Shared Hosting Product Guide

New here? Start the setup journey Experienced? Jump to task areas Just looking? Popular articles

The Shared Hosting Journey

Six phases, in the order you’ll actually do them. Start at phase 1 if your account is brand new, or jump in anywhere if you already know where you are.

1

Welcome & Orientation

~15 min

Get your bearings: log into your Account Management Panel (AMP) for billing and account tasks, log into cPanel for the day-to-day hosting tools, and confirm which plan you actually have.

2

Connect Your Domain

~30 min + propagation

Point your domain at your hosting. Most “my site is down” moments in the first week are really DNS: changes can take up to 24 to 48 hours to propagate, so give them time and verify with a DNS check before assuming something broke.

3

Build or Move Your Website

varies

Install WordPress in a few clicks, or bring an existing site over from another host. If you’re migrating, preview the site with a hosts-file edit and only change DNS once everything works: your old host stays live during the move, so visitors never see downtime.

4

Set Up Email

~30 min

Create professional addresses at your own domain, connect your phone and desktop apps, and add SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records so your messages actually reach inboxes. On shared hosting, those authentication records are what set your mail apart.

5

Secure & Back Up

do this early

Turn on your free SSL, enable two-factor authentication, and make sure you have a backup you could actually restore. Automatic backups are an optional add-on for shared plans, so decide early how you’ll back up: the Backup Manager add-on, manual cPanel backups, or both.

6

Monitor & Grow

ongoing

Keep an eye on disk space and page speed, keep PHP current, and learn the signs that you’re outgrowing shared hosting, so a move to VPS happens on your schedule instead of during an outage.

Browse by Task Area

For when you know what you’re looking for. The same articles, organized by topic.

Getting Started

Domains & DNS

Website & WordPress

Moving to InMotion

Email Setup

Email Deliverability & Spam

SSL Certificates

Backups & Files

Databases

Security & Recovery

Understand the Concepts

For decisions, not tasks. Read these before you buy, choose, or plan.

What Is Shared Hosting?

How shared hosting works and how it compares to VPS and dedicated servers.

Why Is My Website Slow?

The most common causes of slow pages and how to track them down.

Business Hosting or Shared Hosting?

How to tell which plan your account is on and what the difference means.

What Is a Virtual Private Server?

How a VPS works and what changes when you outgrow shared hosting.

Why cPanel?

What cPanel is and the tools it gives you to manage your account.

Getting Help When You Need It

Our Support Center contains hundreds of articles covering shared hosting, from first login to advanced tasks. Can’t find what you need? Contact our Live Support team for expert support from real humans.

Chat or call 24/7

Reach our Live Support team any time by chat or phone.

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Open a ticket in AMP

Submit account-specific issues from your Account Management Panel.

Log into AMP ›

Community Support

Ask a question and get answers from our community and staff.

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Support for your account

What’s included with your Shared Hosting plan and how to use it.

Read the guide ›