I Have Bought a Domain Name, Now What? (Guide)

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I have bought a domain name now what! I see what you’re saying. In this guide, I will share with you important things you need to do after purchasing a domain name. Our target here is to have a fully functioning website.

First, I would like to congratulate you on having a domain name. You’re just one step closer to have an awesome business exposure. While you still need to do other things to get a website done, It all starts with purchasing a domain name.

You may think that hiring a professional freelancer is what you need to do. But I want to assure you that you can do it yourself following the steps below. And I guarantee; No technical skills required at all.

Let’s get your website online. All you need to do is to follow the steps below after buying a domain name. I made sure to be as specific and detailed as possible for you.

1. Get a Web Hosting Package:

The hosting plan is where you will host your site folders, images & databases. it’s like a small computer space dedicated for your website files. This computer will make your site accessible through World Wide Web (WWW).

A domain name needs to be synced with a web hosting space to serve your website. Both are essentials working together. If you have not yet purchased a domain name, I would recommend using GoDaddy or NameCheap.

My ultimate suggestion is to never get the hosting and domain from the same provider. It’s always better to diversify your assets. Furthermore, I will never suggest you to buy hosting from a domain provider.

I have bought a domain name and hosting now what!
If this is your case, then you can skip step 1 and 2.

When it comes to web hosting, My top recommendation is WPXHosting, However; It could be a bit expensive for beginners. But yeah, Here are 3 recommended web hosting providers for you:

BlueHost – Starting at $2.95/mo.
HostGator – Starting at $2.78/mo.
GreenGeeks – Starting at $3.95/mo.

I’ve been using BlueHost & HostGator for so long time and I’m totally happy with their services. While being owned and operated by the same company EIG, Each one works in a whole different way. GreenGeeks is one of the best EIG alternatives which I strongly recommend.

2. Point Domain To Web Hosting:

Before going any further: If you’ve bought domain name and web hosting from the same company, You can just skip this step. As Both will be automatically synced together. Otherwise, We will need to get both connected as follows.

I strongly recommend getting the web hosting and domain name from different providers. This strategy will make your site more reliable and secured. It will make it hassle-free if you decided to migrate your site host somewhere else.

At this point, You will need to do the following:

Copy Web Hosting Nameservers (from the welcome email).
Login to the domain registrar’s panel.
Edit domain nameservers.
Save Changes.

My ultimate combination here is to buy domain name from GoDaddy and get the hosting from BlueHost. To get both synced, You can use the following guide:

How To Point GoDaddy Domain To Bluehost? (Quick)

3. Install WordPress:

Now, We have got both web hosting and domain name synced together. It’s time to start building the website. Here, I would recommend using WordPress content management system (CMS).

As a quick surprise; 29% of the internet websites are using WordPress! This makes it certain that WordPress is a reliable software for your awesome website. Wordpress comes with an easy to use control panel.

Basically, WordPress allows you to add, edit and manage your site content easily. You won’t need to write a single line of code. With a one-click installation process, You will be up and running in a few seconds!

If you’ve purchased your web hosting from BlueHost, The following guide is for you: [5 Minute Tutorial]: Installing WordPress on Bluehost

4. Tweaks & Configurations:

After installing WordPress, There are certain tweaks and configurations you need to do. This will help optimizing your site for performance and productivity.

While the default WordPress settings are optimal, We still need to alter a few of them. These tweaks will give us a chance to get the most out of using WordPress CMS on our site.

Furthermore, I would recommend following the guide below: 13 Important Things To Do After Installing WordPress

5. Choosing a WordPress Theme:

The WordPress software has been widely supported by a large community. There are thousands of themes and plugins (free & paid) that can flip your site over and over again.

Thanks to all the available assets, You can build an astonishing WordPress site in no time. Whether your site is a business, personal or a hobby blog, There are many themes and plugins to help you in here.

Beside being a blogger, I’ve been a WordPress developer for years. And due to the fact that you might get overwhelmed on which tool to use. I’m here giving you my ultimate recommendations:

Free Themes: WordPress Theme Directory and JustFreeThemes.
Free Plugins: WordPress Plugin Directory.

However; I would recommend purchasing a premium WordPress theme if you’re serious about your website. Premium Themes will give you endless possibilities in terms of managing a professional site/blog.

Here are a my recommendations on which premium theme to grab:

Most of the premium themes come with a detailed documentation on how to install and configure the theme. All you need to do is to follow the steps. In a few minutes, You’ll be all set.

6. Installing Necessary Plugins:

Also, There are important plugins that you need to install and configure. The following guides will walk you on 3 important plugins to setup. These plugins will get your site optimized for SEO, Speed, Performance and Security. Here are the guides:

Furthermore, Here is the complete list of plugins that will make your life easier:

6. Consider Getting a Logo:

This is a strong step to do if you’re after building a brand name. having a logo will strength your brand credibility. Don’t hold yourself back! Get a simple logo done at the beginning. Then, We can always enhance it later on.

You may use services like Fiverr to get a logo designed for you for as low as $5 USD. Also, you may like to use UpWork or Freelancer to find your logo designer. Also, 99Designs is another great alternative. It will allow you to run a contest and choose the best one from the submission.

Note: You still can go without a logo. That’s okay 🙂

7. Create a Custom Email (@yourdomain):

If you’re serious about your building a strong brand name, Then you MUST get a custom email address. It certainly increase the brand’s credibility. I have bought a domain name how do I get Email? Then, it’s time to create your custom email address.

You can create your custom email address within your hosting account (no additional charges). You will be able to create the email address (@yourdomain.com) and create a forwarder to your primary email.

If you’ve purchased hosting from BlueHost, then the following guide will be very useful. It will show on details how to use BlueHost WebMail and how to create and manage custom email addresses:

How To Use BlueHost Webmail Login (Email Setup)

8. Add Content:

Content is the most important thing on your website. A website without content is exactly like a car without wheels. So you should start putting in content.

The content will tell your visitors as well as search engines what your site is all about. Let me recommend a few important pages you need to add and create right away:

About Me.
Contact Me (Contact Form 7 plugin).
Services Page.
Products Page.
Testimonial Page.
Subscribe Page (How To Create Subscribe Form?)
Privacy Policy.
Terms of Service.

You just need to add relevant pages to your site. Furthermore, It will be a wise decision to have a blog on your business site. This will help getting traffic from search engines; like Google.

9. Setup Social Media Accounts:

Social media has became an excellent way to communicate with fans and potential customers. After getting your site up and running, You should create social media accounts.

You’re not expected to use all platforms. My advice to you is to put your efforts into two or three platforms maximum. This way you can achieve better results.

Furthermore, The following guide will help you getting noticed on the internet:

How To Get Your Blog Noticed: The Ultimate Guideline

Also, Make sure to sign-up for social media accounts as soon as possible. This will give you a chance to reserve the exact site name on social media channels.

10. Include Email Opt-in:

This yet another crucial item on the list. Email Opt-in forms will help you building an growing a mailing list from day one. If there is one thing I regret, It would be not starting a mailing list right from the beginning.

A mailing list will allow you to keep people engaged with your blog content. This basically means a growing traffic to your website/blog. It’s definitely recommended to build an Email Opt-In form.

Here is another comprehensive guide on how to use the Email Marketing platform; MailChimp. I would recommend using the Bloom WordPress Plugin along with MailChimp.

I Have Bought a Domain Name Now What:

That was it all to build a professional website. It’s always easy to get started but a bit harder to keep evereything maintained and up to date. So my suggestion is to focus on increasing site traffic. A great idea is to build a mailing list. This will help you building a growing audience.

I have bought a domain name now what? All you need to do is to follow the above steps to get started. I made sure to be as detailed and specified as possible. This guide should be great for absolute beginners. So feel free to share this article with those who may find it useful too.

Have you already started a website or a blog? Please share your experiences on it. Also let me know in the comments below what was the biggest challenges along the way. I would love to help!

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