Adding a website and hosting

This article walks you through the different options in the panel to add a domain, which differs depending on whether you have already registered the domain or are adding a subdomain. The following topics are covered in this article.

• Option 1 — Enter a domain or subdomain you already own
• Option 2 — Create a subdomain
• Option 3 — Register a new domain
• Option 4 — Create a free DreamHost Subdomain (dreamhosters.com subdomains)

The following steps describe how to add a domain to a hosting plan or register a new domain.

1. Navigate to the Manage Websites page.
2. On the top right, click the Add Website button.
3. Make a selection from the following four options:
   • Enter a domain or subdomain you already own: Select this option if you've already registered your domain.
   • Create a subdomain: Select this option to create a subdomain on a domain you have already registered.
   • Register a new domain: Select this option to first register your domain name.
   • Create a free DreamHost Subdomain: Select this option to create a free dreamhosters.com subdomain.

1. Enter a domain name you have already registered. If it's registered at another company, check the box to confirm you own this domain name.
2. Click the Next: Hosting button on the bottom right.

   A list of your hosting plans appears.

3. Click the Select button to the right of a plan you wish to add this domain to.
4. Click the Set Up Website button on the bottom right to add hosting to the domain.

   A success message confirms the site has been added to the hosting plan.

Pointing DNS to DreamHost

1. Enter your subdomain in the first text field — for example, blog or forum.
2. From the Parent domain dropdown, select an existing domain on your account. 
3. Click the Next: Hosting button on the bottom right.

   A list of your hosting plans appears.

4. Click the Select button to the right of a plan you wish to add this subdomain.
5. Click the Set Up Website button on the bottom right to add hosting to the domain.

   A success message confirms the site has been added to the hosting plan.

The Register a new domain option takes you to the Manage Registrations page, where you can purchase the domain registration. For further details, see the following article:

• How to purchase a domain registration

Once purchased, you can then add hosting to the domain.

Select the Create a free DreamHost Subdomain option to create a free .dreamhosters.com subdomain. 

1. Enter your subdomain in the first text field — for example, blog or forum.
2. Click the Next: Hosting button on the bottom right.

   A list of your hosting plans appears.

3. Click the Select button to the right of a plan you wish to add this domain to.
4. Click the Next: Options button on the bottom right.

   This page lets you choose various options to add to your website (e.g., installing WordPress). Click the Select button only if you wish to add WordPress.

5. Click the Set Up Website button on the bottom right.
   

   A success message will appear confirming that the site has been added to the hosting plan.

At this point, your website is hosted and resolving online, but if you visit it in a browser, you will see a 'Coming Soon' page generated by DreamHost. You must now upload your own website content to your DreamHost server.

If you already have a website created

If you already have a website from another hosting company or one that you created on your home computer, you can upload the content to your server via FTP. View the following article for instructions on uploading your website files and database.

• How do I upload my site to DreamHost?

If you do not have a website

If you need to create a new website, you can install WordPress in the DreamHost panel. This allows you to create a website without the need for writing code. View the following articles for further information:

• WordPress overview
• Install WordPress using the DreamHost WordPress installer