Step 6: Ensure you have registered and transferred your domain name

As the Way2Host Account Setup page indicates, you have now completed the basic steps to activate your account.

Before visitors can access your site on the Internet and you can begin using your new email accounts, however, you must ensure that you:

Register your domain name

Transfer your domain name to Way2Host

Use your temporary URL until the transfer process completes

Because the entire registration and transfer process can take up to 72 hours, the sooner you take care of this the sooner you will be able to get your site up and running. If you have not already registered your domain name, you can do so from within SiteControl. If your domain name is currently registered elsewhere, you will need to transfer your domain name to Way2Host. The following sections provide detailed instructions for each of these tasks.

The Domain Name FAQ provides detailed information on this topic. You can find this and other FAQs in Way2Host's Help Center at help.way2host.com.

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Registering your domain name

If you need to register your domain name, you can do so directly within SiteControl. The link on the home page takes you to the Domain Name Registration/Transfer Wizard which will walk you through the steps to register your domain name.

This link will continue to display until you have registered your domain name.

To register your domain:

1. Click the Domain Name Transfer link on either the SiteControl Home Page or the Way2Host Account Setup page. SiteControl checks the registration database and confirms that your domain name is not yet registered.

   

2. Click the link indicated. The following page displays.

   

3. Enter your domain name (with the extension) and then click Check Availability. Way2Host checks the availability of the selected domain name and presents you with your registration options.

   
   
   

   If the domain name you originally specified when you signed up for your hosting account is no longer available, you will have to contact Technical Support for a domain name change. There will be no additional charge for this.

4. Select the desired options and click Register Selected Domains.

The registration process will take approximately 48 to 72 hours. Until then, you can use your temporary URL (shown on SiteControl's Home page) to upload your site until the process is complete. For more information, Using Your Temporary URL.

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Transferring your domain name to Way2Host

If you registered your domain name directly with Way2Host, you do not need to do anything else to transfer your domain name. The process should be completed within 48 to 72 hours. However, if your domain name was previously registered elsewhere, you will need to ensure that it is transferred to Way2Host.

During this propagation period, you will need to use your temporary URL instead of your domain name. For more information, Using Your Temporary URL or the Domain Name FAQ available in the Way2Host Help Center.

If you have already registered your domain name elsewhere, you will need to tranfer your domain to us. The transfer process depends on the registrar with whom you registered your domain name.

Most registrars request that you log in to their systems and transfer the domain name yourself using the user name and password they assigned you. Once you have logged on to their site, you will need to change your current nameserver information to Way2Host's information.

Way2Host nameserver information

You can find your nameservers by logging into SiteControl and selecting Domain Name. Click the Nameservers item to display your primary and secondary nameserver information.

To use SiteControl to request a domain name transfer:

1. Click the Domain Name link along the left side of the SiteControl window. The Domain Name Management page appears.

   

2. Click the Domain Name Registration Information link. SiteControl displays registration information for your domain.
3. If your domain name is currently registered with Network Solutions/VeriSign, you can click Initiate Transfer to initiate the transfer process.

The domain name transfer process typically takes 48 to 72 hours. Until the transfer completes, you can use your temporary URL to begin uploading your site.

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Using your temporary URL

When visitors type your domain name in their Web browsers, their request is referred to a nameserver that indicates the physical location (the IP address) of your domain on the Internet. When your site location changes to a new IP address (domain name transfer), or when you deploy a new site with a new domain name (domain name registration), nameservers around the world must be notified of the change. This process of notification is referred to as propagation.

Propagation typically takes 48 to 72 hours. During this time, you may find that you cannot access your site by typing your domain name in a browser. If you are transferring your domain, some nameservers will still refer to your site's old location while nameservers that have already been notified of the change will refer to the new location.

Way2Host provides you with a temporary URL that you can use to begin publishing your Web site files while you wait for the propagation period to complete. This temporary URL is available for your use for 30 days.

If you are transferring an existing domain name to Way2Host, we recommend maintaining your site at your current host while waiting for the new nameserver information to propagate throughout the Internet to avoid down time for your site. During this time, you can use the temporary Web address that we gave you to mirror your Web site on Way2Host's servers until the transfer is complete.

You can find your temporary URL by logging in to SiteControl and selecting the Plan Info link. For more information on using SiteControl's Plan Info section, see the SiteControl User Guide.