How to Change Your Godaddy Website Domain Name for WordPress

You own a website. Maybe you created it yourself, or you hired someone to build it for you (maybe even on a professional budget). Regardless of how or where you got the idea for the site, you clearly found it helpful, as you’re reading this article. That’s what’s important – getting something out of the way so you can move on with your life. But, you also want to keep the energy of your website, so you can continue using it and building on it.

You’ll have an opportunity to get a free domain name with any hosting plan from one of the most popular web hosts, Godaddy, and you might wonder if this is the right choice for your website. Maybe you’re trying to build a professional site for your business, or perhaps you just want to create a simple personal blog. Regardless of your reasons for wanting a website, you’ll need to think about how you intend to use it, and what you’ll do with the content you create.

Many people are put off by the hefty prices associated with a branded, shiny new domain name. Luckily for you, we’ve scouted out a way to get you a free domain name from Godaddy, along with some web hosting to support it. All you need to do is follow the steps below.

First, choose your host.

You’ve got lots of options when it comes to web hosts, so take your pick. When researching this guide, we looked closely at shared hosting plans from Bluehost, as they offer some great perks for first-time website owners. If you’d like, you can get a free domain with any hosting plan from Bluehost.

In addition to having a free domain name, you’ll receive a free dedicated IP address (this is a special IP address that will only work for your website). That’s right – you don’t have to worry about IP addresses or shared hosting ever again if you go with Bluehost. Plus, they offer a money-back guarantee if you meet the right conditions. Now that’s a comforting thought.

Next, pick your site’s name.

You need a catchy, easy-to-remember name for your website. Luckily, you don’t need to go overboard and register a whole slew of top level domains just to fit all your possibilities. Instead, choose a dot-com,.net, or.org extension – it really is that simple (and free).

If you’re worried about people accidentally mistaking your website for something else, you can always add another string to the end of your domain name. For example, myblog.org could become myblog.org.uk, myblog.co.uk, or myblog.com. If you run into trouble, you can always rename your blog later on with the help of a professional web host.

Next, decide on a theme for your site.

The design of your site can be as unique as you want it to be. But, there are a number of pre-made themes you can choose from, that will give you a head start on the design process. Again, let your heart and mind run wild, and feel free to get as creative as you like. When selecting a design, it’s important to keep in mind that not all themes suit all types of sites. For example, if your site is mostly focused on product reviews, you might want to avoid purchasing a theme that’s overly cluttered with images.

Now, let’s get to the important stuff. How do I set up my website with WordPress?

Many of the bigger, more popular web hosts like Godaddy make setting up a website very easy. All you need to do is click on the dashboard, and you’ll be taken to a section that encourages you to get started with WordPress. You’ll see a button that looks like this:

Once you click on this button, you’ll be presented with a form where you can enter your WordPress host information. If you’re new to WordPress, feel free to use one of the pre-written templates for the form, or just type in the information manually. After you’ve filled out this form, click on the Preview button to continue to the next step.

In the next screen, you’ll see a shortcode that looks like this:

If you copied and pasted this shortcode exactly, you’ll end up with a fully-functioning WordPress site, without needing any further assistance. If you followed the steps correctly, and you want to make sure everything is set up correctly, click on the Preview button a second time to continue to the final step.

At this point, you’ll be on a page that contains information about your new WordPress site. The first line of text you’ll see is a link that will take you back to the dashboard, where you can manage the content of your site. When you’re ready to publish your first post, click on the Publish button at the top of the page:

What you’ll see next is a screen that contains all the pieces you need to get your site published. To get started, just enter your content in the text boxes, and then click on the Publish button to post your content.

What do I do after I’ve published my first post?

After you’ve published a post, you’ll see several small dots appear at the top of the page. These are notifications of new comments on your post. If you’d like, you can click on the notifications to see the comments. Alternatively, you can click on any of the comments to be taken to a page that displays that specific comment.

If you have a lot of comments, you may see a drop-down menu at the top of the page, which will allow you to choose between viewing the comments on a Google Sheet, or a Word Document. The latter is a great option if you’re looking to keep track of all the comments you receive, or if you’d like to go back and read a specific comment later on.

How do I create a WordPress login?

Since your WordPress site is already set up, you can explore the different areas of the dashboard to determine how you want to use it. To create a login system for your site, click on the Settings tab at the top of the dashboard. Once you’re in the Settings section, you’ll see a link to Create a login.

If you’ve been paying attention, you may have noticed that we accessed the Settings section a couple of times during the setup process. When you create a login for your site, you’ll be asked to pick a username and a password. The username should be relevant to your site’s content – if you’re planning on using it to log in to a forum, for example, give it a topic-related name like “blogger” or “fitness,” or perhaps something more creative like “mystery shopper” or “private detective.”

For the password, you can use any random characters you’d like. It doesn’t have to be a secret (but you can keep it secret if you’d like), and it doesn’t have to be strong (we wouldn’t want anyone else to guess it either). Since this is the secret to accessing your site, you should select a password that you’ll remember.

After you’ve entered the username and password for your WordPress login, click on the Update button to save your changes and create a new login.

Do I need a premium account to create a WordPress login?

No, you do not need a premium account to create a WordPress login. You’ll see a notice that you’re using a free account when you try to create one – that’s all you need. You can click on the Login/Registration link at the top of the Settings area to get taken to the dashboard, where you can choose a different billing option.