Adding a new website to your Domains.co.za Web Hosting account using cPanel is easy, letting you have and run multiple websites under a single Hosting plan. This guide will show you how to add a new site using the Add Domains feature in cPanel to link a new domain name to your hosting, upload site files, and manage everything from one dashboard.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
How to Add a Website in cPanel
Follow these steps to add a new website to your hosting account via the cPanel control panel. Keep in mind that you will need to register your new website’s domain name and ensure its nameservers point to your Domains.co.za Web Hosting account before adding it.
1. Login to your Domains.co.za account.
2. Click on Manage Services on the left-hand side and select Web Hosting from the drop-down menu.
3. Click Manage next to your website’s domain name.
4. Next, click the Login button next to Control Panel to access your cPanel dashboard.
5. Scroll down to the Domains section and click on Domains.
6. Click Create A New Domain and enter the new domain name:
NEW DOMAIN NAME EXAMPLE:
mynewwebsite.co.za
7. The Subdomain and Document Root fields will populate automatically. If need be, you can customise the folder name where the site files will be stored:
CUSTOM FOLDER NAME EXAMPLE:
public_html/mynewwebsiteNote: Uncheck the Share document root option. This ensures your new website has its own dedicated folder for files, separate from your main domain. If you leave it checked, the new domain will display the same content as the original.
8. Click Submit. cPanel will confirm that the new domain has been successfully added.
Once added, upload your website files (HTML, CSS, images, scripts, etc.) into the new folder created into the new public_html folder or the specified directory created earlier using the File Manager located in the Files section of the cPanel dashboard or via an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) client.
Tip: Keep each website in its own subdirectory to stay organised:
SUBDIRECTORY EXAMPLE:
public_html/site2
Additional Information
After You Add A New Website in cPanel
Even after adding the domain in cPanel, it may take some time (up to 24-48 hours) for the DNS (Domain Name System) changes to propagate across the internet fully. During this time, your new site might not be accessible to everyone.
Additionally, although cPanel creates a subdomain during this process, your visitors will access the site using the full domain name you entered. You also have the option to redirect the new domain to another site using Redirects under the Domains section in cPanel.
It is also important to note that each new domain acts like an independent website, but all sites on the same hosting plan share the same server resources, including disk space and bandwidth.
Just like your original site and domain, you can create email accounts for the new domain through the Email Accounts section in cPanel after it has been added.
Once your domain is propagated, you’ll want to install an SSL certificate for security. You can do this via AutoSSL, which cPanel will often attempt to install automatically after the domain is created and propagated. You can also manually check or force an SSL installation in the SSL/TLS Status section of cPanel.
After adding the domain, use Softaculous Apps Installer in cPanel to install platforms like WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal. Speaking of WordPress, if your website uses a database, you’ll need to create a new database and user in cPanel’s Databases section and link them to your new site.
