Purchasing Domain Name and Hosting
Purchasing your Domain
After researching and finding a simple, brandable, and available domain name you can then purchase it. Fortunately, this should cost you less than $15. I have even gotten domain names for just $1 from GoDaddy before. You can do this from the two sites you just visited by clicking on the domain name and then selecting “GoDaddy.com.” You will want to select GoDaddy over other domain registering/hosting websites because most Flippa buyers prefer Godaddy. This will also save you a lot of headache and money when you transfer your domain to another registrar after your buyer purchases your site!
Hosting Account
If you already have a hosting account, you can skip to the next chapter. However, if you have a hosting account which does not support unlimited domains, you should begin upgrading your hosting so that your new business will be able to handle the numerous numbers of automated websites you will be creating and selling!
If you are a complete newbie, a hosting provider enables your domain name to run and be available for the world to see. As stated before, you should have a hosting that allows for unlimited domains. If you’re on a smaller budget, you can go for a hosting plan with a one-website only plan. You should also look for a hosting provider which gives you a decent amount of disk space because of the automatically updating site you are building. Your hosting should allow for you to edit PHP configurations (which I will get into later), should come with a Cpanel, and should have Softaculous. Softaculous will allow for you to install WordPress websites in one click. It’s also helpful for the hosting company you’re purchasing from to have great chat support.
There are hundreds, if not thousands of hosting services out there. Find the best one that fits you and ask them in their chat system if you have any questions. Personally, I use NameCheap.com hosting and use Business SSD Hosting which costs around $20 per month. However, if you do not want to spend this much, start small (with a lower price, # of domains, given # of options), and then upgrade after you start seeing results. A2 Hosting, Bluehost, and GoDaddy are all great and cheap options if you’re starting out. After purchasing your hosting, you should receive your Cpanel details which is where you will be able to configure many aspects of your website.
Linking Domain to Hosting
After deciding on and purchasing a hosting plan, you will need to link your domain name to your hosting provider to make the website functional. You should have already bought a domain name from GoDaddy. Go to GoDaddy.com and locate your website domain under the “Domain Manager” tab. Select the “DNS” box beside it. Scroll down and you will see the “Nameservers.” Select “Custom.” This is where you will enter the nameservers your provider should have for you. If you cannot locate the nameservers Google Search “[Hosting Brand] + Nameservers” and you should be able to find them. For NameCheap hosting, it should look like this: “dns1.namecheaphosting.com, dns2.namecheaphosting.com.”
If you happen to be hosting on NameCheap.com, you can select Namecheap Web Hosting DNS. If not, you will need to customize your nameservers. To change your nameservers in Namecheap, click on the “Manage” button for your domain. Once you’ve changed your nameservers, you must add your domain in Cpanel. Go to your Cpanel and select “Add-on Domains” under the “Domains” section. Type in the domain name you purchased and select “Add Domain.” Remember, if you have any questions on the process of linking your domain name to your hosting provider, you can ask your hosting providers anything, or search on YouTube for a “WordPress website setup tutorial” using your hosting provider.
Installing WordPress
After linking your domain name, you can begin installing WordPress, which is one of the best platforms out there for creating any website. Go to your Cpanel and usually at the bottom under “Scripts” is an option for “WordPress.” Select this and put your domain name in where instructed. Create a strong password and if you have the option to, select a Cache option such as “W3 Total Cache” which will put simply, speed up your website greatly. Select “Install” and your blog, as it is currently, should be ready. Search your domain name to ensure that it is live and working properly. You will have a link to your WordPress dashboard in the form of: http://domain.com/wp-admin. Now with most of the technical and basic stuff done, we can move onto creating your automated website!
Note: Please tell me anything that I can improve on in my posts. Thanks!