15 minutes
Add an A record or a CNAME record
Which record a name needs, how to type the host field without doubling the domain, and how to check the result.
6 steps · About 5 minutes
Set up a subdomain
Create blog., shop. or staging. as its own site, with DNS and a certificate, and keep a staging copy out of search results.
6 steps · About 10 minutes
Transfer a domain to another registrar
Unlock it, get the authorisation code, keep DNS running during the move, and know how long each stage takes.
7 steps · About 15 minutes
Set up email that actually gets delivered
SPF, DKIM and DMARC in plain terms, and the order to add them in.
6 steps · About 20 minutes
Set up DMARC step by step
Publish a DMARC record, read what the reports tell you, and move to an enforcing policy without losing real mail.
6 steps · About 15 minutes
Set up DKIM for your domain
Turn on DKIM signing for each service that sends as your domain, publish the keys, and confirm the signatures pass.
7 steps · About 15 minutes
Connect your domain to Google Workspace or Microsoft 365
Verify the domain, replace the MX records, and stop your hosting server from keeping mail meant for the new provider.
6 steps · About 20 minutes
Set up email forwarding
Forward an address on your domain to another inbox, and avoid the delivery problems forwarding causes.
6 steps · About 10 minutes
WordPress
Install WordPress and make it fast on day one
The setup decisions that are painful to change later, made correctly at the start.
6 steps · About 15 minutes
Move WordPress to a new host manually
Copy the files and database yourself, test on the new server before anyone else sees it, then switch DNS.
7 steps · About 60 minutes
Change your WordPress site URL safely
Move WordPress to a new domain or address without breaking links, serialised settings or your own login.
6 steps · About 20 minutes
Security
Force HTTPS and clear mixed content
Get the padlock, keep it, and find what is still loading over http.
5 steps · About 10 minutes
Install an SSL certificate and switch WordPress to HTTPS
Get a valid certificate on the domain first, then move WordPress over to https without locking yourself out.
7 steps · About 15 minutes
Harden your WordPress login
The changes that stop password-guessing and stolen-password attacks on wp-admin, in the order worth doing them.
6 steps · About 20 minutes
Recovery
Restore a backup without making it worse
What to check before you roll back, and what a restore will overwrite.
5 steps · About 10 minutes
Reset a WordPress admin password in phpMyAdmin
Get back into a WordPress site when the lost-password email never arrives.
6 steps · About 10 minutes
Set up automatic WordPress backups
Add a scheduled, off-server copy of your files and database, and prove you can restore it.
6 steps · About 20 minutes
Fix “Error establishing a database connection”
Find out which of the four usual causes it is, in the order that is quickest to check.
6 steps · About 15 minutes
A plan that still makes sense in year two
Free migration, free SSL and daily backups on every plan, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Prefer the phone? (305) 671-1272 · Existing customer? Client login