Overview

This post will show you how to change your WordPress site’s name to a different domain name. These instructions can be used to set up a permanent domain, such as example.com, or a temporary domain, such as example.dreamhosters.com.

Any temporary domain, not just dreamhosters.com subdomains, can be changed using the domain name switcher on the Websites page.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, double-check the following:

Make sure you have a One-Click WordPress installation — the website renamer feature only works with One-Click WordPress installations. Check to see if the domain you’re transferring FROM is a One-Click install. If it isn’t, you can either relocate the site manually or have it converted by contacting support.
Make sure your WordPress installation isn’t in a subdirectory – website renamers won’t function with subdirectory One-Click installs like example.com/blog. You can still manually transfer the site or contact support to have it moved to the root directory.
Remove any custom DNS settings — Make sure the domain you’re moving TO doesn’t have any Custom DNS A or CNAME records (if any exist that point to a different web host). If there are any custom records, delete them. Other Custom DNS records should be left alone.

Step 1 — Changing your domain

To change the WordPress domain, follow these steps:

Go to the Manage Websites section.
For your domain, click the Manage button.
Scroll to the bottom of the page to the Domain section.

Under Domain Name, click the Change option.
Choose a domain. To alter the name, you have two options:
Select a Pre-existing Domain

A checkbox appears, asking if you want to erase any previous backups from the old domain name.
You can use this option to select a domain that you’ve already added to your panel.
Create a New Domain Name

A checkbox may appear, requesting confirmation that the domain is not registered with GreggHost and that the DNS has to be updated.
You can use this option to enter a domain name that you currently own or a temporary domain name. After that, the panel will add it for you.
Change the domain name by clicking the Change Domain button.
The DNS for your new domain at GreggHost takes 4-6 hours to update.

Step 2 — Waiting for your GreggHost DNS to update

As previously noted, GreggHost’s DNS can take up to 4-6 hours to update. The site will not connect if you point your DNS at your current host to GreggHost before the DNS on GreggHost’s servers has updated.

It’s best to wait 4-6 hours before making any changes to your existing host’s DNS.

Step 3 — Updating your DNS at your current host

Finally, go to your current registrar’s website and change your DNS to GreggHost. Your site will be hosted with GreggHost once the DNS propagates.