I was asked by a visitor how he could "get access to a domain" that he had just purchased. This article answers that question.
Just to make sure that we are talking about the same thing, a domain name is (loosely-speaking) the address of a website. For example, the domain name of the website that you are currently reading is "thesitewizard.com". If you type the latter into the address bar of a web browser, you will end up at the main page of this site. You obtain a domain name by registering one at a domain registrar.
After you buy a domain, what you do next depends on why you bought it in the first place. If you got it solely for the purpose of having your own custom email address, and no other reason, see How to Get a Domain Name for Email Only for the steps to take.
Otherwise, I will assume here that you bought the domain so that you can create a website on it.
Buying a domain name does not automatically give you a website. A domain name is just a name that you can attach to any website you want. It's like in the brick and mortar world, where if you want to open a shop, you first have to register a company name. Getting that business name doesn't mean that you automatically get shop premises. You have to do that separately, by looking for a place to rent (or buy), then setting up your shop there.
In the same way, on the Internet, registering a domain merely means that you get a name to use for your site. You will still need to get a place (analogous to the shop premises of the physical world) on which to put your website. This "place" is usually obtained by signing up with a web host. The latter are companies with computers that are set up in a special way so that any document you place there can be viewed by people on the Internet. You can find a list of web hosts here, from which you can choose one, to place your site.
Incidentally, some domain registrars are also web hosts. If you have already signed up for a web hosting account with them when you bought your domain, you can skip this step. You already have a web host.
After you have signed up with a web host, you will need to attach your domain name to your website.
Note that if you paid for a web hosting account at the same time you bought a domain, that is, you got both from your registrar, you may not need to take this step, since they will probably have done it for you automatically.
Once the above are done, you can work on designing your website. If your website is a blog, see How to Create a Blog for more details. (You can skip the steps on getting a domain name and web host since you have already done this.)
If you want to create some other type of website (ie, not a blog), see How to Create a Website. You will then use one of the software mentioned (eg, a web editor) to design the site.
If you are not sure whether to make a blog or a normal website, please read What's the Difference Between a Content Management System (CMS), a Blog, a Web Editor and an Online Site Builder? for more information about each of these ways of building a site.
The articles linked to above, on creating a blog and starting a website also gives you more information on what you can and should do after your site is done.
Copyright © 2019 Christopher Heng. All rights reserved.
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How Do You Get Access to a Domain Name You Just Purchased? What to Do After You Buy a Domain Name
