Rescue: domains, DNS and SSL
Site says “Not secure”? Domain lapsing? We’ll fix it.
A padlock warning, email that won’t arrive, an expiring domain, or a site gone after a settings change. We find the cause and put it right.
You get it in writing. Your records before and after, what we changed, and the checks we ran.
Check first
What are you seeing?
Match it to what it means. You don’t need to know the jargon. Not sure which one it is? Tell us in the form, and we’ll work it out during the initial assessment.
A “Not secure” or “Your connection is not private” warning.Your SSL certificate, the file behind the padlock, has expired or doesn’t match your web address.
Your domain has expired, or is about to.Renew it today with your registrar, the company you bought the domain from. If you can’t get in, we’ll help.
Email isn’t arriving, or lands in spam.Your email records need fixing. MX records say where your mail goes; SPF and DKIM prove it’s really from you.
The site vanished after someone “changed some settings”.Your DNS records, the address book that points your domain at your site, were edited. We find the change and put it right.
Right now
While you wait for us
A few safe steps help. A few well-meant changes make things worse.
Safe to do now
- If your domain expires in the next few days, renew it with your registrar now. You’d pay them either way.
- Check your registrar account and your inbox, spam included, for renewal or expiry emails.
- Write down what changed and when: who touched which settings, and when it stopped working.
- Take screenshots of the warning or the bounce message, with the time you saw it.
Please don’t
- Let the domain lapse. Don’t assume auto-renew worked: it fails quietly when a saved card expires.
- Delete DNS records, even ones you don’t recognise. Some of them keep your email working.
- Change your nameservers to test a fix. They say which company holds your records, so changing them moves everything at once.
- Send passwords by email or chat. We’ll send you a secure link instead.
Service options
Choose the fix you need
Most owners need one problem fixed. Move the domain if someone else controls it. Tidy up every record if your email and DNS are a tangle.
01
Recommended
Fix one problem
One problem fixed: a padlock warning, lapsed domain, lost email or missing site.
- Current DNS records saved before any change
- The cause diagnosed and fixed: certificate, renewal, email records or website records
- Certificate set to renew automatically, where your host allows it
- Checked from outside your network once the change has spread
- Written report: records before and after, and the checks passed
- Not included: moving the domain to another registrar
- Not included: a tidy-up of every other record
02
Domain transfer
Your domain moved into an account in your name, away from a former developer.
- Everything in Fix one problem, plus:
- Unlock: the transfer lock at your current registrar removed
- Auth code: the transfer password requested from the current registrar
- Renewal year: added by the transfer, at the registrar’s price, paid by you
- Every record copied across first, so site and email keep working
- You set as the owner, with your own email address
03
DNS and email records tidy-up
Every DNS and email record checked and fixed, then listed in writing for you.
- Everything in Fix one problem, plus:
- Every DNS record checked; old or unknown ones removed with your OK
- Email records set right: MX, SPF and DKIM
- DMARC added, telling inboxes what to do with fake mail
- Padlock checked with and without “www”
- Written list of every record: what it does and who needs it
We assess the problem and confirm the scope and next steps in writing before work starts.
You pay your registrar directly for the domain itself. We don’t sell domains or add anything to their price.
How it works
How a fix works
Seven steps, in this order. We tell you when each one is done and when you’ll hear from us next.
With Domain transfer, step 04 is the move itself. The final approval belongs to the registrars, so we’ll tell you what they need and when.
01
We confirm who controls the domain.
We check the registrar, the account owner and the renewal date, so the right person approves every change.
02
We save the current records.
A full copy of every DNS record, taken before we touch anything, so any change can be undone.
03
We diagnose the cause.
We check the certificate, the nameservers and each record against what your site and email actually need.
04
We fix it.
We renew, reissue or correct only what’s broken, and tell you before any change that touches email.
05
We wait for the change to spread.
This is called propagation. It usually takes minutes, and sometimes up to 48 hours. Other companies’ networks set the pace, so it’s outside our control. We keep checking and tell you where it’s at.
06
We verify it from outside.
We check the padlock, send test emails and load the site from outside your network.
07
We write it down.
Records before and after, what changed and the checks passed, in a report you keep.
BearStackDomains, DNS and SSL
Get connected again.
Get help with domain errors, DNS and certificate warnings.
Why BearStack
Your domain stays yours, and every change is on record
Domain trouble often starts when someone else holds the keys. We fix the problem and hand the keys back to you.
01
Your domain stays in your name.
We work as a delegate on your account. We never register your domain to ourselves.
02
We save before we change.
Every record is copied first, so nothing is lost and anything can be put back.
03
We’re straight with you about the wait.
Some delays belong to registrars and networks. We say so, and keep checking until it’s done.
04
We assess the problem and confirm the scope and next steps in writing before work starts.
After the initial assessment, you get the price and scope in writing. The domain itself you pay to your registrar.
05
We explain it in plain words.
You’ll know what broke, what we changed and why, without the jargon.
Access
What we need from you
Access to your registrar is what lets us start. Here’s how to share it without creating a new risk.
Never send a password by email, text or WhatsApp.Add us as a delegate if your registrar allows it. If not, we send a one-time secure link that expires once it’s opened.
Registrar access, as a delegate.Most registrars let you add a second user or delegate to your account. You stay the owner and can remove us when we’re done.
Where your DNS lives, if it’s elsewhere.Sometimes your web host or a service like Cloudflare holds the records. We’ll check your nameservers and tell you which.
Email admin, for email problems.Admin access to your email service, such as Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, so we can add the records it asks for.
What you’ve seen, and what changed.Screenshots of the warning or bounce, and your note of who changed which settings, and when.
Proof
What you get in writing
A short report you keep, so the next person who touches your domain knows exactly how it’s set up.
- Who controls it: registrar, owner and renewal date
- Records before: a full copy, as we found them
- What changed: each edit, and why
- Records after: as we left them
- The checks that confirm it all works
The records tidy-up adds the full list of every record, with what each one does.
Domain and DNS report
Sample report
Domain
yourbusiness.co.uk
Records before
Every record as we found it, saved before any change
Records after
Every record as we left it, with each change marked
Checklist
- 01Control confirmed with the owner
- 02Current records saved
- 03Cause found and fixed
- 04Change spread and verified from outside
- 05Checks passed: padlock, email delivery, website
An illustration of the report's format, not a real client.
Let’s talk about your website
Let’s find the missing connection.
Send your domain and the error or warning you can see. Tell us when it started and whether anything changed recently.
- 01 Share your website
- 02 Describe the problem
- 03 Agree the next step
FAQ
Questions owners ask us
We assess what is happening and confirm the next step with you.
Why does my site say “Not secure”?
The browser couldn’t confirm a valid SSL certificate for the address it loaded. Usually the certificate has expired, was issued for a different address (for example without “www”), or some parts of the page still load without encryption. It doesn’t mean you’ve been hacked. But visitors leave, and some browsers block forms and checkout, so it’s worth fixing today.
What is DNS, in plain words?
DNS is the internet’s address book. Your domain’s DNS records tell the world which server shows your website and which one receives your email. They’re kept by your registrar or another DNS host. If one record is edited wrongly, your site or your email goes somewhere else, even though nothing else has changed.
What is an SSL certificate?
It’s a small file on your web server that proves the site is really yours and encrypts what visitors send. Browsers show it as the padlock. Certificates expire and should renew by themselves; when renewal fails, the warning appears. Many hosts provide one free, so you rarely need to buy one.
How long until it works again?
We’ll give you a time for the fix itself during the initial assessment. After a DNS change, the new records have to spread to the networks your visitors use. That’s called propagation. It usually takes minutes, and sometimes up to 48 hours. It’s outside our control, and some people may see the fix before others. We keep checking and tell you when it’s complete.
Will my email be affected?
Only if your email records need to change. We save them first, tell you before we touch them, and send test emails afterwards. If email is the problem, getting it delivered is the whole point of the fix. During a transfer, we copy every record across first, so mail keeps arriving.
Who should own my domain?
You, always. It should be registered in your name or your business’s name, with your own email address, in an account you can log in to. Developers and agencies, including us, should work as delegates on your account, never as the owner.
What if a former developer controls it?
It’s common, and fixable. If they’re reachable, we ask them for the unlock and the auth code, then move the domain into an account in your name. If they’re not, registrars have a process for proving you’re the rightful owner, usually with business documents, and we guide you through it. The registrar sets that timing, so we can’t promise a date. This is our Domain transfer service.
Do you charge for the domain itself?
No. You pay your registrar directly for the domain and its renewals, so it stays in your account. Our fixed fee covers only our work. The same goes for a paid certificate, though most sites can use a free one.
My domain has already expired. Is it too late?
Often not, but act today. Many registrars keep an expired domain for a short grace period, when you can still renew it, sometimes with an extra fee. Log in and renew if you can. If you can’t get in, tell us now and we’ll help you reach the registrar. Once that period ends, the domain may be released for anyone to register.