Once you get a web hosting package from a hosting company, your next step will be to administer, manage and maintain your website. This is most commonly done through software called cPanel, which usually comes with the hosting package. Cpanel is the most popular administration control panel that is available on the market today, and for this reason it is important to have the skills to manage the software for the best user experience.
Often referred to as a web-based administration control panel, cPanel allows administrators to easily manage all of their site features and website files from one central location. On this panel you will find almost all of the things necessary to manage your website, including comprehensive web statistics, bandwidth usage for all of the domains that you host on the server, access to files via FTP, and a wide range of other accessories.
Part of the success of cPanel is the fact that it is so user-friendly. Upon logging in to the cPanel administration section, you will see a screen which is filled with icons that represent the various accessories of your website. The screen is separated into categories that are function-related. For instance, all the functions that have to do with your database are grouped into one category, while all the functions that are specific to your e-mail programs are grouped into another category.
To the left is a panel where you can determine the functions and settings of your various domains and sites. Adding a new domain to the host, creating a new account, redirecting a pre-existing domain to a new URL, and altering a list of e-mail accounts are a few of the functions that you can handle in this area. In the category marked “Files”, you can modify the original code of your website if you are familiar with the programming language. In the section marked “Logs”, you can get a glimpse of your website visitors, as well as find information about how people are utilizing your website.
Depending on the type of cPanel installation, there may be a plethora of other options available through your administration panel, including shopping cart features, the ability to administer live chats, and running pre-installed scripts that you can use to facilitate automated tasks. One of the great features of cPanel administration is the integration of Fantastico, a program that allows for the one-click installation of popular software add-ons. These include content management systems such as WordPress and Joomla, as well as state-of-the-art forum and blogging software.
The most recent cPanel installations boast a “Video Tutorial” and a “Getting Started Wizard” that both do a good job of walking beginners through the most important features of the software. More advanced users will be happy to know that cPanel offers easy access to the popular MySQL database administration software. Accessing your database through this software has proven to be one of the easiest ways of managing complex, dynamic websites. Advanced users also have easy access to popular Perl programming modules, FrontPage extensions, and a variety of skins with which to customize the look and feel of the panel.
Once you get the hang of it, you’ll find that using cPanel website administration software is straightforward and intuitive.