What It Is
TTL stands for Time to Live. It is a number, measured in seconds, attached to each DNS record. It tells the internet’s DNS systems how long they may keep a saved copy of that record before asking again. A TTL of 3600 means one hour. It is like a sticky note that says how long a directions sheet is good for before you should check for new ones.
Why It Matters for Your Business
TTL affects how quickly changes take effect. If your record has a long TTL and you move your website, some visitors may keep reaching the old server until their saved copy expires. A short TTL makes changes show up faster, but it means more frequent lookups, which is usually fine for a small business site.
Good to Know
Planning a move? Lower the TTL on the records you will change a day or two ahead. After the move is done and working, you can raise it again. Leave the old host running until the change has fully spread, so visitors who still have the old record saved do not land on an empty server or a broken page.