Domains can be your friends.

In order for a domain (i.e. www.yoursite.com) to work with your website, you have to configure the domain to point to our servers.  We know that this can be intimidating, but don’t be scared.  We’ve designed our software as a do-it-yourself product.  Many of you want to handle your own domain set-up.  Using the helpful information below, you can set-up and manage your own domains and avoid all set-up fees.

However, some of you would probably rather not bother with this.  That’s why we offer a Complete Domain Set-up package called Domain Xpress (see below).  Order Complete Domain and Email Set-up and we’ll take care of all your domain issues for you.

Free Email is Available

As a part of your website package, we offer you up to 500 email boxes with over 6GB of storage for each box. Email is provided by Google Apps, http://www.google.com/a, which is a leading email service providers. Your email can be accessed online through Google's powerful web interface, or through your own email client software (such as Outlook or Outlook Express). Also included in the package is group calendaring, online documents and chat capabilities -- all on your own domain. There is no additional monthly fee for these services. However, we do require that you pay $50 for our Domain Xpress (see below). This is a one-time fee that covers the cost of setting-up and configuring these services to work on your domain.

Do-it-yourself Domain Configuration

If you don't require the email addresses we provide and you want to setup your domains on your own, you can save the $50 fee and do it yourself. The following is a simple guide on configuring your own domains.

Domain Terms

There are four domain-related terms you need to know:

Domain Registrar

This is an organization authorized to register domains.  Popular registrars include:  GoDaddy.com, NetworkSolutions.com, Register.com, and Verio.com.  We do not endorse these organizations nor do we receive any compensation from them.  We simply provide them for reference.

DNS

DNS is an acronym for “Domain Name Service” and refers to all of the stuff involved in using a domain to direct traffic to a website or to email.

DNS Host

An organization that controls DNS for a domain.  This can be the same as the Domain Registrar, but it doesn’t have to be.

DNS Record

The individual instructions contained within DNS that tell a domain what to do.  Types of DNS records include Address Records (for websites) and MX Records (for email).

If you don’t have a domain registered yet

1. Register your domain through a domain registrar.  Choose a registrar and follow their instructions to register and pay for your domain.
2. Use your domain registrar as your DNS host.  Most registrars include DNS hosting as a part of their registration package. 
3. Set your domain’s DNS Address Record to Our Servers.  The final step is to set the DNS Address record (or “a” record) for your domain to point to our servers.  Use the DNS controls provided by your Domain Registrar/Host to set your domain’s A record to the following IP address:  75.126.211.188.

If you already have a domain that you want to transfer

If someone else set up your website for you originally, you may need to work with them to complete these steps.  Remember that if you paid for your website, then you own the domain and have a right to request the information you need as well as to make whatever changes you need to your DNS. 

1. Who is your Domain Registrar and DNS host?  You need to determine what organization registered your domain and who is hosting DNS for your domain.
   1. Option 1 – Make your domain registrar your DNS host.  If DNS is hosted by someone besides your domain registrar, you could choose to have DNS hosting transferred back to your registrar.
   2. Option 2 – Leave your DNS hosting as is.  If DNS is hosted by someone else and they are willing to work with you, you could choose to leave everything as is and proceed to step 2.
2. Set your domain’s DNS Address Record to our Servers.  Either use the DNS controls provided by your Domain Registrar/Host or employ the help of whoever is hosting your DNS, but in either case, the ultimate goal is to set your domain’s A record to the following IP address:  75.126.211.188.

What about email?

As mentioned above, we can provide you with up to 500 email boxes with over 6GB of storage each through Google Apps, http://www.google.com/a. There is no additional monthly cost for this service, but you must pay our one-time $50 Domain Xpress setup fee for us to help you set up your DNS entires for you.

If you don't wish to use our email solution, that's ok. You can have your website hosted with us and host your email anywhere else that you like. Just as the DNS address record (“A” record) instructs the domain where to point website visitors, the DNS Mail Exchange record (“MX” record) tells the domain where to point email.  So, you don’t have to change anything about your email in order to use your new website.  Simply point your A record at our software, your MX record at your email provider and you’re finished.

Or, of course, we can handle all of this for you through our one-time $50 Domain Xpress Service.