DNS (Domain Name System)
The system that translates readable web addresses into the numeric addresses of servers, so visitors reach your site without memorizing a string of numbers.
By Tanguy De Keyzer · Founder & digital strategist
DNS (Domain Name System) is the system that translates a readable web address into the numeric address of the server where your website lives. When someone types your domain name, DNS looks up at lightning speed which server belongs to it and sends the browser there. You can see it as the phone book of the internet: it links names to addresses, so no one has to memorize a string of numbers.
How does DNS work?
Behind every website sits a numeric address, but no human remembers it. DNS solves that by linking your domain name to that address. On every visit, the browser first asks DNS where your site is, gets the server address back and then retrieves the page from the web server. That translation step happens in a fraction of a second and repeats for every new visitor that calls on your web hosting.
Why DNS matters for your site
DNS is usually invisible, but if it falters, your entire site is unreachable, however good your hosting otherwise is. A slow or unstable DNS also slows down the very first contact with your visitor, before your page even starts loading. That affects your page speed and therefore your chance of a lead. Correct DNS settings are also needed to make your SSL certificate and business email work reliably.
What to watch for with DNS?
What matters is the reliability and speed of your DNS provider, and careful management of the settings. A wrong record can take your site or email offline, and changes sometimes need time to propagate everywhere. At Customer Impact we treat DNS as part of a solid foundation. It should simply work, so the technology supports your business goals instead of being a source of outages.