Bluehost Website Not Showing Up

How To Activate Newly Registered Domain - New Domain Name Inactive

Newly Registered Domain is Not Functioning
Contact Information
Name Servers
Domain Not Listed
Newly Parked Domain is Not Functioning

Newly Registered Domain is Not Functioning

After registering a domain with Bluehost or any other registrar, it typically takes a short amount of time for the domain to show up. This is because it's a new registration. That is different from an update to a domain, such as changing the name servers, which can take up to 72 hours to propagate.

Contact Information

If you recently purchased a domain, the most common cause for the domain to not become active is that the contact information is incomplete. This may mean there was no name, email address, physical address, etc. You will have to log in to your control panel and check in your Domain Manager to see if the information is correct. To begin, you will need to access your Bluehost control panel.

Note: TheAdvancedtab will load your cPanel.Legacy accounts will feature a horizontal navigation bar at the top of the screen, while Bluerockaccount users will see a vertical navigation menu on the left-hand side of the screen. To learn more, please see Bluerock vs. Legacy.

Bluerock

Click the Domains tab from the side navigation menu to the left.
Next to the domain name you wish to update, click the ▼ icon next to Manage.
SelectContact info from the drop-down menu that appears.
In the Registrant section, click the Edit button on the right side.
Enter all the necessary information.
Click theSave button when finished.

Legacy

Go to the Domain Manager by clicking on the domainlink at the top of the account.
Once you are in the Domain Manager, check to see if the domain is listed. If it is, put a checkmark in its box, and the right side will populate with tabs.
Go to thecontact tabs on the right and update the information there. (Don't forget to include the Registrant, Admin, and Billing sections. You can put a checkmark in each box and update them all at once).

Name Servers

Another reason why your domain name is not active is that the name servers don't point properly to us or where you want it hosted. For more information on how to check your current nameserver and how to update it, please see this article How to Change Your Name Servers.

Domain Not Listed

If the domain is not listed in your Domain Manager, there are a few further steps to consider.

Did you complete all the steps for assigning your domain?
If you purchased the domain, did the purchase complete? Do you have an invoice in your history? (Go to Account up at the top of your cPanel. Then click on Payments. This shows you a list of all the completed purchases. See if it's listed there).
If you see that it was purchased, but it's not listed, there may be a delay in the purchase or registration process. Please wait 30 minutes and check back. If the domain is not on your list and you've checked through the other possibilities listed, you will need to contact support so they can further investigate.

If this is the main domain on your Bluehost account, you may check your website using the temporary URL as indicated in the "Welcome to Bluehost" email you received upon sign-up.

If this is not the main domain on your Bluehost account, you may use the temporary URL with the directory to which the new domain has been assigned.

Newly Parked Domain is Not Functioning

After you have assigned the domain via your Bluehost Domain Manager, please allow 1-4 hours for the DNS information to propagate internally.

For further assistance, you may contact our Chat Support or Phone Support via888-401-4678. You may also refer to our Knowledge Base articles to help answer common questions and guide you through various setup, configuration, and troubleshooting steps.