Aha! You finally have a website -- or the beginnings of one -- and I know you're anxious to find out how to utilize your domain name, where you're supposed to put your files so they can be accessed online, and how you're supposed to get them there.
Let's start with hosting. Hosting is the process of housing your files on a server that is accessed through the internet. When you pay someone for hosting, they'll provide you with space on their server(s), because owning and maintaining your own server probably isn't viable (I sure don't want to).
When looking for a host, you want to find a company that is reliable, has been around a while, and is responsive to your support requests. You can start by looking for recommendations, but be careful of sites who only recommend hosts that they're paid to recommend. If you have an author friend who has a website, ask her (or him) if she would recommend her host.
As part of our HR Web Concepts services, we offer affordable hosting starting at around $12.50 per month. However, if you want cheaper, you can certainly find it. And don't forget, if you read my post on domain names, you'll remember that Register4less offers hosting for a site of up to 5 MB for free. This is a good option. I used this service for one of my websites for years until I was ready to make the move to a host that would allow me to use scripting (you probably won't need those capabilities for your first website).
After you've chosen a host, you need to purchase your hosting package. Read up on the offerings and try not to buy more of a package than you need, but be sure you get what you do need. Most services make it simple to upgrade to a bigger or more powerful package later.
Unless you host with someone like Yahoo, it's usually your responsibility to take the ftp login information your host will give you and upload your files into that space.
The easiest way to do that is to use an "ftp" program. There are many ftp programs out there, and if you do a search on google, you shouldn't have any problems finding one available for your use for little or no money. My recommendation? FileZilla. It's available as a free download, and it has all the functionality you're likely to need.
Download FileZilla: http://filezilla.sourceforge.net/
A tutorial to help you get started: http://filezilla.sourceforge.net/documentation/. Follow the link to the Quick guide to FileZilla. It tells you everything you need to know to get started. Read more of the documentation to learn the ins and outs of the program.
Some hosts make it difficult to get your files onto their site until you've directed your DNS toward them. If that makes no sense, try to think of it this way. You have a domain name that you bought at Godaddy (or anywhere else!). Until you tell Godaddy where your new pages are stored, Godaddy can't tell anyone where to find your site. The internet is a magical place sometimes, but it can't read your mind.
You'll need to take the information your host gave you regarding your domain name server information (usually looks like this NS1.SOMEHOST.COM) and change your DNS information at the place where you registered your domain name. Once you do this, it can take up to 24 hours to see your site online. Sometimes it's much faster. Those are very good days indeed. :-)
After you've done this, you should have no trouble connecting with your ftp program and getting that site online! That's an exciting moment. Until you look at your site and realize you have links that don't work, images that aren't showing up, and pages that seem to have disappeared. And don't forget the horrible typo on your bio page.
Ready for the next step? Check out the next article, Step 6: So The Work Is Done...Or Is It?
This article was written in conjunction with a free workshop given in the WeWriteRomance.com forums.