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, Google Domains, Cloudflare Registrar, 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 your cPanel. 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 the Rivervo server IP — find it in cPanel → top-right info panel, or in your welcome email
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 email from cPanel too, also point MX at mail.yourdomain.com (and add the A record for that subdomain).

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 the cPanel 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. cPanel → SSL/TLS Status → select domain → Run AutoSSL. Free cert in 60 seconds.

"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 in cPanel." If you used Approach 1, the domain appears in cPanel automatically. If you used Approach 2, you need to add it as the primary domain or as an addon domain in cPanel → Domains → Create A New Domain.

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.