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Getting Started with cPanel Website Hosting

This guide covers how to get started with your new cPanel website hosting at VoltHosting! If you have any questions during the process, please don't hesitate to reach out to our support team!

Prerequisites
Logging into cPanel
Connecting your Domain
Uploading your website files
Email Deliverability
Troubleshooting
Additional Guides & Links

Prerequisites

Before you get started, make sure you have the below:

You must have an active cPanel website hosting with VoltHosting
Your domain must be registered somewhere (either with VoltHosting, or a third-party registrar)
Have your cPanel login details or client area details handy

Logging into cPanel

Before we can do anything, we need to log in to your cPanel account! There are two ways we can do this: either by using our username and password, or via SSO.

Option 1: Username & Password

Open up the VoltHosting cPanel login page.
Enter your username and password from your cPanel welcome email, then click login.

Login to the VoltHosting Client Area.
Go to My Services / Active Services, select your cPanel product and click Login to cPanel.

If you require more information or guidance on how to login to your cPanel account, see our Logging In To cPanel guide!

Connecting your Domain

Now, we need to point your domain to VoltHosting; otherwise, your website won't be able to operate. You can either:

Point the domain nameservers to VoltHosting (we manage DNS), or
Keep using your registrar or Cloudflare and add the necessary DNS records yourself.

Pick one - don’t try to do both.

Option 1: Point nameservers to VoltHosting (easy & recommended)

Change the nameservers at your domain registrar to the VoltHosting nameservers listed in your welcome email. Once the nameserver change has propagated, VoltHosting will serve your DNS and your site should resolve to the hosting automatically.

You need to change your domains nameservers to the below (cPanel02 server):

ns5.volthosting.co.uk

ns6.volthosting.co.uk

If you are on our OLD cPanel01 server, set your nameserver to the below:

ns3.volthosting.co.uk

ns4.volthosting.co.uk

If you are unsure which nameservers you need to use. Please contact us! If you have cPanel hosting with us, you'll be on our new server, and have the cPanel02 nameservers listed above.

If you are using VoltHosting as your domain registrar, you can follow our How to change your nameservers guide.

If you are using a third-party registrar, you'll need to follow their guide to change over your nameservers. In most cases, they will have a control panel where you can manage this, you may need to contact them if you are unsure.

Common third party registrars are linked below with their respective guides:

Option 2: Keep external DNS (such as CloudFlare)

If you keep DNS at Cloudflare (or another provider), add these records to make your website & mail work:

Type	Name	Value / Target	Notes
A	@ (example.com)	`<your server IP>`	Site root - can be proxied (orange cloud) if you want Cloudflare caching.
A	www	`<your server IP>` or use CNAME to @	If you use a CNAME, Cloudflare will manage it.
A	mail	`<your server IP>`	IMPORTANT: set this record to DNS only (grey cloud).
MX	@	`mail.example.com`	Ensure MX points to an un-proxied hostname (like `mail.example.com`).
TXT	@	SPF record suggested by cPanel	Adds SPF - see Email Deliverability in cPanel.
TXT	default._domainkey	DKIM value from cPanel	DKIM improves email deliverability.

If you want to add any subdomains, or other services on cPanel. You will need to create the relevent DNS records with your external DNS provider if you do not use the first option (our nameservers), we highly recommend that customers use our nameservers for simplicity.

To find your server's IP address, you can go to the cPanel dashboard, and you'll see a value called Shared IP Address under the General Information section

Quick CloudFlare Rules

Rule	Why
Set mail A record and any mail MX targets to DNS only (grey cloud)	Cloudflare’s proxy (orange cloud) does NOT proxy mail ports - if mail records are proxied mail will fail.
MX must point to a hostname (eg. `mail.example.com`) - not an IP	Keeps MX clear and manageable.
Use cPanel’s Email Deliverability tool to get SPF & DKIM entries	This prevents common delivery problems.

When adding the Email Deliverability rules, you can find these values on the cPanel dashboard, under Email Deliverability.

If you want Cloudflare protection for your website but host mail on the same server, exposing the mail A record is normal. If you need IP privacy for mail, contact us and we can provide you with advanced email protection services.

Uploading your website files

You can upload your site via File Manager (browser) or FTP / FTPS (client). Use the public_html folder for your primary domain.

File Manager (quick)

Login to cPanel → Files → File Manager.
Open the public_html folder (or the add-on domain folder shown in cPanel).
Click Upload and select files or a ZIP. If you upload a ZIP, right-click → Extract once uploaded.

You cannot upload folders via File Manager, you must first create an archive (ZIP) of your folder on your computer, and then upload it!

FTP / FTPS (recommended for larger sites)

In cPanel → Files → FTP Accounts, create a new FTP user (set the directory and password).

Use an FTP client (FileZilla, WinSCP, Cyberduck). Typical settings:

Host: vh-cp02.volthosting.co.uk   (or your server host shown in cPanel)
Protocol: SFTP (recommended)
Port: 21 (or the port cPanel shows)
Username: ftpuser@example.com
Password: <your password>

Upload to the public_html (or the add-on domain folder).

If you require further assistance, please check our How to FTP into a cPanel Account guide.

Email Deliverability

To prevent your outgoing email being marked as spam, set up SPF and DKIM:

Go to cPanel → Email → Email Deliverability.
Run the install recommended records.

If you are using an external DNS provider, copy any TXT values cPanel provides into your DNS provider.

Troubleshooting

Site shows default page: files in wrong folder. Check public_html (or the add-on domain folder).
Changes not appearing: clear Cloudflare cache (if applicable), then clear browser cache.
Email not delivered: confirm MX, mail A record, SPF & DKIM are present. Use cPanel Email Deliverability to check.
FTP fails: check hostname, username, password, and use SFTP - Check our How to FTP into a cPanel Account guide.
If you need any further assistance, please contact our support team! We are here to help!

Additional Guides & Links

Updated on: 03/10/2025

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