DNS & Hostgator
How to manage DNS records for excelcaregroup.com.au using the Hostgator control panel.
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The domain excelcaregroup.com.au is registered and managed through Hostgator. DNS records control where emails go, where the website lives, and how mail services like Resend authenticate sending.
What Is DNS?
DNS (Domain Name System) is like a phone book for the internet. It translates a domain name like excelcaregroup.com.au into the actual server addresses that computers need to connect to. Different types of DNS records do different things:
| Record Type | What It Does | Example Use |
|---|---|---|
| A | Points the domain to an IP address | Pointing excelcaregroup.com.au to a web server |
| CNAME | Points a subdomain to another domain name | Pointing www.excelcaregroup.com.au → webapp-prod-496513.web.app |
| TXT | Stores text for verification/authentication | SPF, DKIM, DMARC records for email; Google site verification |
| MX | Directs email to the correct mail server | Routing @excelcaregroup.com.au emails to Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace |
| NS | Nameservers — who controls the DNS | Hostgator's nameservers |
Logging In to Hostgator cPanel
- Go to hostgator.com and click Login in the top-right corner.
- Log in with the ExcelCare Hostgator account credentials (held by project owner —
samson.sam@excelcaregroup.com.au). - From the customer portal, click Hosting → Manage next to the excelcaregroup.com.au hosting plan.
- Click cPanel to open the control panel.
- In cPanel, scroll to the Domains section and click Zone Editor (or Advanced DNS Zone Editor).
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DNS changes take time. After saving a DNS record, it can take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours to fully propagate across the internet. This is called "TTL propagation".
How to Add a New DNS Record
- Log in to cPanel and open Zone Editor.
- Find the domain
excelcaregroup.com.auand click Manage. - Click Add Record.
- Fill in the fields:
- Name — the subdomain or
@for the root domain - TTL — leave as default (3600 or 14400)
- Type — select the record type (TXT, CNAME, A, etc.)
- Value/Data — the record content
- Name — the subdomain or
- Click Save Record.
How to Edit an Existing DNS Record
- In Zone Editor, find the record you want to change in the list.
- Click Edit next to it.
- Update the value and click Save Record.
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Never delete MX records or NS records unless you are absolutely sure. Deleting MX records will stop all email for the domain. Deleting NS records will take the entire domain offline.
Common DNS Tasks
1. Add Resend email authentication (SPF / DKIM / DMARC)
Resend provides the exact DNS records to add after you verify your domain in their dashboard.
- Log in to resend.com → Domains → click
excelcaregroup.com.au. - Resend will show you a list of DNS records to add (usually 2–3 TXT records and a CNAME). Copy each one.
- Add each record in Hostgator Zone Editor.
- Return to Resend and click Verify DNS Records. You may need to wait up to 1 hour for propagation.
Typical Resend records look like:
| Type | Name (Host) | Value |
|---|---|---|
| TXT | @ or excelcaregroup.com.au | v=spf1 include:amazonses.com ~all |
| TXT | resend._domainkey | p=MIGfMA0GCSq... (long key from Resend) |
| CNAME | em1234 | feedback-smtp.us-east-1.amazonses.com |
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Copy the exact values from Resend's dashboard — the values above are examples only. The actual keys are unique to your account.
2. Add a DMARC record
DMARC tells mail providers what to do with emails that fail SPF/DKIM checks:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | TXT |
| Name | _dmarc |
| Value | v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@excelcaregroup.com.au |
Start with p=none (monitoring only). After confirming no legitimate mail is being flagged, you can tighten to p=quarantine or p=reject.
3. Point a custom domain to Firebase Hosting
To use www.excelcaregroup.com.au instead of webapp-prod-496513.web.app:
- In Firebase Console → Hosting → click Add custom domain.
- Enter
www.excelcaregroup.com.au. Firebase will give you two TXT records to add for verification and two A records for the actual site. - Add those records in Hostgator Zone Editor.
- Return to Firebase Console and click Verify. Firebase will also provision an SSL certificate automatically.
The records Firebase provides look like:
| Type | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| TXT | www or @ | Firebase verification token (unique) |
| A | www | 151.101.1.195 |
| A | www | 151.101.65.195 |
4. Verify if a DNS record has propagated
Use these free tools to check if your DNS change is live globally:
- dnschecker.org — shows propagation across multiple global servers
- mxtoolbox.com — great for checking MX and SPF records
- Terminal command (Mac/Linux):
dig TXT excelcaregroup.com.au +short
Current DNS Records Reference
The key records that should exist for this domain (verify in Hostgator Zone Editor):
| Type | Name | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| TXT | @ | SPF record for Resend email authentication |
| TXT | resend._domainkey | DKIM signing key for Resend |
| TXT | _dmarc | DMARC email policy |
| MX | @ | Incoming email routing (Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace) |
| A or CNAME | www | Points website to Firebase Hosting (if custom domain is set up) |
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Before making any DNS changes, take a screenshot of the current Zone Editor records. This gives you a reference to restore from if something goes wrong.
If Something Breaks After a DNS Change
- Go back to Hostgator Zone Editor immediately.
- Compare the current records to your screenshot (or the reference table above).
- Restore the original value of the record you changed.
- Wait for propagation (up to 1 hour for most changes).
- If email is affected, contact the project owner (
samson.sam@excelcaregroup.com.au) and the hosting provider support immediately.
Hostgator Support
- Live Chat: Available 24/7 at hostgator.com/support
- Phone: Check the Hostgator customer portal for your account's support number
- Knowledge Base: support.hostgator.com