I Have a Domain, Now What?

By 123 Reg - July 4, 2025

So, you’ve got your first domain name?

Brilliant! You’re now one step closer to building your brand online — be that to show off your mad skills as a freelancer or to sell your products and services as a small business. Getting your website live isn’t as complicated or time-consuming as you might think.

You’re probably wondering, “I have a domain name – now what?” Don’t worry. Getting your new website up and running is straightforward, especially when tools like Website Builder do most of the hard work for you. Here’s a quick guide to get you started, hassle-free.

What to know now you’ve got a domain

Before you start thinking about building a website, you’ll need to understand a few key concepts. Don’t worry though, they’re really easy to get your head around.

What is web hosting?
Hosting is where your website “lives”. Without hosting, people won’t be able to visit your site – it’s what stores and delivers your website to anyone who types in your web address.

What is WordPress?
WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that makes it easy to create, edit, and manage your website without needing to code. It often comes included with web hosting packages.

What is a website builder?
A website builder is an easy tool that lets you create a website without any technical skills. You simply choose a design, customise it, and publish it online. Hosting is included in the package. We may be a little biased, but 123 Reg’s Website Builder is one of the best options around. More on that later.

Ready to build your site? Here’s how:

When you register a domain name from 123 Reg, we can help you get started with a free one-page website.

Why do you need a one-page website? Well, businesses worldwide have been creating Coming Soon pages for years to let their audience know they’ll soon be online and to create buzz at the same time.

Before diving in, think about your site’s structure and what pages you need. For a simple business site, you might only need:

Homepage
About/company info
Contact page
News or blog

If you plan to sell products, you’ll also need product pages, an order form, and help or support pages.

Start building

Depending on your skills and budget, you have a few options:

A. Use a website builder

A second option would be to use a tool like the Website Builder to create your site. It’s a simple tool where you pick a design you like, customise it with your own words and photos, and publish it in just a few clicks. There’s no need to worry about coding or technical setup – it’s all done for you.

It’s really easy: simply choose a template, customise it to your liking, add content and just click Publish to get your site online.

All templates are responsive, meaning your site will look good on mobiles, tablets, and desktops. This is ideal if you’re on a budget and want to avoid technical headaches.

If you want to sell products, then you should opt for 123 Reg’s Online Store, which offers all the benefits of a website builder combined with ecommerce functionality.

B. Do it yourself from scratch

WordPress is one of the most popular tools for creating websites, blogs, and even online shops.

While WordPress itself is free to use, you’ll need a host to get your website online. That’s where Managed WordPress Hosting comes in – it includes extra features like automatic updates, backups, and security, so you can focus on building your site without worrying about the tech stuff in the background.

Learn more about Managed WordPress Hosting from 123 Reg

Alternatively, if you’re comfortable coding everything yourself, you can build your website from scratch using HTML, CSS, and any other tools you prefer.

To get your site online, you’ll need web hosting. This is what stores your website files and makes them accessible on the internet. Hosting packages often come with useful extras like email accounts, security features, and one-click installations for WordPress and other popular apps.

This is a good option if you’re confident with tech and want full creative freedom to design your site exactly how you like.

Learn more about Web Hosting from 123 Reg

3. Get your site online with hosting

Once built, your website needs hosting to go live. If you’re using Website Builder or Online Shop, hosting is included. Otherwise, consider:

Entry-level hosting for simple sites (10MB+ storage is enough)
Upgrade options as your site grows
Unlimited bandwidth for larger sites with high traffic
Reliable support and security from your hosting provider

4. Set up your professional email

You will probably also want to create a professional email address that’s personalised to your domain name. You don’t want to be using the same generic Yahoo email address you’ve been using for years, do you? That would be embarrassing.

This is a business you’re building and if you want to show you take things seriously then the next step is to set up your email to match your domain name. You can then use it for everything you need to keep organised, from managing emails and contacts to keeping track of your tasks and calendar.

You can buy it separately, depending on the features and storage you need, or get it free with a Website Builder or most other web hosting plans.

What next?

Getting your website live is just the start. Here’s what to do next:

☐ Optimise for search engines so people can find you.

☐ Make sure you set up a Google Business Profile so customers can more easily find you online — and on Google Maps.

☐ Start a blog and use social media to build your reputation and share useful content.

☐ Consider using pay-per-click (PPC) ads to drive more traffic. Check out our guide to the biggest ads platform, Google Ads.

☐ If want more data about your performance, set up Google Analytics to how your site’s doing.

Wrapping up

Building and launching your website isn’t always easy, but with the right tools and guides, anyone can do it. Before you know it, you’ll have a site that helps your brand shine online.