I have written about this topic before, Setting Up a Blog, at Problogit.com but it was not so detailed.
Before I proceed, I would assume that you already registered a domain name with a domain registrar and signed up for a web hosting account with a web hosting provider. If not, I suggest that you read the details first on how to register a domain name and how to get a web host.
I will use DreamHost on how to set up a Website in this example. I am comfortable using DreamHost as I have been its customers for three (3) years now. I like its control panel and the features that it offers.
How to Set Up a Website
Proceed to DreamHost.
Click the first link “Web Panel” at the bottom of the page to log in at the DreamHost Control Panel.
You will be redirected to the “DreamHost: Login” page.
1. Supply the email address and password that you used when you signed up for a web hosting account with DreamHost at the “DreamHost: Login” page to log in at the web control panel.
Click the button “Login”.
You will be redirected to the “DreamHost Web Panel > Home : Welcome” page.
You will read the following text:
“Welcome to your DreamHost Control Panel!”
“This is the control center of your DreamHost account. From here you can configure literally any aspect of your account in no time at all!”
2. Click the link “Manage Domains” on the left side under “Toolbox” above the “Main Menu”.
You will be redirected to the “DreamHost Web Panel > Domain : Manage Domains” page.
You will read the following text:
“Domain Management”
“View and modify the hosting configuration of any of the domains on your DreamHost account.”
3. Click the link “Add New Domain / Sub-Domain”.
You will be redirected to another “DreamHost Web Panel > Domain : Manage Domains” page.
You will read the following text:
“Fully Hosted”
“Upload your site to our servers and we’ll serve it up!”
You will also read other details like Domain name, Users, Files, and Paths, Web Options, Google Hosted Services among others.
4. Supply the necessary details at the blank fields at the “DreamHost Web Panel > Domain : Manage Domains” page.
Under “Domain name”…
Domain to host:
Supply your domain name like “domainname.com” without the quotes.
Do you want the www in your URL?
Choose one of the three options, namely, leave the domain name with or without WWW, add WWW and redirect the domain name without WWW to the domain name with WWW, or remove WWW and redirect the domain name with WWW to the domain name without WWW.
Under “Users, Files, and Paths”…
Run this domain under the user:
Use the dropdown and “Create a new user” like “domainusername” without the quotes.
Web directory:
Supply your domain name like “domainname.com” without the quotes at the field corresponding to “/home/username/”.
Under “Web Options”…
PHP Mode:
Leave the recommended one as it is.
Extra Web Security?
Check the checkbox. Leave the others unchecked.
Under “Google Hosted Services”…
Check both the checkboxes if you would like to use the services of Google. You’ll need to set your domain up with Google separately from this set up here. Just follow the instructions after you click the link to Google. (I might also write about this topic later on.)
You can also leave the checkboxes unchecked. You can set it up later.
Under “Visual Confirmation”…
Please complete the following CAPTCHA:
5. Click the button “Fully host this domain”.
You have done it.
You will be redirected to the page where you were before, at the “DreamHost Web Panel > Domain : Manage Domains” page.
This time you will read the following text:
“Success!”
“”domainname.com” has been added to our hosting system!”
“Since it takes some time for new DNS information to propagate, it may take up to a few hours for your new domain to start working.”
This is assuming that you already change the DNS at the domain registrar where you registered your domain name. If not, you need to change or set the DNS then at the domain registrar. I wrote a little bit about this at the topic, How to Start a Website, but I might also write a detailed one later on.
The domainname.com must be using the nameservers of DreamHost for it to work.
NS1.DREAMHOST.COM
NS2.DREAMHOST.COM
NS3.DREAMHOST.COM
You can check the domain name “domainname.com” if it has been been added under “All hosted domains on this account”.
Take notes of the FTP user, FTP server and password like the examples below. Write them down.
The FTP user is “domainusername” without the quotes.
The FTP server is “serve.dreamhost.com” without the quotes. The server was provided by the web host. If the DNS has propagated, you can change the FTP server to your domain name like “domainname.com” without the quotes.
The FTP password has been generated for this domain name. If you would like to change the password, you can do so. You will be provided with a link so you can change your password. (I might also write about this topic later on.)
Finally, to check if you have set up the Website successfully, launch the net2ftp, the web based FTP client of DreamHost.
Click the link “WebFTP” under the domain name “domainname.com” at the “DreamHost Web Panel > Domain : Manage Domains” page like at the image above to launch the net2ftp.
You will be redirected to the “net2ftp – a web based FTP client” page.
Supply the necessary details at the blank fields at the “net2ftp – a web based FTP client” page if the net2ftp Login page looks like the image below.
Username, Password
Supply the necessary details at the blank fields corresponding the text below if the net2ftp Login page looks like the image below.
FTP server:
Username:
Password:
Initial directory:
The “Initial directory” is optional, you can leave what has been provided, in this case “/domainname.com” without the quotes which you supplied as the web directory under “Users, Files, and Paths” when you added the domain name. You can also leave it blank.
If you did not supply anything under the “Initial directory”, you will be redirected to the page like the image below. Click the folder, the domain name “domainname.com” to see the files under that folder.
If you supplied “/domainname.com” without the quotes at the “Initial directory”, you will be redirected directly to the domain name “domainname.com” folder like the image below.
If you have the same files inside the “domainname.com” folder like at the image, then you were able to set up the Website successfully.
Finally, to check if the domain name is active, check the page or the domain name at the browser. If you see the page like the page below as you have not created any pages yet, then you did it. You were able to set up the Website successfully.
That’s it! Congratulations!
Actually, it does not end there. You still need pages for your Website but that is a different topic which I might discuss later on. If you would like to install WordPress, that is also another topic which I will discuss later on.
For the meantime, plan what pages do you need for your Website. For more information about this topic, read this blog entry, Setting Up a Blog, at Problogit.com.
Disclosure: Other than liking the features of DreamHost as a web host, I am also an affiliate of DreamHost. So, if you decide to sign up for a web hosting account with DreamHost using my referral link, I am going to earn from it.
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