How to view your dashboard before the DNS has updated
As I haven’t written this article myself I will put a link to it, but having tested the tutorial myself, I can vouch for it’s accuracy.
The tutorial takes you through setting up the temporary WordPress address that is valid whilst either completing your site or waiting for the DNS to resolve. A nifty plugin called Velvet Blues Update URLs will update all the original urls to the temporary ones. You will then be able to view the site front-end and Dashboard, have client approval and complete it before the DNS resolves. The only catch I have found in this article by Koza Communications is that as the urls are temporary setting up WordPress ECommerce shop is results in an error.
Another important step in this tutorial is to set the permalinks back to default in the WordPress dashboard, hit the save button, and then reset them to the Custom setting if that is what you had them set up. Either way, if you are getting 404 errors, it is often just a matter of refreshing the permalink structure.
Good Luck
Here’s the link again to this great tutorial: http://kozacommunications.com/kc/2009/12/19/viewing-wordpress-site-before-dns-resolves/comment-page-1/#comment-1238 .
