When the website is ready to be published, it's time to update the DNS records. This is be done by editing the DNS records so that the domain (example.com) will begin to direct web traffic and visitors to the new server. The global Domain Name System has it's own caches, which causes a short period – for example, an hour – during which the DNS is still updating itself with the new data (also known as DNS propagation). During this time, some visitors may be directed to the old server, and the rest to the new one. For this reason, we recommend doing these changes to the DNS when the website doesn't have many visitors: this could be late in the evening or during the night, for example. This way the propagating DNS records (and any other possible interruptions during publishing) will not be visible to the website's visitors.
If you have transferred your domain to Seravo and the DNS is in our control, you need not worry about the DNS – we'll do the necessary changes for you when it's time to publish your website.
If you wish us to take care of the publishing for you, and to eventually control the DNS yourself with Seravo plugin in WordPress, get in touch with us to initiate a domain transfer – all we need from your current service provider are the domain transfer key and DNS records (and that the domain transfer lock has been lifted!)
If you wish to use external nameservers and control the DNS elsewhere, please make sure the IP addresses provided by Seravo are used in the DNS records. Information about the server cluster of your website and the records required to direct the web traffic to Seravo were sent at the time of delivering your order, along with the credentials to your website. You can also find more information in this help article.
The WordPress Settings (Siteurl, Home)
Right after redirecting the domain's web traffic, i.e., after making DNS changes (within an hour, for example), you must ensure that the new correct domain name is used on the development site. In most cases, Seravo's automation takes care of this and changes the site address from example.fi-c.seravo.com to the correct format, example.com. A good tool for this is the wp-cli command search-replace, which can be used to change all addresses from one format to another in the database at once. The Seravo Plugin also includes a tool for searching and replacing in the database. Check out our instructions for changing your website's domain name here.
Seravo's automation only changes the address when the site is published. If you want to change the domain name on your website from example.com to example.net, you must change the domain manually according to the instructions linked above.
Seravo's automation is able to change these settings for you only at the time of publishing. If your website has already been published before and you wish to change the website's domain from example.com to example.net, this should be done manually according to the instructions linked above.
HTTPS Certificate
Another procedure to be done right after redirecting the domain is to implement a HTTPS certificate. All of our websites come with Let's Encrypt SSL, and we'll take care of implementing the certificate for you! Sometimes the HTTPS certificate may be delayed or missing altogether if the DNS changes have been made incorrectly (for example, if www.example.com and example.com accidentally redirect to different servers).
Occasionally, completely unexpected issues may arise during publication simply because it is not possible to test the functionality of the site at a specific new address in advance. Therefore, it is advisable to make DNS changes at night, for example, as the update may take a couple of hours, so that there is time to fix any errors that may occur.
If you have any questions about the certificates or the process in general, don't hesitate to get in touch with us prior to publishing. If the website was published ages ago and the certificate still won't work, please get in touch with us and we'll have a look!
How Long Does It take to Publish a Website?
Generating a certificate, taking care of the WordPress settings and database as well as updating the DNS takes time, and thus directing web traffic to a new server is not as straightforward as it might first seem. If you're planning to publish a website on Seravo's servers and the domain has been transferred to us, and DNS is in our control, typically we are able to publish your website in 1-2 hours. However, it's always a good idea to get in touch with us and agree on a go-live time with us beforehand, so that we can make preparations to ensure the publishing process of your Seravo WordPress website will be as smooth as possible.
Are You Publishing a Multisite?
The configuration of multisite addresses and the necessary steps for publication differ from a normal website in many ways. To ensure that everything runs smoothly and without unnecessary interruptions, learn about multisite address configuration and publication here!