Getting started with your hosting account

This guide walks through what happens after you order, and the first few things worth setting up.

1. Your welcome email

Once your order is processed you receive a welcome email containing your hosting username, your cPanel login address, and the nameservers for your account. Keep this email. If it has not arrived, check your spam folder first, then open a support ticket from the client area and we will resend it.

2. Log in to the client area

The client area is where you manage invoices, domains, support tickets and the services you have with us. Your cPanel login is separate and is used for managing the website itself.

3. Log in to cPanel

cPanel is the control panel for your hosting. From here you manage email accounts, databases, files, domains and installed applications. Your cPanel address is included in the welcome email and can also be reached from the client area.

4. Point your domain at your hosting

If you registered your domain with us, this is already done. If your domain lives elsewhere, you need to update its nameservers to the ones in your welcome email. Changes of this kind usually take effect within a few hours, though they can take longer depending on your previous provider. Our article on pointing a domain at your hosting covers this in detail.

5. Set up your email

Your plan includes email accounts on your own domain. Create them in cPanel under Email Accounts, then follow our email setup article to connect your phone or mail application.

6. Install your website

You can upload an existing site over FTP or the File Manager, or install a content management system such as WordPress from the installer inside cPanel. Your free SSL certificate is issued automatically once the domain is resolving to your hosting.

If you get stuck

Open a support ticket from the client area and include your domain name and a description of what you are seeing. Screenshots help. Our support team is based in Melbourne.