Website Not Loading After Changing Nameservers or DNS

Why this happens

Internet providers keep a cached copy of where your domain points, for a period set by the record’s TTL. After you change nameservers, each provider updates when its copy expires. That is why your phone (on Safaricom data) may show the new site while your office laptop (on fibre) still shows the old one.

Network	Usually updated within
Safaricom, Airtel, Telkom mobile data	2–6 hours
Home/office fibre (Safaricom Home, Zuku, Faiba, etc.)	2–12 hours
Rest of the world	Up to 48 hours

Step 1: Check what the world sees

1. Go to whatsmydns.net.
2. Enter your domain, choose NS → Search. Locations showing ns1.asushost.cam / ns2.asushost.cam have updated.
3. Switch to A. Updated locations show your AutoHost server IP (cPanel → statistics panel → Shared IP Address).

• All green with the right IP → DNS is done; the problem is your device’s cache (Step 2) or the site itself (Step 4).
• Mixed → keep waiting; it is propagating.
• Nothing shows AutoHost nameservers after 24 hours → the change was not saved correctly (Step 3).

Step 2: Clear the cache on your own device

Windows

Open Command Prompt (search cmd) and run:

Mac

Open Terminal and run (enter your Mac password when asked):

sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

Chrome / Edge browser cache

Visit chrome://net-internals/#dns (or edge://net-internals/#dns) → Clear host cache. Then chrome://net-internals/#sockets → Flush socket pools.

Phones

Turn Aeroplane mode on for 10 seconds, then off. Or switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data.

Your router

Restart the office/home router — it caches DNS for everyone on the network.

Step 3: Confirm the change was saved correctly

Log in to your registrar (or portal.autohost.co.ke → Domains → My Domains → Manage → Nameservers for domains with us) and check:

• Exactly ns1.asushost.cam and ns2.asushost.cam — no typos, no extra old nameservers.
• The domain is Active, not expired or suspended — see Renew your domain.

Also look the domain up at whois.kenic.or.ke (.ke) or lookup.icann.org (others): the Name Server lines show what the registry has.

Step 4: Check the hosting side

If DNS is correct everywhere but the site still fails:

What you see	Cause	Fix
Our default page / “Index of /”	No website uploaded in public_html	Upload your site or restore it
“Account suspended”	Unpaid invoice	Pay in Billing → My Invoices
“Your connection is not private”	SSL not issued yet for the new server	Security → SSL/TLS Status → Run AutoSSL — see Fix SSL errors
“Error establishing a database connection”	Database not imported or wrong credentials	See Fix database connection error
Old content still shows	Cloudflare or a caching plugin serving cached pages	Purge Cloudflare/plugin cache

Email after a DNS change

Email follows the domain’s MX records. After moving to our nameservers:

• New mail arrives at AutoHost — make sure the mailboxes exist in Email → Email Accounts.
• Mail sent during propagation may land at the old host for a few hours; check the old mailbox for a day or two.
• If you use Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, add their MX records in our Zone Editor — see Connect Google Workspace / Microsoft 365.

Frequently asked questions

Can AutoHost make propagation faster?
We cannot clear other providers’ caches, but our DNS answers immediately. Lowering the TTL before a planned move (to 300 seconds) makes future changes faster.

It has been 48 hours. What now?
WhatsApp us on +254 104 666 000 with the domain — we will check the registry, DNS and hosting together.