Mapping a Domain to a WordPress Website: A Perplexing Journey

Have you ever wondered how to map a domain to a WordPress website? It’s surprisingly simple! All you need are a few easy configurations in your domain registrar account and WordPress dashboard. With the right guidance, you can do it in no time!

Step 1: Choose a domain name

First things first, you must choose a domain name before mapping it to your WordPress site. Your domain name reflects your brand, business, or company, so it’s vital to pick a catchy one. Consider keeping it short, simple, easy to remember, and relevant to your content. Avoid using special characters, numbers, and hyphens as well.

Step 2: Purchase a domain name

To map your domain to your WordPress website, you have to buy it from a domain registrar. A domain registrar is a company that manages domain names.

Namecheap, GoDaddy, and Bluehost are some top domain registrars you can consider.

The domain registrar will guide you through the registration process after you provide your personal and billing information and payment method.

Once you have purchased your domain, an email with your login credentials for your domain registrar account will be sent. You’ll need these later during the mapping process.

Step 3: Install WordPress

Now that you have your domain name, you’ll have to install WordPress on your web hosting account. Most web hosting services have pre-installed WordPress.

If not, don’t worry; you can still install it manually as long as you follow these easy steps:

1. Log in to your hosting account and navigate to the CPanel dashboard.
2. Search for the “Softaculous app installer” and click on it.
3. Select “WordPress” from the available list of apps.
4. Click on “Install” and fill in the necessary fields, including website name, username, password, and email address.
5. Click on “Install” and wait for a few minutes while the installation process completes.

Once you installed WordPress, log in to your dashboard using the username and password you created during the installation process.

Step 4: Update WordPress Settings

Before mapping your domain, you need to make a few updates to your WordPress site settings to ensure everything is working properly.

1. Go to your WordPress dashboard and click on “Settings.”
2. Click on “General” and update your site title and tagline.
3. Click on “Reading” and update your homepage and posts page if necessary.
4. Click on “Permalinks” and choose a permalink structure that’s best for your site.

Step 5: Locate Your Hosting DNS Server names

Your hosting DNS server names are unique to your web hosting service and are used to point your domain name to your web hosting account.

1. Log in to your web hosting account and navigate to the CPanel dashboard.
2. Search for the “Account Information” section and click on “Account DNS.”
3. Copy the two DNS server names listed under “Account DNS” and save them somewhere safe.

Step 6: Update Your Domain DNS Settings

Now that you have your domain name and hosting DNS server names, you’re ready to map your domain to your WordPress site.

1. Log in to your domain registrar account.
2. Navigate to the DNS settings section and look for the “Nameservers” field.
3. Replace the default nameserver with the two DNS server names you copied in the previous step.
4. Click on “Save”
5. Wait for a few minutes while the changes take effect.

Step 7: Add Your Domain to WordPress

The final step is to add your domain to WordPress.

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to “Settings.”
2. Click on “General” and scroll down to the “WordPress Address” and “Site Address” fields.
3. Replace the default URL with your domain name and save the changes.
4. Log out of your WordPress dashboard and wait for a few minutes while the changes take effect.

Congratulations! You have successfully mapped your domain to your WordPress website. Just remember that picking the right domain name is critical to your website’s success, so take your time to choose a name that’s relevant and memorable.