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How to Point Your Domain to Bluehost

This guide shows you how to make a domain that is registered elsewhere open a website hosted at Bluehost. You can do it by changing nameservers or by editing DNS records.

Domains and DNS2 min read11 steps

What does "point a domain" mean?

A domain is your website's address. DNS is like a phone book for the internet. It turns that address into a number that computers understand. Pointing a domain means telling the phone book to send visitors to Bluehost's servers.

Bluehost is another web hosting company. You can use this guide when your domain is managed in a Hostvento account, or anywhere else, and the website lives at Bluehost.

Before you start

  • Log in to your Bluehost account and find the nameservers or the server address (IP address) for your hosting.
  • Do not guess these values. Copy them from Bluehost.
  • Copy your current DNS records. A mistake can take your site or email offline.

Method 1: change the nameservers

Nameservers are the computers that answer questions about your domain. This method hands the whole domain to Bluehost.

  1. Log in to the place where your domain is registered. For a domain registered with Hostvento, use https://secure.hostvento.com/clientarea.php.
  2. Open Domains and then My Domains.
  3. Click the domain, then find Nameservers. In WHMCS client areas this is under the Management Tools menu.
  4. Choose to use custom nameservers.
  5. Type the Bluehost nameservers into the boxes.
  6. Click Change Nameservers.

Method 2: edit the A record

Use this when you want to keep your email or other services where they are. An A record points a name to a number address.

  1. Open the DNS zone editor where your nameservers currently point.
  2. Find the A record for your bare domain (the host is @).
  3. Change its value to the IP address from Bluehost.
  4. Do the same for the www record, or make it a CNAME to your domain.
  5. Save the changes.

Add the domain at Bluehost

Bluehost also needs to know about the domain. In your Bluehost account, add it as an addon or new domain. Choose the folder for its files. Without this step, visitors may see an error page.

Tip: Changes can take a few minutes to a day to spread. This is called propagation.

Need help? Open a ticket at https://secure.hostvento.com/submitticket.php.

Quick recap

  • Get nameservers or the IP address from Bluehost.
  • Either change nameservers or edit the A record.
  • Add the domain inside your Bluehost account.
  • Wait for propagation before you test.