Web Hosting FAQs
Web hosting doesn't have to be confusing or mysterious. Here are the most common questions we receive -- we hope the answers will be helpful to you. If you don’t have the time (or just plain don’t want the hassle!), we can set up your website hosting for you. If you have other questions, please feel free to contact us.
What steps do I take to set up a web hosting account with you?
- Select a hosting plan
- Click on the “Sign up now” button to be taken to our Shopping Cart
- Select your plan and click on the “Order Now” button
- Let us know if you’d like to get a new domain, transfer a domain, or take care of setting up nameservers for your existing domain. What’s the difference?
- If you don’t already have a domain, you will need to register one in order to set up a hosting account. You can order domain registration at the time you order hosting, or vice versa.
- If you currently have a domain and you’d like to transfer registration to us at the time you sign up for hosting, it can be initiated at the same time as you order web hosting.
- If you currently have a domain and you’d like to keep the registration where it is, you will need to change the DNS (domain nameservers) at your current registrar to point to your new hosting account.
- Please see our Domain FAQs for more information on what is involved in registering or transferring a domain to us.
- Fill in the domain name you wish to use in your hosting account
- Click the “continue” button
- Select the billing cycle (3, 6, or 12 months)
- Click the “add to cart” button
- Click the “Checkout” button
- Pay the invoice which is generated
- Upload your website to the server
What's the difference between web hosting and domain registration? When you first obtain a domain, you register it with a domain registrar -- an agent responsible for keeping track of all the details regarding your domain: who the contacts are, whether it is private or not, and where it is hosted. A web host, on the other hand, provides you with an address on the Internet so visitors can find you, and space to store your website. This address has to be recorded with the domain registrar in the form of a DNS (domain name server) entry in order for traffic to be routed to yoru website. Sometimes web hosts and domain registrars are the same company, but often they are separate.
What if I don't have a domain name yet? No problem. We can register your domain name for you at the same time that you set up web hosting.
How do I transfer my web hosting to you? Once you sign up for hosting with us, you will receive a confirmation letter by email letting you know all of your new settings. To transfer your website from your existing web host, you will need to log-in to your Domain Registrar, and change the DNS entries.
How long does a transfer take? Depending on your current web host (if you have one) or your domain registrar, transfers may take between 24-72 hours to fully resolve (make the change of address workable).
How long does it take to set up a new hosting account? Your account will be set up and ready for you to use as soon as we receive payment from you. At that time you will receive an email with all the settings you need to access your Control Panel and FTP your site to our servers.
How do I actually get my website online? You will need to transfer your website from your computer to the web host's server (a remote computer). To do this, you will need FTP (file transfer protocol) software. There are a variety of differenty types of FTP software available, but they all operate the same way. You type in your FTP address (which is usually your domain name, as in ftp.yourdomain.com) and a login and password provided to you by your web host. Once connected, your software will show you the files on your home computer and remote server side by side and you can upload (transfer to the server) or download (transfer to your computer) easily.
How do I set up emails? Once you have set up web hosting, you can log in to your Control Panel (login, password, and website address provided in your welcome letter), and go to the Email Management section. There you can easily add as many new email addresses as your plan allows.
How do I set up and use my account? Please visit our online knowledgebase for detailed information on this topic.
