Getting Started with Web Hosting

Welcome to Web Hosting Canada, and thank you for trusting us with your hosting needs. You are thus joining a growing community of webmasters, entrepreneurs and web enthusiasts that are actively developing their online presence.

Check you have the required information

Before starting, make sure you have received the following information from us:

  1. Your Client Area login information. If you have completed your order online, you should already have your username and password. Your username is your email address, and your password is the one you have chosen during the signup process.
  2. Your cPanel login information. The cPanel is your hosting control panel. This is not the same as your Client Area access (although you will be able to connect to your cPanel from your Client Area as well, and vice versa).
  3. A confirmation that your domain was registered successfully. This is typically sent within a few hours after receipt of your payment.

New accounts are typically activated within a few hours following the receipt of your payment. Allow for longer delays for non-automated payments or payments requiring additional verification from our activation team.

Setting Up Your Domain Name and DNS

You will be able to use your account with the permanent access links available through the My Services section of your Client Area or the links provided in your welcome email. 

If your domain is registered with WHC

If you have registered your domain name with us, there is no additional configuration required on your part. However, if you wish to manage your settings, see How to Change my Domain's Nameservers.

Note: New domain registrations may take up to 24 hours to propagate through all the networks of the Internet.

If your domain is registered with another provider

If you have registered your domain name with another provider (also called a registrar), you will need to configure your domain name to use our servers.

To do this, you need to let your registrar know we are going to host your website. This is done by changing what is called the DNS (Domain Name System) settings of your domain name to point to our DNS. You can change the DNS of your domain name either by contacting your registrar and requesting this change or by using their online interface (assuming they have one).

Log in to your domain name provider’s control panel and update your domain’s nameservers to the correct values.

Please contact your registrar directly if you are experiencing problems while changing your domain's DNS.

Allow up to 24 hours for a DNS change to properly propagate across all the networks of the Internet.

How to check if your Domain is working

You can verify that your domain name is working correctly by entering it directly in the address bar of your browser (with or without the "www"). 

If you see a Web Hosting Canada page informing you that your account has been successfully configured, you can move on to the next step. Otherwise, your domain is likely still propagating, and you may need to wait a few more hours. 

If your domain is still not working within 48 hours of placing your order, please contact our support team, as it may indicate that a problem occurred during your account's activation.

Once your domain is functional, continue on to get a first look at cPanel.

A First Look at cPanel

The cPanel allows you to manage various aspects of your hosting account.

To learn more about what you can do with cPanel, see Introduction and Access Info to cPanel.

Accessing cPanel

To access the cPanel, click on the Go to cPanel link, available in the My Services section of your Client Area

Alternatively, you can simply point your browser to the following: 

https://www.yourdomain.com/cpanel (replace yourdomain.com with your own domain). 

See How to access cPanel for more information.

Note: your cPanel login information was sent to you in a welcome email following your account's activation. Keep this information safe!

If you’re having problems connecting to cPanel, see Help, I Can't Connect to the cPanel!

How to Build Your Website

WHC offers various tools to help you create a rich and effective website:

  1. SiteMojo is a powerful tool allowing you to easily create your own website without any programming knowledge. Simply choose your favourite template from hundreds of available templates, or create your own! You will find the SiteMojo Website Builder tool in your cPanel, in the Software category.

    For more information, see How to access and use SiteMojo.
  2. A Content Management System (CMS) such as WordPress, Drupal or Joomla provides more flexibility and may be a good option, especially if you are tech-savvy or are working with a programmer or agency. Need help running and managing the CMS of your choice? Contact our sales team for more information.
  3. You can choose to purchase commercial web creation software such as Dreamweaver and publish your website using SFTP.
If you already have a website, see How to Transfer Files onto the Server to learn how to upload your files (via (S)FTP or File Manager) and publish your website.

Setting up Your Email

Each hosting package allows you to create personalized email addresses.

To create a new email address, or manage your account, see How to Create and Manage Email Accounts

Once your account is created, you can start sending and receiving emails using the Webmail interface or with an email program such as Outlook.

Renewing Your Services

We will attempt to renew your services automatically at the end of your current billing period. We'll send you a renewal invoice by email 45 days before your renewal date (or 15 days prior if you're on a monthly billing cycle). If you have previously paid by credit card and have a valid credit card on file, we'll try to charge it automatically. Otherwise, you'll need to ensure your payments are submitted on time to avoid any unexpected downtime of your website.

For more information, see How to Renew my Services (Renewals).

Please remember to keep your profile information up-to-date in your Client Area. The email address you have on file with us must be accurate at all times. Otherwise, you will likely miss out on important announcements and notices.

Getting Additional Help

Our Help Center is only a click away. Consult these resources first whenever you encounter a problem or difficulty. You can also submit a Support Ticket with a detailed description of your problem, and we will deploy our best efforts to assist you.

Phone support is also available during our regular office hours at +1.514.504.2113.

For emergency support outside our office hours, please open a Support Ticket or use our Online Chat available 24/7.

If you require expert assistance with your website or other aspects of your online business, contact us, and we'll be happy to discuss your specific needs. Our experts are here to help!

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