How can I protect my domain name?

Protecting your domain name is an essential part of managing your online presence. Our different domain protection plans hides personal contact information and helps prevent accidental domain expiration, unauthorized domain transfers and vulnerabilities on your website, such as malware.

Why is protecting my domain important?

When a domain is registered, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, requires us to gather contact information for the person or business registering the domain name, known as the registrant or domain holder. This information includes name, phone number, address and other details, which is reported on the WHOIS directory. Keeping your domain contact information private helps prevent unwanted spam calls and emails, and makes sure you’re in control of what information is publicly available. But it’s not just about keeping your personal information private, either. We want to help you protect your domain and your entire online presence.

What kind of protection is offered?

We have three different protection plans to choose from so you can determine which option is best for you and your online presence.

Basic Privacy Protection (or Basic Protection): Regulations vary around the globe, but NextGen Domain automatically hides your name, street address, phone number and email address in the NextGen Domain WHOIS directory for every registered domain name. Based on current ICANN regulations, your state/province, country and organization name (if you have one) will still be displayed.
Full Domain Privacy & Protection (or Full Protection): Instead of masking your contact information on the WHOIS directory, Full Protection substitutes your contact information with proxy details. You’ll get a private email address that can be used to filter, block or forward emails to your main address. You’ll also get Ownership Protection to protect your domain from hijacking and accidental loss due to an expired credit card. Full Protection prevents certain domain actions from being completed without additional verification, such as transferring away, cancelling or changing contact information.
Ultimate Domain Protection & Security (or Ultimate Security): This option includes all the features of Full Protection, along with our Website Security Basic. This product protects your domain and website with automatic malware scans and continuous security monitoring. It also monitors search engine blacklists to ensure your domain reputation is protected. If Website Security finds an issue on your site, we’ll notify you as soon as it’s found, along with the next steps you need to take.

Can I change my protection plan?

Yes, you can change your protection plan at any time. You can upgrade your protection plan to gain additional protection features. Or, you can downgrade your protection plan.

How can I verify domain ownership?

We recommend adding a TXT record to your DNS zone file to verify domain ownership. This is the best option to maintain your domain protection while letting you prove you own the domain name. You can also toggle your privacy settings, which will show all registrant contact information.

How to Add a TXT record

A TXT record (short for text record) is an informational DNS record used to associate arbitrary text with a host or other name. TXT records are most commonly used to verify domain ownership, SSL verification, and email sender policies, such as SPF records and DMARC policies.

Log in to your NextGen Domain Domain Control Center.
Select your domain to access the Domain Settings page.
Under Additional Settings, select Manage DNS.
Select ADD below the table of your existing DNS records.
Choose TXT from the record options drop down menu.
Enter the details for your TXT record:
- Host: Enter the host name for the TXT record. For example, type www to put the record on www.coolexample.com. To put the host on coolexample.com, enter @ in the Host field.
- TXT Value: The value you are setting as the destination of the Host.
- TTL: Determine how long the server should cache information.
Select Save to complete your updates.

Please allow up to 48 hours for your DNS changes to take full effect globally.

How to Add an SPF record

An SPF record is a type of TXT record in your DNS zone file. SPF records help identify which mail servers are permitted to send email on behalf of your domain. Adding an SPF record can help detect and prevent spammers from sending email messages with forged From addresses on your domain.

Log in to your NextGen Domain Domain Control Center.
Select your domain to access the Domain Settings page.
Under Additional Settings, select Manage DNS.
Select Add under the records table.
Under Type, select TXT.
Enter the details for your SPF record:
- Host: The domain or subdomain for the SPF record. To put the record on your root domain, enter @ in the Host field.
- TXT Value: The SPF rule to be applied. For example, enter v=spf1 mx -all to indicate emails are allowed from your mail server and no others. Check out more info about SPF record syntax.
- TTL: How long the server should cache information. The default setting is 1 hour.
Select Save to save your new SPF record.

Please allow up to 48 hours for your changes to take full effect globally.

What is DNS?

Domain Name System, or DNS, is the backbone of your online presence. Every domain name uses DNS to control how visitors find your website and how you receive email. You can think of your domain name as a street address, and DNS acts as your GPS. Visitors won’t be able to find your address if the GPS isn’t able to provide the correct directions. This means that if your DNS isn’t correct, your website and email won’t work the way they should.

When you type in a domain name in your internet browser, DNS works to find the information for that domain. Domains are a friendly way for us to remember how to get to a website, but underneath that friendly name, computers talk to each other using numbers. These numbers form Internet Protocol, or IP addresses, which act as the street address of your website working under your domain name.

When you type a domain name in your address bar to visit a website, your computer is looking for the IP address of that website so it can load the website for you. This is DNS in action — you type in the street address (the domain name), DNS finds the directions using IP address (the GPS), and the internet loads the website you’re visiting.

In order to get you to your destination, DNS contains three main pieces to work properly: nameservers, zone files and records. Nameservers hold the zone file and the zone file holds the records. The records are the part of DNS that explains where your website lives or where you get your email, using IP addresses, but the records won’t work if the nameservers aren’t set up correctly.

How to Manage DNS zone files

How and where you add, edit or delete your DNS records depends on where your DNS is hosted. This is determined by where your nameservers are pointing. There are three possible options for where you’ll manage your DNS:

Your domain is registered with NextGen Domain and is using our nameservers: you’ll manage DNS settings in your NextGen Domain account.
Your domain is not registered with NextGen Domain, but is using our nameservers: you’ll manage DNS settings in your NextGen Domain account. This is usually the case if you’re hosting a website with us, or using DNS Hosting.
Your domain is registered with any company, but is not using our nameservers: you won’t manage DNS with us at all. You’ll need to work with your DNS and/or website hosting company instead.

If your DNS is with us, you can add, edit or delete DNS records within your DNS Manager.

A record: The primary DNS record used to connect your domain to an IP address that directs visitors to your website.
Subdomain: Any DNS record that’s on a prefix of your domain name such as blog.coolexample.com. A subdomain can be created using an A record that points to the IP address (the most common), a CNAME that points to a URL, or even an MX record.
CNAME: A type of record that also adds a prefix to your domain name and is sometimes referred to as a type of subdomain. A CNAME can’t point to an IP address. It can only point to another domain name or URL address. For example, you can create a CNAME for store.coolexample.com that points to a different URL, such as a store built with Shopify.
MX record: Manages your email address and makes sure your email messages get to your inbox. Different email services use different MX records, and email with NextGen Domain is automatically set up for you.
TXT record: Allows you to verify domain ownership and setup email sender policies.
SPF record: A type of TXT record that lets you set up email sender policies. This is an advanced type of DNS record.
NS record: Contains information about your nameservers. Use these records to identify which nameservers you should use if your domain is not registered with NextGen Domain, but you want to manage your DNS with us. This is an advanced custom DNS record. More info
Ready to build your own website? Take a look at our do-it-yourself Website Builder features.
You can also set up an email address with your domain name.

Change nameservers for my domains

Nameservers are your primary DNS controller, and without the correct nameserver settings, your email and website won’t work correctly. Your domain must be registered with NextGen Domain in your account to edit nameservers. If you’re going to change your nameservers to another company, you need to have those available before beginning.

Log in to your NextGen Domain Domain Control Center.
Select your domain to access the Domain Settings page.
Under Additional Settings, select Manage DNS.
In the Nameservers section, select Change.
Choose the option that works best for you:
- Connect my domain to a website I’ve built: Use our wizard to connect your domain to a website built elsewhere, such as Squarespace, Weebly or WordPress.
- I want to use NextGen Domain default nameservers (recommended): We’ll automatically update your domain to a set of NextGen Domain nameservers. This option is only available if you’re not currently using NextGen Domain nameservers.
- Enter my own nameservers (advanced): Enter the nameservers given to you by your hosting provider.
Select Save or Connect.
Check the box next to Yes, I consent to update Nameservers for the selected domain(s).

Note: If you have Ownership Protection on your domain, you’ll need to verify your identity. We’ll send a verification code automatically if you’ve had two-step verification (2SV) enabled in your account for more than 72 hours. Otherwise, select Send Password and we’ll send a one-time password to your registrant email address.

Please allow up to 48 hours for all changes to take full effect. During this time, your website, email and other domain services may be interrupted.

Add DNS hosting

Add your domain to DNS hosting and manage your DNS with us while your domain remains registered with another company.

Log in to your NextGen Domain Domain Control Center. (Need help logging in? Find your username or password.)
Select DNS > Add DNS Hosting.
Type your domain in the Domain Name field, then select Next.
Assign the provided nameservers to your domain name through your domain registrar. The zone file for your domain will not be active on DNS hosting until after you’ve updated your nameservers.

Please allow up to 48 hours for your DNS changes to take full effect globally.

How to Create a DNS template

Create a DNS template to quickly apply multiple DNS records to your domains, rather than adding individual records to each domain manually. You’ll be able to add individual records to the template, or copy records from another domain in your account.

Log in to your NextGen Domain Domain Control Center. (Need help logging in? Find your username or password.)
Select DNS > DNS Templates.
Select ADD to create a new template.
Enter a name for your template, then select Save.
Choose the option that best fits your needs:
- Add individual records: Select a record type from the drop-down menu and manually enter the required record details.
- Select from a domain: Choose a domain from the drop-down menu to copy the records from the zone file of the selected domain name.
Select Save or Apply when finished.
Add more individual records as needed by selecting ADD and entering the required record details.

What is an SPF record?

An SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record is a type of TXT record in your DNS zone file. SPF records help identify which mail servers are permitted to send email on behalf of your domain. Adding an SPF record can help detect and prevent spammers from sending email messages with forged From addresses on your domain.

Spammers can falsify email headers to edit the From address so it looks like they’re sending from an email address at your domain. This is referred to as spoofing, and allows them to phish your users for private account information, or otherwise abuse your reputation. This can result in the account owner receiving replies and bounce backs for mail they never sent.

Adding an SPF record can decrease spoofing attempts to your domain, however, they’re not a full-proof guarantee against all spam. SPF records help specify which mail servers are permitted to send email on behalf of your domain. Then, when incoming mail servers receive email messages from your domain name, they compare the SPF record to the outgoing mail server information. If the information doesn’t match, they identify the email message as unauthorized, and will generally filter it as spam or reject it.

Toggle my domain privacy settings

Domains registered with NextGen Domain are automatically enabled with Basic Privacy Protection. This limits visibility of all domain contact information in the public NextGen Domain WHOIS directory, except the organization, country and the political subdivision of the country (i.e., state, province, land etc.). If you need to verify domain ownership, you don’t need to remove Privacy Protection. Instead, add a txt record. If you choose to turn off your domain privacy settings, all contact information associated with the domain will be visible publicly.

Log in to your NextGen Domain Domain Control Center. (Need help logging in? Find your username or password.)
Select your domain from the list to access the Domain Settings page.
Scroll down to Privacy Settings and select Turn Privacy Off.

Note: If your domain has Privacy already turned off, you can turn it back on by selecting Turn Privacy On.

Review the changes to how your contact information will display on the public NextGen Domain WHOIS directory, then select Continue.
Check the box next to I consent to expose my contact information in the public NextGen Domain WHOIS directory. and select Continue.

Note: If you have Ownership Protection on your domain, you’ll need to verify your identity. We’ll send the verification code via SMS or an authenticator app if you’ve had two-step verification (2SV) enabled for more than 72 hours. Otherwise, we’ll send a one-time password to your domain registrant email address.

You’ll see a Success confirmation once your Privacy settings have been updated. Please allow up to 24 hours for these changes to fully reflect in the public NextGen Domain WHOIS directory.