“I just bought a new domain name,” she said. “How do I set up a WordPress website?”
“Did you buy your domain name from your web host?” I asked.
“No.”
“In that case, you will not be able to set up your WordPress website until you propagate your domain name.”
“How do I do that?”
What is domain propagation?
Every domain name is associated with a web server. A web server is basically one computer that has lots of data on it.
When you buy a domain name, it goes into a web server belonging to the company you purchased the domain name.
Likewise, if you get web hosting from a different company, that company has its own web server, too. When you choose a web host, you are renting space on their web server.
Before you can setup a website that shows up with your new domain name, your domain name company and your website host company have to talk to each other.
It’s call domain propagation and it can take up to 72 hours for the two different companies to communicate.
Once that’s done, you can install WordPress on your web host with your new domain name.
Propagating your domain name
It is NOT a problem if you purchased your domain name from one company and your web hosting from another. In fact, a lot of people do it this way. Especially if they have a lot of domain names and want them all under one roof.
The problem for many people is, domain name propagation is a bit tech-y.
Steps to propagating your new domain name
- Log into your domain name host
- Log into your web host
- In your web host, find your web host name servers
- Copy your web host name servers in a text document
- Go to your domain name host name servers
- Replace you domain name host name servers with your web host name servers
- Wait up to 72 hours
- After 72 hours log into your web host and confirm your domain name is listed under “domain names”
If your new domain name is not showing up in your web host
- Log into your domain name host and confirm your web host name servers are the one’s displaying
- Contact your web host and ask them to activate your new domain name
Technology is ever changing. It seems every time I log into my web host, or my domain name host, things are in different places. That’s why I don’t waste my time hunting and pecking, or trying to find the right “help document.” Instead, I go into Live Chat with my web host and ask them to activate my new domain name.
Then it’s time to install and start building a new WordPress website!
Check out the video below ri see how I propagated a domain name that was purchased on NameSilo with a website hosted on Bluehost.
Leave a Reply