So you are planning to open a new online business or take your existing business online. In order to do so, the most important thing that you need is a website. For creating a website, you need to buy a domain and a server space where you can store all the information related to your website, clients, users, transactions, product details, etc. A server is basically a storage space for a website.
There is no doubt that finding a domain name is hard but to register a domain name takes only about 2 minutes. But once you are done buying your domain name, you are left with one massive decision to make and that is, to choose a hosting service. There are several domain registrars like GoDaddy, Namecheap, Domain.com that also offer quality web hosting services.
If you are new to creating and managing websites, you may wonder which type of hosting you should go with and how to connect your domain with the server? Well, we are here to provide you with all the information that you need to connect your domain with the server of your choice. Before we go, here’s a spoiler for you, Wix is providing the best hosting services to users at an affordable price point. So, you can consider them as a reliable choice for meeting all your web hosting needs.
Why Choose Wix Nameservers Over GoDaddy and Hostinger?
Let’s be clear that we are not promoting Wix in the first place.
Currently, the number of websites that are providing hosting services on the internet is overwhelming. However, there are only a few hosting service providers that allow its users to transfer their domain names purchased from other domain registrars.
However, it is fair to say that you can’t have a blindfold trust on hosting websites, even if it’s Wix. To keep the costs as low as possible for setting up and managing your website, you need to be vigilant. You need to break down your needs and think about the plugins that are must for your website’s proper functioning.
Talking about Wix, it is more than just a hosting provider. Wix was started as a website building platform in 2006, and today, it is competing for the top spot among the best website builders. If you are someone who is looking to create a website without having any knowledge of coding, Wix is the website you should consider. The other two websites, GoDaddy and Hostinger, are dedicated web hosting providers and they primarily focus on offering top-quality hosting services to WordPress website owners.
WordPress offers users more power and control over their website. However, if you are a newbie and don’t know much about creating and maintaining a website, WordPress might not be the best option for you. Tweaking the changes in your website’s core setup could take your whole website offline in a matter of seconds, and you may require the assistance of a tech professional, which surely is going to increase the cost associated with website maintenance.
Now you know the basics of Wix, GoDaddy, and Hostinger, let’s move on to their pricing and see which one gives you the best value at the cheapest rates.
Wix
Starting off with Wix, it has a $4.50 per month plan to which users can subscribe for 12 months. With this plan, users get a 14-day money-back guarantee if they feel unsatisfied with the server performance. Also, after 12 months, users can again purchase this plan and there’s no extra renewal fee. If you connect a domain with Wix servers, you will be getting 1 GB bandwidth and 512 MB of storage space. This is the bare minimum plan, and you can go with pricier plans depending on your budget and requirements.
GoDaddy
GoDaddy’s cheapest server hosting comes with a price tag of $5.99 a month. However, this price will be effective if you buy this plan for 36 months. If you are looking for an annual plan, then it starts at $6.99 a month. With the 36-month plan, you are getting hosting service at the cheapest price point with 24×7 customer support. You will also be getting a business email and a domain name for the first year completely free. On the other hand, you can buy several add-ons separately from GoDaddy’s store to access and integrate more features into your website.
Hostinger
The best and the most extended hosting plan which Hostinger offers will come for 48 months at a very low price of $0.80/ month. If you go for the annual subscription, you will be paying $1.95 a month. But the hosting renewal fee is $7.99 a month, so it’s better to buy a long-term plan to save money. The cheapest plan has a single shared hosting that provides you with one business email and supports 1 website. Also, you will get a free SSL certificate for strengthening the security of your website.
Why is Wix the Best?
By comparing all three on the basis of their features, services, and pricing, we concluded that Wix has a certain number of pros when it comes to connecting domain names with websites. Also, for creating a personal blog, their base plan is a blessing. Wix also offers Google Analytics and premium support features with their basic plan. Their support system has intuitive ticketing along with the tutorial pages, which you can browse to see a solution for your issue to save before deciding to create a ticket.
What is a Domain?
A domain is basically a digital address of your website. Just like how GPS needs a street address or a zipcode to take you to the destination, in the same way, a web browser needs a domain name to direct you to a particular website. A domain name is made from two main elements, the first one is the website’s name, and the latter one is the domain extension. During your hunt for the domain, you will find there are a number of extensions available at different prices. The “.com” extension is the costly one, but this is the one that is most popular and preferred as it shows the authenticity of your website.
The domain works as a shortcut to the server where your website has been hosted. Without the domain name, a user who wants to visit a website must remember the website’s IP address, which is in numerals and certainly not easy to remember. That’s why the vast majority of website owners connect a domain with the website to facilitate easy access.
Steps to Connect Your Domain with Wix Name Servers
There are two ways by which you can connect your domain name with the Wix name servers. Both of these are defined below with step-by-step instructions to make it easier for you to follow the process.
Connecting Domain via Name Servers
When you are connecting your domain via name servers, you will be giving authority to Wix to host your DNS while your domain name will still be registered with the registrar from whom you purchased the domain. Before you proceed with this method, you need to check if you have any DNS records present, and in case you have, you need to reconfigure them.
Step 1 – Add the Domain to Your Wix Account
Before you log in and change the DNS settings to support the transition, you need to visit the domain’s main page in your Wix account and add the domain name by selecting Connect the domain you already own.
Step 2 – Update the Name Server in Your Domain Name Host Account
To make the connection work, you need to visit your domain name’s host account from where you have purchased the domain. Once you have logged into that account, go to the settings of your domain host account and change the current name servers with
- ns4.wixdns.net (216.239.36.101)
- ns5.wixdns.net (216.239.38.101)
Please note that you are not required to fill in the IP address by default. If your domain host account needs it, only then put the IP address. Otherwise, even the name servers will work perfectly fine.
In case you are having trouble with changing the name server of your website, you need to get in touch with someone from the domain host for assistance.
Step 3 – Verify Your Domain Connection
Now that you have made changes in both your domain host and in the Wix account, you can check if the connection is working or not. To check the connection, you need to navigate to the settings and click on the verify connection.
You can skip this step if you are in a hurry, but it’s better to test the connection. Also, by using the DNS lookup, you can check which name server has been updated.
It will take up to 48 hours for the domain’s DNS record to properly propagate and your site to go live.
Connecting Domain via Pointing Method
This method is used when the user is looking for a way to keep the DNS hosted outside the Wix name servers. In most cases, the website does not recommend this connection process because it will not be possible for the Wix customer representative to assist the user if there is some issue in the DNS host account. On the other hand, if the domain has some complicated records which you are not looking to configure due to time restrictions or others, you can use this method for connecting a domain to the Wix name server.
Step 1 – Add Your Domain to Wix Account
The first step of both methods is identical, where you need to add the domain name of the connected website to your Wix account by going to the setting and selecting Connect a domain you already own.
Step 2 – Update the DNS Records in Your Domain Host Account
To make the connection work properly, you need to update your domain’s DNS records in your domain’s host account. Sign in to the domain name host account and go to the DNS or name server settings. From there, you need to clear the CNAME and A records so that they can be replaced with:
- For “yourdomain.com”, create an A record that points to: 23.236.62.147
- For “www.yourdomain.com”, create a Cname record that points to: www58.wixdns.net
Note:- Make sure you make changes in both the CNAME and in A record because if one of them isn’t updated correctly, the site will appear insecure, and some visitors of your website might not be able to access it due to the restrictions by their antivirus program.
Step 3 – Verify the Connection
Once the domain’s DNS is updated, you need to go back to the domain page in your Wix account and click on the button which says Verify Connection.
Conclusion
So, the aforementioned are the two methods to change or connect your domain to the Wix name servers. Wix is a popular website builder platform where you can create a website without actually needing any knowledge about coding the design. Its simple drag and drop interface makes it possible for even a non-technical individual to create a stunning website. If you are having trouble completing the connection, make sure you contact Wix’s customer care to help you resolve the issue. Both of these methods are pretty simple to perform, and the margin of error is pretty thin, but still, you need to be cautious.
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