Today we will know some tips for using cPanel. You can use cPanel to perform a range of necessary website management tasks, so let’s explore some of them! Here are nine ways cPanel can simplify your day-to-day website admin.
Install the application on your server
Applications can be useful for adding additional features to your website. Other applications can help simplify common tasks or provide useful data like visitor analytics. You can install the application from the command line to your website or hosting account. However, this is not the most user-friendly method, and the command line is only useful if you already know which application you want to install.
Auto-installers like Softaculous automate the installation process using predefined scripts. There are different auto-installers available, but at A2 Hosting we provide Softaculus to all our customers. It is a popular script library containing hundreds of scripts for open-source and commercial web applications.
They usually provide a GUI for browsing available applications.
You select the application you want to install and enter the necessary information to configure this application. The auto-installer will automatically organize the database configuration, user permissions, and web and server files. It will then install the app in question. This can make adding applications to your website significantly easier, while also reducing the potential for human error.
Using Softaculous, you can explore categories of web applications ranging from social networking to ad management, e-commerce, and customer support. You can often install this application with a single click. Even if an additional configuration is required, Softaculous will prompt you to enter the required information through its graphical user interface.
Even for complex applications, you can often complete the required configuration and add the application to your server in seconds. The cPanel dashboard will prompt you to install any available updates. Even if you install a long list of apps, this makes it easy to make sure all your apps are kept up-to-date.
Manage multiple domains from one single cPanel account
Sometimes you may want to manage multiple websites. Instead of purchasing an individual hosting account for each domain, you can add multiple add-on domains to the same account. You can then split your account resources between these different domains. This can save you money, and also provides a central hub where you can manage all of your domains.
You can add domains to your hosting account using the Addon Domains tool in cPanel:
Under New domain, type the domain that you want to add. After entering this information, the cPanel subdomain and document root should be filled in automatically.
If you want to use File Transfer Protocol (FTP) with this domain, select the Create an FTP account linked to this Addon domain checkbox. Then you can select Add Domain and cPanel will add this domain to your hosting account. You can repeat these steps to make multiple add-on domains.
Verify your analysis
Monitoring your website is essential to providing the best possible visitor experience. By analyzing important metrics like traffic and visitor behavior, you can identify opportunities for continuous improvement. It can help you create a plan to grow your audience, drive conversions, and increase your revenue.
There are a number of monitoring tools and platforms available for WordPress, including Google Analytics. However, these tools often require a considerable amount of setup.
cPanel offers its own Advanced Web Statistics (AWStats) tool that you can use with zero setup. AWStats is an open-source analytics tool that provides data on traffic volume, sources and traffic types. AWStats provides detailed information about visitors to your site, including their operating system (OS) and web browser.
This information can help you monitor your site’s performance, even if you don’t use a dedicated analytics platform. However, you can use AWStats to verify information in third-party tracking tools, including Google Analytics.
Google Analytics can provide a lot of information, but this data is not always accurate. AWStats is based on log files created by your web server. This means AWStats is generally more accurate than tools like Google Analytics.
Most notably, Google Analytics relies on cookies to collect visitor information. Data regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Cookie Act mean that many visitors now have to opt out of cookies. Because many people are concerned about online privacy, a significant portion of your visitors may choose not to allow cookies. This may interfere with your Google Analytics data.
AWStats does not rely on cookies. Although AWStats is not as comprehensive as Google Analytics, it can be a useful resource to determine if your Google Analytics data is accurate.
Manage Your Files
WordPress has a built-in media uploader that you can use for common resources, such as videos and images. You can upload themes and plugins through the WordPress admin dashboard. However, sometimes an error on your site can prevent you from uploading a certain resource using WordPress’ built-in features. In these instances, manually uploading a file may help you resolve the issue, or even fix the error you’re experiencing.
You can upload and manage your files using File Transfer Protocol (FTP). However, FTP can be difficult for those not already familiar with the protocol.
cPanel’s File Manager provides an accessible GUI. This can make it easier to upload files to your server. To launch this tool, choose File Manager from the cPanel dashboard.
You can then select the Upload tab and choose the files you want to upload Alternatively, you can create files directly within your website’s file system. This can save you considerable time when working with simple files.
Monitor your website’s performance
Performance can have a huge impact on the success of your site. Research shows that nearly half of the visitors abandon a site that takes more than three seconds to load. However, any delay can have a negative impact on bounce rates. Studies suggest that increasing page load times by one to three seconds increases the average bounce rate by 32 percent. If your site is slow to load, you will struggle to attract and retain visitors.
Google.com also uses page speed as a ranking factor. If your site is not performing well, it can negatively affect your search engine optimization (SEO). This can reduce the number of people discovering your site for the first time and stunt your website growth.
Monitoring your site’s performance is important to retain and grow your visitors. This helps you solve problems before they do too much damage. You can evaluate the performance of your site by using cPanel’s Resource Usage tool. This tool can help you identify any applications or services that are hogging your resources This tool can help you decide if it’s time to upgrade your hosting package. This is especially important if you are experiencing a surge in traffic.
In cPanel, select Resource Usage. You will now see a summary of your account, including information on any performance issues your sites have experienced in the past 24 hours. You’ll also get a warning if your site is about to exceed its resource limit.
You can see the resource usage information for the current day by selecting the Current Usage tab. It displays a series of graphs including processes, CPU usage, and physical memory usage. Creating and analyzing snapshots can be an effective way to troubleshoot performance issues. To begin using snapshots, select the Snapshots tab.
Create additional MySQL databases
Every time someone visits your site, they make a request that is sent to your server. The PHP programming language receives this request, retrieves the required information from a MySQL database, and presents this information to the viewer.
When you set up WordPress, it prompts you to make a database by providing a database name, host, username, and password. However, you can create a database manually using cPanel’s MySQL Database Wizard. This can be useful if you are moving to a new host or creating a test website.
To create a new database, choose the MySQL Database Wizard from the cPanel dashboard. You can then follow the instructions to create a database and add a new user with all the privileges.
At some point, you might want to review all the databases you have created. You can either use cPanel’s MySQL database tool or phpMyAdmin. Both these tools are accessible from the main cPanel Dashboard.
If you select phpMyAdmin, you will see a list of all your databases. You can also use phpMyAdmin to perform various database-related tasks, including adding triggers and exporting your database.
Upgrade (or downgrade) your PHP version
As with all software, new versions of PHP may introduce security updates, performance improvements, and new features. To ensure you benefit from these improvements, we recommend running the latest version of PHP. You can update PHP using the Select PHP Version module of cPanel.
You can use cPanel to downgrade your PHP version. PHP can affect how your website works, especially if you use third-party themes and plugins. Code running in WordPress themes and plugins may use outdated functions that are no longer supported by newer versions of PHP. It’s can cause problems with your website.
Although we always recommend choosing plugins and themes compatible with the latest technology, A2 Hosting servers support multiple versions of PHP. If you depend on a particular theme or plugin, you can use cPanel to temporarily downgrade your PHP version.
When downgrading, we recommend notifying the plugin or theme developer of their PHP incompatibility. You may want to look for an alternative theme or plugin instead of running an older version of PHP indefinitely.
To upgrade or downgrade, navigate to the main cPanel dashboard & then select the PHP version. Your current version of PHP will be displayed at the top of the page. Now, select Current PHP Version and select a version of PHP from the list:
Here, you can also set up a range of PHP-related functions by selecting the Options tab. These settings include specifying the maximum number of files you can upload at once and the amount of memory a script can allocate.
Create a backup with cPanel
It’s important to regularly back up your WordPress website. If you encounter any problems with your WordPress website, a backup may be essential to resolve the issue. For example, if your site is infected with malware, you can restore a version of your site that existed before the infection.
Backups can be important in a worst-case scenario where someone hacks into your site and deletes all of your content Without a backup, you could lose months or even years of hard work with no hope of recovering lost data.
You can create your backup using cPanel. In the cPanel dashboard, select Backup Wizard. Then you can download a compressed copy of all of your website data. It includes your home directory and all your MySQL databases.
To start the backup process, select Back Up. Now, choose to backup all your website files, or create a partial backup containing your home directory, MySQL database, or email forwarder and filter.
You should generally only create a full backup if you plan to move your account to another server. Note that if you create a full backup, you cannot restore the backup using the cPanel interface.
Confirm your selection, and the Backup Wizard will create your backup. For added security, you may consider uploading this file to an offsite data storage provider instead of storing it locally on your computer.
Password-Protect Sensitive Directories
Security is a huge concern for many WordPress users. If someone manages to gain access to your WordPress file system, they can wreak havoc across your website. There are ways to restore a hacked site. For example, you can restore a backup that pre-dates the attack. However, even if you do manage to recover your site, it usually requires a significant amount of work – and there’s no guarantee that your efforts will be successful. By taking steps to secure your site now, you can save yourself considerable time and effort in the long run.
cPanel offers several security features that can help keep your website safe. This includes password-protected sensitive directories. Passwords can be especially useful if you share your site with other people. This includes partners, freelance developers, and contributors. You can also use password protection to control which sections of your site these people have access to.
If a business relationship goes sour, these passwords can limit how much damage a disgruntled third party can do to your website. Passwords can protect your site from accidental damage. For example, a colleague who is not particularly tech-savvy may accidentally delete an important file or folder. You can also password-protect any part of the WordPress file system using cPanel’s Directory Privacy. However, we recommend protecting the public_html/wp-admin directory in particular. This directory contains important files, but by default, any third parties can request access to your wp-admin folder.
To set up password protection, choose Directory Privacy from the main cPanel dashboard. This should open a new tab where you can explore the WordPress file system. Now you can navigate to the folder in question. Click on this folder, and Directory Privacy will prompt you to create a password.
Conclusion
Running a successful WordPress website is not easy. All your day-to-day admin tasks can leave little time to focus on creating new and exciting content for your website. Fortunately, tools like cPanel can take a lot of the pain out of managing WordPress. This includes tasks such as:
- Installing the application on your server.
- Managing multiple domains from a single account.
- Creating backup.
- Password-protected sensitive directories.
By choosing a hosting provider that offers cPanel as standard, you’re guaranteed access to a range of powerful and efficient website management tools. It can free up more time to focus on what really matters: creating great content and growing your audience.
