Registering a Domain Name
Once you choose a topic for your niche site, you have to set it up. During this process, you need to:
Register a domain name Sign up for a hosting plan Set up the site
Registering a Domain Name Your domain name is your website address. You want to select a domain name that:
Represents your products or services Is short and to the point Is spelled properly Ends in .com
You can search for domain names at http://godaddy.com. Once there, type the domain name you want into the search box and click “Go.” Then, you will find out if your domain name is available. If it is, you can register it then. If it isn’t, you can select one of the variations, or you can search for a new name.
Signing Up for a Hosting Plan Once you register your domain name, you need to select a hosting plan. While there are lots of options out there, Hostgator is one of the best, since it’s affordable and easy to use. Just go to www.hostgator.com and click “View Web Hosting Plans.” Look through the plans and find one you want. Then, click “Order Now.”
Enter in your domain name and then go through the account creation process. Setting Up the Site Once your hosting account is created, you need to set up your website. You have a couple of options for this. You can set up a full website, or you can set up a Wordpress blog. If you choose to set up a full website, it’s best to hire someone on Elance to take care of it for you. However, if you want to set up a blog, you can do it yourself. We’re going to take you through the steps for setting up a blog on Hostgator. First, you need to log into your Hostgator Control Panel. You will get your login information in an email once you sign up. If you can’t find the email, type “yourdomainname.com/cpanel” into the search bar. Then, you needed to enter your username and password.
After you get into your control panel, go down to the Software/Services section and click on “QuickInstall.”
You’ll see a list of blog software on the left hand side of the page. Click “Wordpress.” Next, click “Continue.” Go down to the section that says “Install Word Press.” Now, you have two boxes. One has your domain name filled in already, and the other one is blank. Don’t put anything into the blank box. Then, you need to put a valid email address into the “Admin Email” section.
Move past the “App Version” and “Manual Install” sections, and move down to sections that ask for your Blog Title, First Name and Last Name. Fill these out and click “Install Now.”
It will go through the installation process. Once it’s done, you will see a sentence that says, “You can access it by going here.” Click the hyperlink.
Then, you’ll be taken to your Wordpress blog. You’ll see your blog’s URL at the top of the page. Go to the address box at the top of the page. Type “wp-admin” at the end of the address and hit “Enter.” Now you’re going to be prompted to log into the Wordpress control panel. Your login name will be “Admin.” If you don’t’ know your password, check your email, since QuickInstall will email you the information.
Once you log in, you’ll be taken to the Wordpress dashboard. You can use the dashboard to check statistics, upload blogs and monitor comments. You can also add plug-ins and change your Wordpress theme from the dashboard. Now you know how to register a domain name, sign up for hosting and set up a Wordpress blog. Follow these steps so you can get your site up and running today.
Register a domain name Sign up for a hosting plan Set up the site
Registering a Domain Name Your domain name is your website address. You want to select a domain name that:
Represents your products or services Is short and to the point Is spelled properly Ends in .com
You can search for domain names at http://godaddy.com. Once there, type the domain name you want into the search box and click “Go.” Then, you will find out if your domain name is available. If it is, you can register it then. If it isn’t, you can select one of the variations, or you can search for a new name.
Signing Up for a Hosting Plan Once you register your domain name, you need to select a hosting plan. While there are lots of options out there, Hostgator is one of the best, since it’s affordable and easy to use. Just go to www.hostgator.com and click “View Web Hosting Plans.” Look through the plans and find one you want. Then, click “Order Now.”
Enter in your domain name and then go through the account creation process. Setting Up the Site Once your hosting account is created, you need to set up your website. You have a couple of options for this. You can set up a full website, or you can set up a Wordpress blog. If you choose to set up a full website, it’s best to hire someone on Elance to take care of it for you. However, if you want to set up a blog, you can do it yourself. We’re going to take you through the steps for setting up a blog on Hostgator. First, you need to log into your Hostgator Control Panel. You will get your login information in an email once you sign up. If you can’t find the email, type “yourdomainname.com/cpanel” into the search bar. Then, you needed to enter your username and password.
After you get into your control panel, go down to the Software/Services section and click on “QuickInstall.”
You’ll see a list of blog software on the left hand side of the page. Click “Wordpress.” Next, click “Continue.” Go down to the section that says “Install Word Press.” Now, you have two boxes. One has your domain name filled in already, and the other one is blank. Don’t put anything into the blank box. Then, you need to put a valid email address into the “Admin Email” section.
Move past the “App Version” and “Manual Install” sections, and move down to sections that ask for your Blog Title, First Name and Last Name. Fill these out and click “Install Now.”
It will go through the installation process. Once it’s done, you will see a sentence that says, “You can access it by going here.” Click the hyperlink.
Then, you’ll be taken to your Wordpress blog. You’ll see your blog’s URL at the top of the page. Go to the address box at the top of the page. Type “wp-admin” at the end of the address and hit “Enter.” Now you’re going to be prompted to log into the Wordpress control panel. Your login name will be “Admin.” If you don’t’ know your password, check your email, since QuickInstall will email you the information.
Once you log in, you’ll be taken to the Wordpress dashboard. You can use the dashboard to check statistics, upload blogs and monitor comments. You can also add plug-ins and change your Wordpress theme from the dashboard. Now you know how to register a domain name, sign up for hosting and set up a Wordpress blog. Follow these steps so you can get your site up and running today.
