Uploading Files to Your Web Hosting Account

Once you’ve placed an order for a web hosting account, you will receive your login details shortly in an account information email. Now what? You’ll need to upload the files for your website using one of two methods: the cPanel file manager or FTP. Using the file manager may be easier, but it can also be more time consuming. Additionally, a file manager will not keep track of the files you’ve uploaded against those in the queue if you happen to momentarily lose your internet connection. Instead, we recommend using FTP to upload your files to your website. File Transfer Protocol or FTP, is an internet-based passed protocol similar to HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), which almost everyone is familiar with. By utilizing FTP, you can easily upload and manage your files on our servers. The best way to accomplish this is with special programs known as FTP clients.

Preliminary Steps

Before uploading with an FTP client you will need the following information, which can be found in your welcome email:

• Hostname: The name of the FTP server
• Username and password for the FTP account
• The name of the directory where the files will be placed for viewing (typically public_html)

The directions below explain how to upload files via FileZilla (free and available for download here).

Using FileZilla

• After opening FileZilla, there will be four boxes towards the top of the screen – enter the information from above in the Host, Username, and Password.
• Port can be left blank (FileZilla uses the default FTP port 21)
• Click Quickconnect. The files in your web hosting account are displayed in the Remote site frame. FileZilla allows you to drag and drop files from your computer into this frame.
• Linux/cPanel: The public_html folder is where all of the files for your website should be uploaded – this folder is visible on the internet.
• Windows/Plesk: The httpdocs folder is where all of the files for your website should be uploaded – this folder is visible on the internet.

That’s it! Your files are now uploaded to the server. While the actual process will vary amongst FTP clients, the overall procedure is relatively similar.

Video Tutorials

We have video tutorials available for FileZilla and other FTP clients available in our support portal. Check out our cPanel and Plesk video tutorials for step-by-step walkthroughs that cover topics like backing up your website, creating email accounts, and changing your password.