For those of you just joining, you may want to read Starting a website Part 1, Get a web host.
If you have been following along, you've already secured your hosting and are ready for the next step.
Select a domain name. That means your website will be www.yourselectedname.com.
You can choose a .net or .biz, however, if the name you want is available, I'd recommend you choose .com.
Spend some time thinking about what name you want and make it relevant to the topics of your blog.
If your blog is going to be about ice cream, for example, then you want to incorporate the words ice cream in your domain name. Perhaps bobbysicecream.com or besticecreamnewyork.com or some variation.
Don't make it too complicated. Simple and catchy is best.
To register your domain name on Dreamhost, you will need to sign into your account.
Once signed in, simply click the tab on the left that says, Manage Account.
Scroll down to the section titled, Domains Registered.
Since you are just starting out, it will be empty so simply click on Register New Domain.
There will be an area on top for you to enter the name of your choice and to check availability of the selected name.
You will be walked through a straight-forward process of entering you information and when you are done, you will receive a message that the transaction is completed.
You will also see a message letting you know that it will take a few hours for the domain to be registered.
In the meantime, since you have some time, check out the WordPress themes from the official theme repository.
They are completely free, as is everything other than the hosting, and you will need your selected theme for the next step.
Spend a little time looking around at the themes.
You can preview each theme to get an idea of how it looks.
Your goal should be to find something that you think will work for you so you do not have to spend countless hours on customizing.
I'd also recommend that you use the WordPress filter to search for themes.
Useful options to consider include custom backgrounds since just changing the background color can really give your site personality.
Do you want a right sidebar, a left one, or none at all?
Find a few that you like - perhaps 2 or maybe 3 and download them to your computer.
Do not unzip them.
So far you have obtained hosting, registered a domain and have selected a theme.
The next article, Part 3 in the series of Starting a website, will walk you through installing WordPress, adding a user to your account and installing your theme.
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