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GoDaddy → Cloudflare Nameserver Migration

Why this matters

ecomonetize.com is currently registered and DNS-managed at GoDaddy. Moving nameservers to Cloudflare is the single blocking dependency for:

  • docs.ecomonetize.com — internal docs platform (Phase 1)
  • help.ecomonetize.com — public ERI docs (Phase 2)
  • eco-signals.com redirect → ecomonetize.com
  • Any future Cloudflare Access / Zero Trust policies on these subdomains

Until nameservers are moved, Cloudflare cannot route DNS for any subdomain, regardless of what's configured in the Cloudflare dashboard.

Prerequisites

  • GoDaddy login: account that owns ecomonetize.com
  • Cloudflare login: info@ecomonetize.com at dash.cloudflare.com
  • ~15 minutes of active work; then wait up to 48 hrs (usually 1–4 hrs in practice)

Step 1 — Add ecomonetize.com to Cloudflare

  1. Log in to dash.cloudflare.com
  2. Click Add a domain (top right or from the home dashboard)
  3. Enter ecomonetize.com → click Continue
  4. Select plan: Free is sufficient for DNS + Pages + Access
  5. Click Continue

Cloudflare will scan your existing GoDaddy DNS records automatically.

Step 2 — Review imported DNS records

Cloudflare shows you a list of DNS records it found. Review before proceeding:

  • Verify your existing A records, CNAMEs, MX records (email), and TXT records (SPF/DKIM) are all present
  • If anything is missing, add it manually before moving forward — once nameservers switch, Cloudflare is authoritative
  • For email (Google Workspace / Gmail): confirm MX records pointing to aspmx.l.google.com and friends are imported

When satisfied, click Continue.

Step 3 — Get your Cloudflare nameservers

After reviewing DNS records, Cloudflare gives you two nameservers assigned to your account. They look like:

ava.ns.cloudflare.com
bob.ns.cloudflare.com

(Yours will be different — Cloudflare assigns a unique pair per account.)

Copy both nameservers. You need them in Step 4.

Step 4 — Update nameservers in GoDaddy

  1. Log in to godaddy.com → My Products → find ecomonetize.com → DNS (or Manage DNS)
  2. Scroll to the Nameservers section → click Change
  3. Select Enter my own nameservers (advanced)
  4. Delete GoDaddy's nameservers and enter the two Cloudflare nameservers from Step 3
  5. Click Save

GoDaddy will warn you that changing nameservers affects your DNS. Confirm.

Step 5 — Wait for propagation

  • Typical: 1–4 hours
  • Maximum: up to 48 hours (GoDaddy's TTL can be slow to flush)
  • You can check propagation status at whatsmydns.net — search for ecomonetize.com type NS and watch for Cloudflare nameservers to appear globally

Cloudflare will send an email to info@ecomonetize.com when the domain is active on their network.

Step 6 — Verify in Cloudflare

Once propagation is complete:

  1. dash.cloudflare.com → click ecomonetize.com
  2. The zone status should show Active (green)
  3. Under DNS → Records, confirm your existing records are resolving correctly

Step 7 — Add subdomains for docs platform

Once the zone is Active, add DNS records for the docs subdomains:

Type Name Target Notes
CNAME docs eco-docs-internal.pages.dev Phase 1 — internal docs
CNAME help eco-docs-public.pages.dev Phase 2 — public ERI docs (add when ready)

To add: - DNS → Add record → Type: CNAME, Name: docs, Target: eco-docs-internal.pages.dev, Proxy: Proxied (orange cloud)

The "Proxied" toggle is important — it routes traffic through Cloudflare, which is required for Cloudflare Access to work.

Step 8 — Connect subdomain in Cloudflare Pages

  1. dash.cloudflare.com → Workers & Pages → eco-docs-internal
  2. Custom domains tab → Set up a custom domain
  3. Enter docs.ecomonetize.com → Cloudflare will verify the CNAME is set → Activate domain

Repeat for help.ecomonetize.com / eco-docs-public when Phase 2 is ready.

Post-migration checklist

  • [ ] ecomonetize.com zone shows Active in Cloudflare dashboard
  • [ ] Email still works — send a test to/from info@ecomonetize.com
  • [ ] GoDaddy nameservers replaced (GoDaddy DNS settings page should show Cloudflare nameservers)
  • [ ] docs.ecomonetize.com CNAME added and proxied
  • [ ] Cloudflare Pages custom domain activated for eco-docs-internal
  • [ ] Cloudflare Access policy configured on docs.ecomonetize.com (see playbook: MkDocs Cloudflare Pages Deploy → Step 7)
  • [ ] First GitHub Actions deploy to Cloudflare Pages succeeds

Troubleshooting

Problem Fix
GoDaddy won't accept nameservers Make sure you're in Custom nameservers mode, not a GoDaddy forwarding plan
Email stopped working after migration MX records didn't import. Add them manually in Cloudflare DNS. For Google Workspace use: aspmx.l.google.com (priority 1), alt1.aspmx.l.google.com (5), alt2.aspmx.l.google.com (5), alt3.aspmx.l.google.com (10), alt4.aspmx.l.google.com (10)
Cloudflare zone stuck on "Pending" Propagation hasn't completed. Check whatsmydns.net for NS records. Wait and recheck.
docs.ecomonetize.com not resolving Confirm CNAME is added AND set to Proxied (orange cloud). Non-proxied won't route through Cloudflare Access.
Custom domain shows "Verifying" in Pages Cloudflare is still confirming the CNAME — usually resolves within minutes of DNS propagation.

Last verified

2026-04-22 — documentation.engineering