How to Register a Domain Name and Upload a Website

Many companies offer domain name registration, and if you're a newbie web builder it can become a bit confusing. There are many domain name registrants out there, and you want to make sure that you choose a reputable company. Most of the time, you're going to be okay choosing almost any domain registration company that's well known, such as GoDaddy or Enom.

How much does it cost?

Usually prices run $6-$10 per domain name. Any more than that, and I wouldn't shell out extra bucks for a domain name when you can get it for cheaper. Sometimes you can catch nice specials at GoDaddy for domain packages and end up only spending about $2 bucks per domain name.

What's next?

After you've purchased your domain name you'll need to make sure you go purchase your hosting so you can have a place for your site files to reside. Only then can you use your domain name to show up on your website.

If you are with a company like GoDaddy, you can actually purchase both your domain name and hosting with them. This may make the transition seamless for you and the customer service with GoDaddy is great so they will take you through the steps you need to sync up your domain name with your hosting account.

However, if you choose, for whatever reason, to purchase your domain name elsewhere, then you will need to make sure that your domain name is "pointing to" your hosting server. It's called a "nameserver".

For example, I have an account with Enom.com where I purchase nearly all of my domain names. But having this domain name alone is no good if it's not pointing to the nameserver of my hosting at GoDaddy so that my websites can show up.

Here are the steps I would need to take to ensure that my website shows up with my domain name on the web.

1. First I will need to attain the DNS server settings from my hosting provider. I should ask my hosting provider (in this case, GoDaddy) to tell me what the DNS server settings should be for my domain name. They usually look something like this:

ns21.domaincentral.com
ns22.domaincentral.com

2. Next, I should change the two settings to what my hosting provider gives me. I would just log into my domain account and take a look at the DNS server settings to ensure that these match what my hosting company gave me. I have video tutorials available at my website which show you how to do this in depth.

3. Then, I go ahead and upload my files to the web. I typically use an FTP program for this. One free program is FreeFTP, which can be downloaded from download.com.

I would just need to make sure my index file is uploaded (this way my home page will show up on the web)...and wait for up to 72 hours for the nameserver to point in the direction of my hosting. Typically this takes about 2 hours or less, but domain companies like to tell you to wait the full 72 hours, just in case. My video tutorials show you how to do this.

(*The INDEX file is the homepage of your website, which under most circumstances should always be named "index". This ensures that your website home page will show up on the site!)

Once this is completed, you should see your website appear at your new domain name within a few hours! You're done.

Now, it's time to enjoy your website and its benefits!