How to Connect an External Domain to Hosting

A domain name is a crucial element for any organization looking to establish a presence on the internet. Unlike internal domains, which are managed within the company's own network, external domains are controlled by third-party providers. These domains serve as the public face of the organization, hosting websites, email services, and marketing campaigns. Understanding how to manage and secure external domains is essential for maintaining a professional and trustworthy online presence.

• What Is an External Domain?
• Nameservers
• Transfer In
• How to Add an External Domain to an Account
• How to Connect the External Domain to a Hosting Plan
• Managing DNS Zone File
• How to Remove an External Domain From an Account
• Summary

What Is an External Domain?

An external domain is a domain name registered with a provider other than the one you're using for your hosting or other services, but which you can still use and manage, often by pointing the domain's DNS records to your hosting provider's servers.

Nameservers

If an external domain name is added to an account, the default Nameservers are already provided. You can copy the default Nameservers and set them up to where the external domain name is registered. (i.e, If the domain name is registered with GoDaddy, you can only change the Nameservers with GoDaddy. You can use our Nameservers, but won’t be able to make the changes on our end.)

Default Nameservers:

• NS1.BLUEHOST.COM
• NS2.BLUEHOST.COM

Transfer In

Adding an external domain name is different from domain transfers.

Adding an external domain involves pointing an existing domain registered elsewhere to your hosting provider, while domain transfer means moving the domain registration to a new registrar, and both involve changing DNS records, but with different implications for domain ownership and management.

If you need assistance with transferring a domain, visit How to Transfer A Domain Name To Us.

How to Add an External Domain to an Account

1. Log in to your Bluehost Account Manager.
2. Navigate to the side menu on the left and click Domains.
   
    
3. Click the ADD A DOMAIN button at the top right corner to expand the drop-down option, and choose Connect an external domain.
   
    
4. You will be redirected to the Add as External Domain page, where you will enter the external domain that you want to be added. Once you've typed the domain name in the field, click the ADD button beside it.
   
    
   • If the external domain name you are trying to add is not yet registered, a prompt will appear for you to register the domain name first.
     
   • If the domain you are trying to add is already registered under Bluehost, a prompt will appear informing you to either merge the accounts or move the domain over from the original account.
     
   • If the domain is already added in your account, a prompt will appear notifying you that the domain is already added.
     
5. A confirmation banner will appear at the top once the domain has been added successfully. The external domain will appear on the list in Processing status.
   

To verify if the external domain has been added completely, check the status on the Domains page.

How to Connect the External Domain to a Hosting Plan

The external domain name needs to be connected to a hosting plan first before it can start creating a website. Follow the steps below to set up the connection of the external domain to a hosting plan:

• Type the domain in the domain name field and hit CONTINUE.
  
  
  A confirmation banner will appear at the top once the domain is added successfully. The domain will also be listed under Connected Domains. 
  

Managing DNS Zone File

Once the external domain name is added and is resolving to our Nameservers, you will have the ability to modify your DNS records in your account manager.

Visit our DNS Management article to learn more about managing DNS in Account Manager.

How to Remove an External Domain from an Account

Follow the steps below on how to remove an external domain from an account:

1. Go to the Domains details page and click the domain that needs to be removed.
   
    
2. Scroll down the page and look for the REMOVE DOMAIN button.
   
    
3. Click the REMOVE DOMAIN button. A pop-up window will appear, notifying you that the removal of the domain may disrupt any website or email services. Proceed by clicking the REMOVE button.
   
    

Summary

External domains are domain names registered with a third-party provider but used for an organization's online presence (website, email, etc.). Managing them involves pointing the domain to your hosting provider's nameservers. This document outlines how to add an external domain to an account, connect it to a hosting plan, manage DNS records, and remove it. Key points include the difference between adding an external domain and transferring a domain, the importance of updating nameservers at the registrar, and the steps for connecting the domain to a hosting service.