Signing Up

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Review the Guidelines

Before you get started, we recommend that you review our information about Choosing a Domain Name.

The Sign-Up Process

Once you’ve reviewed the guidelines, you can proceed to the sign-up page.

  1. Click the “Get Started” Button
    Screenshot of Get Started button
  2. You will be redirected to login for verification. You will use your Sites at Grinnell College username and password to log in.
    Screenshot of organizational account log-in page
  3. You are now ready to create a domain. To start, you must first sign up for a free subdomain (i.e. yoursite.sites.grinnell.edu). Directions for purchasing a Top Level Domain (i.e. yourdomain.com) will be provided further down.

Screenshot of subdomain selection form

Option 1: Free Subdomain

For no cost, you can create a subdomain of sites.grinnell.edu.

To create a free subdomain of sites.grinnell.edu, leave this default option selected and enter the subdomain name you want for your website. When you’ve found an available subdomain, click the button labeled “Continue.”

Screenshot of subdomain selection form "Continue" button

Confirm that you like the name you selected. If you do, click the “signup” button. (If not, click the “start over” button, and repeat the above step.)

Screenshot of sign up and subdomain registration checkout pageYou should now see a screen confirming that your subdomain is ready. After a few seconds, you will see the regular cPanel options.

Screenshot of domain registration confirmation page

Option 2: Buy a top-level domain from Reclaim Hosting

It is easy to create your own top-level domain. This allows you to select a URL for your website that is easy to remember and share.

While you are at Grinnell College, this is available for a nominal cost (currently $15/year). You can continue to use this domain after leaving Sites at Grinnell College, although the cost may increase.

To register a top-level domain log into your newly created cPanel, navigate to the Domains section, and click Register Top-Level Domain.

Screenshot of cPanel Domains section highlighting "Register Top-Level Domain" button

This panel offers a step-by-step guide to registering and adding a new top-level domain to your new cPanel account.

Option 3: Connect an existing domain to your cPanel

If you already have an existing domain that you’ve previously registered elsewhere, simply point your domain’s nameservers to ns1.reclaimhosting.com and ns2.reclaimhosting.com.