For any online business, speed and reliability are everything. Whether it’s a store checkout, a customer portal, or your SaaS app, slow responses and downtime can mean lost customers and lost revenue. That’s why DigiCert DNS Essentials now includes Global Traffic Director (GTD), bringing smarter traffic steering through region-based DNS routing to SMBs—without the enterprise complexity.

What makes GTD different?

Most DNS providers decide where to send traffic by looking at the IP address of the client resolver. That works in many cases, but it’s not always accurate - resolvers may be far away from the actual user. GTD takes a simpler, more reliable approach. It uses the location of the DigiCert DNS Point of Presence (PoP) that receives the query to decide which regional answer to return, delivering:

• Consistent results: The same query at the same PoP always gets the same regional answer.
• Predictable behavior: Policies apply at the PoP level, avoiding surprises from resolver IP mapping.
• Global footprint: DigiCert’s worldwide PoPs mean users still connect to a nearby DNS site, keeping responses fast.

This PoP-based method gives you better performance and reliability right away—no tuning required.

Why does region-based DNS matter for SMBs?

Region-based DNS helps SMBs deliver faster, more reliable digital experiences. Here’s how.

1. Faster websites and apps

Customers get directed to the right infrastructure for their region, cutting down on delays. Faster checkouts and smoother logins mean happier users.

2. Improved resilience

GTD lets you define answers for multiple regions—Default/Global, North America East, North America West, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, Africa, and Oceania. If a query comes into a PoP in one of those regions and no specific regional answer is available (for example, a record isn’t configured there), GTD automatically falls back to the Default/Global answer.

3. Better control over data location

You can configure GTD so queries answered in certain regions point to servers in that same region—for example, queries answered in Europe resolve to EU endpoints. While this doesn’t guarantee every user stays in-region (because of how resolvers work), it provides stronger alignment and predictability than relying on resolver IP alone.

4. Ready for growth

Running in multiple data centers, cloud regions, or providers? GTD makes it easy to steer traffic where you want it, without needing a dedicated networking team.

GTD in action

GTD delivers smarter routing in real-world scenarios. An e-commerce site can direct European shoppers to Frankfurt and U.S. shoppers to Virginia, improving checkout speeds. SaaS providers can serve customers from nearby cloud regions like Sydney or Oregon for faster, more responsive apps. Financial organizations can ensure EU-based queries stay within the region to support compliance goals. Across industries, GTD turns traditional routing into intelligent traffic steering—boosting performance, reliability, and user confidence.

GTD as part of DigiCert DNS

With DigiCert DNS’ Essentials plan, SMBs get access to DNS features that have traditionally been enterprise-only, without the complexity of cost. Here’s what’s included:

• Traffic steering: GTD gives you smarter, region-based DNS answers right out of the box.
• Easy to use: Manage everything through a simple console or API, with no advanced setup required.
• Room to grow: The Essentials plan is your starting point. As your business expands, more advanced DigiCert DNS plans add deeper traffic management and monitoring—so you can scale without switching providers.

By combining rock-solid DNS availability with intelligent traffic steering, DigiCert DNS ensures your business is faster, more reliable, and ready for growth.

Getting started with smarter, scalable DNS

DNS is the foundation of every online business. With GTD’s PoP-based traffic steering, SMBs get the same smart, reliable DNS control that enterprises depend on—without needing a large IT team. If you’re looking to make your websites and apps faster, reduce downtime risk, and take control of how traffic flows across regions, Global Traffic Director in DigiCert DNS Essentials is built for exactly that. It’s DNS that grows with you—starting simple, scaling strong. Start with Essentials, then grow into more advanced plans when you need them. No matter your scale, DigiCert DNS Essentials with GTD helps you do more than just resolve domains—it helps you steer smarter, with confidence.

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