Bluehost Web Hosting Help
How To Assign A Domain Name - A Record, Name Servers, HTML Page
Summary
Once you have registered your domain name, you will need to assign it. This guide will show you how to assign a domain name to your hosting account.
In order to work correctly on your Bluehost account, your domain will need to point to your hosting account either via Nameservers or the A Record. The Nameservers or A Record should be pointed to Bluehost prior to assigning the domain to minimize update time.
Access the Domains tab
- Login to your Bluehost Control Panel.
- Click the Domains tab from the side navigation menu to the left.
Assigning the Domain Name
- Click Assign from the submenu.
- Choose if you will assign a new domain to your account, or one that is already associated with your account.
- If you are assigning a new domain you must verify ownership of the domain name, there are three ways this can be done:
- Name Servers: Update your Name Servers to ns1.Bluehost.com and ns2.Bluehost.com.
- A Record: Point the A record to the IP address indicated on the screen.
- Create HTML Page: Create an HTML page on your existing host containing the case-sensitive text provided.
- EPP Code: This will not transfer your domain name, but use the EPP code to verify ownership.
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Choose Addon vs. Parked
- Addon Domain: An addon domain name functions as its own domain and website, separate from your primary domain.
- Parked Domain: A parked domain name will load the same website as your primary domain.
- Unassigned Domain: An unassigned domain is attached to your account but does not point to a website or have a dedicated folder. Choose this option if you're not ready to host the domain yet. You can assign the domain as addon or parked when you're ready.
- If you selected Addon domain, choose the folder in your account that the domain will point to.
- Choose a Subdomain. The subdomain is only used by the Control Panel for the domain assignment. You will still access your domain name directly.
- Click the "Add Domain" button at the bottom of the page to assign the domain.
- Once complete you should see the domain is listed in the Domains tab.
Troubleshooting
Here are a couple of reasons why you may not be able to assign a domain to your account:
- DNS records can take a while to propagate. If you changed the name servers or A record, please give it at least 30 minutes, but keep in mind that it could take up to 24 hours.
- Is the domain already associated with another Bluehost account? You'll need to remove it from the other account before you can add it to this one. If you don't own the account the domain is assigned to, please contact the account owner for assistance.
If you continue to experience issues assigning your domain, please reach out to our Support Team or email us at domains@Bluehost.com.
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