Hosting vs email: why they're separate

Many clients are surprised to learn that changing their web hosting doesn't affect their email, or that setting up a new email address has nothing to do with their website server. Email and hosting are two different services that often look connected but are not.

Why they feel connected

Both your website and your email use the same domain name (e.g. yourbusiness.com). This creates the impression that they're the same service. They're not.

Under the hood, they point to completely different servers using different DNS record types:

Your website is found via an A record in DNS, which points to your hosting server's IP address (or a CNAME record, which points to another name your host gives you).
Your email is found via an MX record in DNS. It points to your mail server (Google, Microsoft, etc.).

These records are independent. Changing one doesn't affect the other, as long as you're careful.

One name, one set of DNS settings, two entirely separate destinations. Changing your host does not move your email, and changing your email provider does not touch your website.

Read this as text

Your domain name (yourbusiness.com) sits at the top. It points to your DNS settings, which act as a switchboard.

From there the DNS settings send traffic two separate ways. The A record sends website visitors to your website hosting, where your site’s files live. The MX record sends email to your email provider, where your messages live.

The two destinations are independent. They are often different companies, and changing one does not affect the other.

Common scenarios explained

"We're migrating your hosting"

If we tell you we're changing hosting providers, your email will be unaffected. We change the A record (website DNS) but leave the MX records (email DNS) alone. Your team's email continues working normally throughout the migration.

"We're setting up a new email address"

Creating a new name@yourbusiness.com email address has nothing to do with your website hosting. It's done in your email provider's admin panel (the Google Admin console, the Microsoft 365 admin center, etc.).

"My website is down: is my email affected?"

No. If your hosting server goes offline, your website is unreachable, but your email flows through a completely separate mail server. Visitors can't see your website, but emails still arrive in your inbox.

"I just moved my whole domain to a new registrar: is my email affected?"

Possibly. If the DNS records transferred correctly, email will continue working. If MX records weren't transferred properly, email could stop. We always double-check email DNS during domain transfers.

What runs email?

For most of our clients, business email is powered by one of:

Google WorkspaceGmail-based, managed at admin.google.com. See Google Workspace.
Microsoft 365Outlook-based, managed at admin.microsoft.com. See Microsoft 365.
Email hosting from a domain registrarLess common; configured in the registrar's control panel.

None of these have anything to do with Flywheel, WP Engine, or Kinsta.

Why this matters when we make changes

Before any DNS or hosting change, we audit your DNS records to identify and preserve your MX records. If we accidentally changed your MX records during a migration, your email would stop working, which is why we're careful.

Never let anyone change your MX records without reviewing email first

If someone says they need to "update your DNS" for hosting, ask specifically whether they're touching MX records. The answer should always be no unless they're explicitly changing your email provider.

Common questions

Does my hosting company provide email too?

Some do: cPanel-based shared hosts often include basic email. However, Flywheel, WP Engine, and Kinsta are managed WordPress hosts, and none of them provides email hosting. You need a separate email service.

Can I use my hosting server's IP address for email?

We don't recommend it. Managed WordPress hosting servers aren't built for handling business email; Flywheel, for example, says its servers are not optimized for sending mail. Use a dedicated email provider instead.

My website contact form sends emails: is that affected by hosting?

Somewhat. Your contact form uses your hosting server to send notifications. This is called transactional email. We usually configure this to use a dedicated email delivery service (like Mailgun or SendGrid) rather than the raw hosting server. See email sent from your website.