How to Link a Domain Name to a Web Hosting Page
If you own a domain name and you want to link it to a website, there are a number of ways to configure it, depending on your needs. If your domain is registered with the same company that handles your web hosting, the company usually handles this for you. If your domain name registrar and web host are different companies, the most common way to point the domain name to the web site is by changing the DNS nameservers at your domain registrar. According to Dnsfaqs.com, "DNS" (Domain Name System) simply translates IP addresses into domain names and helps to "direct traffic." Changing the DNS nameservers basically directs or "points" your domain to the computer where your website is hosted.
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Instructions
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Obtain the DNS nameservers used by the company hosting your actual website. These are unique addresses that look something like web addresses (e.g., "ns1.yourwebhost.com", "ns2.yourwebhost.com"). There are usually at least two nameservers like these; often, your hosting company provides these to you at signup. If not, contact the hosting company for this information.
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Change the DNS nameservers where your domain name is registered to the nameservers provided by your hosting company. Each registrar handles this step differently, but in most cases, you can access your domain name's nameservers online by logging into your account at the registrar's website. If you cannot easily find where to make these changes, contact the company where your domain is registered and ask how to do this. It usually takes between 24 and 48 hours for the changes to take effect once you change the nameservers.
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Login to your web hosting account and associate your domain name with your website. Again, this process is different for each provider. Sometimes, you will already have a website created with a temporary web address; other times, you will access your online file manager and create a new folder for the domain name. Consult your hosting company's help documentation, or call the support line if you need assistance with this step. Your domain name will point to whatever webpage you have created as soon as the DNS nameserver changes take effect.
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Tips & Warnings
There are a few other options for linking domain names to web hosting pages. If your hosting company also handles domain registration, you can transfer the actual domain to their control for a price, and they will associate it with your website. If you're using a different domain name for your site and simply want to direct traffic to it through your old domain, you can "redirect" your domain so it automatically sends traffic to your new domain. This is handled through the old domain's registrar. Finally, if you wish to point several domain names to the same website, you can identify these as "alias domains" with your hosting company, changing the DNS nameservers of each domain name to those provided by your host.
