DNS A records: does the website apex resolve?
DNS is the phone book. An A record is the line that says “example.com lives at this IP.” If it vanishes, browsers cannot find the site.
SERP leaders explain A records as the basic “name → IP” map (Cloudflare, IBM, and similar guides).
What CrowWake checks
We resolve A records for the apex domain (example.com). No A record → warn. We show the addresses we found.
Why it matters
Email auth can look fine while the website itself is dark. Apex A (or intentionally CDN-only setups) changing overnight is a common “who touched DNS?” moment for agencies.
What “good enough” looks like
Apex resolves to the expected host or CDN. If you use ANAME/ALIAS/CNAME flattening at the apex, CrowWake still expects a resolvable address from the public internet.
If CrowWake crows
Check recent DNS edits, registrar lock, and CDN dashboards. Confirm www vs apex intentionally—CrowWake watches the apex you added.
Watch this on CrowWake
Add the domain, leave the boxes checked, and the flock will crow when this drifts.