--- title: "Shared Hosting Product Guide" description: "Welcome to Shared Hosting with InMotion. Your plan includes everything a business website needs to get online: web space, professional email at your own domain, free SSL, and the cPanel control panel..." url: https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/product-guides/business-shared-hosting/ date: 2026-08-18 modified: 2026-08-18 author: "Derrell" type: page lang: en --- # Shared Hosting Product Guide Welcome to [Shared Hosting](/shared-hosting) with InMotion. Your plan includes everything a business website needs to get online: web space, professional email at your own domain, free SSL, and the [cPanel](/support/edu/cpanel/) control panel to manage it all. This guide walks you through the whole journey in order: connecting your domain, building or moving your website, setting up email, securing and backing up your account, and knowing when it’s time to grow into a bigger plan. [**New here?** Start the setup journey](#journey) [**Experienced?** Jump to task areas](#tasks) [**Just looking?** Popular articles](#popular) ## 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. - [Logging into AMP](/support/amp/how-to-log-into-amp/) - [How to Log into cPanel](/support/edu/cpanel/how-to-log-into-cpanel/) - [Getting Started with Shared Hosting](/support/product-guides/business-shared-hosting/getting-started-with-shared-hosting/) - [Do I Have Business Hosting or Shared Hosting?](/support/product-guides/business-shared-hosting/shared-or-business-hosting/) - [Viewing Your Account’s Technical Information in AMP](/support/amp/viewing-account-technicial-information-in-amp/) - [Getting Support for Your Shared Hosting Account](/support/amp/how-to-get-great-technical-support/) 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. - [How to Register a New Domain Name](/support/domain-names/registering-a-new-domain-name/) - [Transfer a Domain to InMotion Hosting](/support/domain-names/transfer-domain-name-to-inmotion-hosting/) - [How to Change Your Domain Nameservers in AMP](/support/domain-names/change-domain-nameservers-amp/) - [New Domains: Addon, Parked, and Subdomains](/support/domain-names/new-domains-add-on-parked-and-subdomains/) - [How to Add Addon Domains in cPanel](/support/edu/cpanel/addon-domains-in-cpanel/) - [How to Check DNS for a Domain](/support/domain-names/dns-nameserver-changes/check-dns-for-a-domain/) 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. - [How to Install WordPress Using Softaculous](/support/edu/wordpress/install-wordpress-using-softaculous/) - [Getting Started Guide: Website](/support/website/new-customer-website-getting-started-guide/) - [How to Migrate Your Website Using cPanel](/support/edu/cpanel/migrate-your-website-another-host-uses-cpanel/) - [How to Move a Website to an InMotion Shared Server](/support/website/how-to-move-a-website-to-inmotion-hosting-shared-server/) - [Where Do I Upload My Website Files?](/support/website/where-to-upload-files/) - [Preview Your Site with a Hosts File Edit (Windows)](/support/website/modifying-your-hosts-file/) - [Preview Your Site with a Hosts File Edit (Mac)](/support/edu/software/how-to-edit-your-hosts-file-on-a-mac/) 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. - [Getting Started Guide: Email](/support/email/getting-started-guide-email/) - [How to Create an Email Account](/support/email/how-to-create-an-email-account/) - [How to Create a Business Email Address](/blog/how-to-create-a-business-email/) - [How to Log into Webmail](/support/email/login-to-webmail/) - [SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and PTR Records: Complete Setup Guide](/support/email/spf-dkim-dmarc-setup-guide/) - [Fighting Spam with Spam Filters](/support/email/spamassassin-fighting-spam/) 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. - [Enabling Your Free SSL (AutoSSL)](/support/website/ssl/auto-ssl-guide/) - [The Complete Guide to cPanel Backups](/support/edu/cpanel/cpanel-backups/) - [How to Purchase Backup Manager in the AMP Marketplace](/support/product-guides/backup-manager/purchase-backup-manager-using-amp-marketplace/) - [Two-Factor Authentication in cPanel](/support/edu/cpanel/cpanel-two-factor-authentication/) - [Does Your Site Have Malware?](/support/security/does-your-site-have-malware/) - [Resolving an Accidental Block by Fail2ban](/support/product-guides/business-shared-hosting/accidental-block-by-fail2ban/) 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. - [View Disk Space and Bandwidth Usage on Shared Servers](/support/product-guides/business-shared-hosting/view-disk-bandwidth-usage-cpanel/) - [Why Is My Website Slow?](/support/website/why-is-my-website-slow/) - [How to Upgrade Your PHP Version](/support/website/how-to-upgrade-php-version/) - [The Ultimate Guide to Optimizing WordPress Performance](/support/edu/wordpress/optimize-wordpress-performance/) - [How to Upgrade or Downgrade Your Hosting Plan in AMP](/support/amp/upgrade-downgrade-hosting-plan/) - [What Is a Virtual Private Server?](/blog/what-is-a-virtual-private-server/) ## Browse by Task Area For when you know what you’re looking for. The same articles, organized by topic. ### Getting Started - [Logging into AMP](/support/amp/how-to-log-into-amp/) - [How to Log into cPanel](/support/edu/cpanel/how-to-log-into-cpanel/) - [Getting Started with Shared Hosting](/support/product-guides/business-shared-hosting/getting-started-with-shared-hosting/) - [Do I Have Business Hosting or Shared Hosting?](/support/product-guides/business-shared-hosting/shared-or-business-hosting/) - [Viewing Your Account’s Technical Information in AMP](/support/amp/viewing-account-technicial-information-in-amp/) ### Domains & DNS - [How to Register a New Domain Name](/support/domain-names/registering-a-new-domain-name/) - [Transfer a Domain to InMotion Hosting](/support/domain-names/transfer-domain-name-to-inmotion-hosting/) - [How to Change Your Domain Nameservers in AMP](/support/domain-names/change-domain-nameservers-amp/) - [New Domains: Addon, Parked, and Subdomains](/support/domain-names/new-domains-add-on-parked-and-subdomains/) - [How to Add Addon Domains in cPanel](/support/edu/cpanel/addon-domains-in-cpanel/) - [How to Check DNS for a Domain](/support/domain-names/dns-nameserver-changes/check-dns-for-a-domain/) - [How to Find Your Shared Server IP Address in cPanel](/support/edu/cpanel/how-to-find-your-shared-ip-address-of-your-server-in-cpanel/) ### Website & WordPress - [How to Install WordPress Using Softaculous](/support/edu/wordpress/install-wordpress-using-softaculous/) - [WordPress Education Channel](/support/edu/wordpress/) - [The Ultimate Guide to Optimizing WordPress Performance](/support/edu/wordpress/optimize-wordpress-performance/) - [Getting Started Guide: Website](/support/website/new-customer-website-getting-started-guide/) - [Using File Manager in cPanel](/support/edu/cpanel/using-file-manager-in-cpanel/) - [Where Do I Upload My Website Files?](/support/website/where-to-upload-files/) ### Moving to InMotion - [How to Migrate Your Website Using cPanel](/support/edu/cpanel/migrate-your-website-another-host-uses-cpanel/) - [How to Move a Website to an InMotion Shared Server](/support/website/how-to-move-a-website-to-inmotion-hosting-shared-server/) - [Exporting Your Database for Transfer](/support/server/databases/exporting-database-for-transfer/) - [Hosts File Modification (Windows)](/support/website/modifying-your-hosts-file/) - [Hosts File Modification (Mac and Linux)](/support/edu/software/how-to-edit-your-hosts-file-on-a-mac/) ### Email Setup - [Getting Started Guide: Email](/support/email/getting-started-guide-email/) - [How to Create an Email Account](/support/email/how-to-create-an-email-account/) - [How to Log into Webmail](/support/email/login-to-webmail/) - [Setting Up Email on an iPhone](/support/email/configure-iphone-email/) - [Setting Up Email on an Android Device](/support/email/setting-up-an-android-device-to-send-a-receive-email/) - [Setting Up Email in Outlook](/support/email/outlook/) ### Email Deliverability & Spam - [SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and PTR Records: Complete Setup Guide](/support/email/spf-dkim-dmarc-setup-guide/) - [Fighting Spam with Spam Filters](/support/email/spamassassin-fighting-spam/) - [Email Troubleshooting Links](/support/email/email-troubleshooting/) - [Common Email Error Messages](/support/email/typical-email-error-messages/) - [Use InMotion Hosting for Third-Party Email (MX Records)](/support/edu/cpanel/third-party-mx/) ### SSL Certificates - [Enabling Your Free SSL (AutoSSL)](/support/website/ssl/auto-ssl-guide/) - [Installing SSL Certificates with cPanel](/support/website/ssl/installing-ssls-in-cpanel/) - [Set Up a 301 Redirect via .htaccess and cPanel](/support/website/setting-up-a-301-permanent-redirect-via-htaccess/) ### Backups & Files - [The Complete Guide to cPanel Backups](/support/edu/cpanel/cpanel-backups/) - [How to Purchase Backup Manager in the AMP Marketplace](/support/product-guides/backup-manager/purchase-backup-manager-using-amp-marketplace/) - [Optimize Backup Settings in Backup Manager](/support/product-guides/backup-manager/optimize-backup-settings-in-backup-manager/) - [Getting Started Guide: FTP](/support/website/ftp/ftp-getting-started-guide/) - [Connect to SFTP for Shared Hosting with FileZilla](/support/website/ftp/sftp-shared-hosting-filezilla-setup/) - [How to Upload a File with cPanel File Manager](/support/edu/cpanel/how-to-upload-a-file-using-file-manager-in-cpanel/) ### Databases - [How to Manage Databases in cPanel with phpMyAdmin](/support/server/databases/manage-databases-cpanel-phpmyadmin/) - [How to Create a MySQL Database](/support/server/databases/create-a-mysql-database/) - [How to Create and Attach a Database User in cPanel](/support/edu/cpanel/create-database-user/) - [Exporting Your Database for Transfer](/support/server/databases/exporting-database-for-transfer/) ### Security & Recovery - [Two-Factor Authentication in cPanel](/support/edu/cpanel/cpanel-two-factor-authentication/) - [Does Your Site Have Malware?](/support/security/does-your-site-have-malware/) - [How to Recover from a Website Hack](/support/website/recovering-from-a-hack/) - [Resolving an Accidental Block by Fail2ban](/support/product-guides/business-shared-hosting/accidental-block-by-fail2ban/) ## Popular Articles The articles shared hosting customers turn to most. 1. [How to Log into cPanel](/support/edu/cpanel/how-to-log-into-cpanel/)Control panel 2. [How to Create an Email Account](/support/email/how-to-create-an-email-account/)Email 3. [Enabling Your Free SSL (AutoSSL)](/support/website/ssl/auto-ssl-guide/)SSL 4. [How to Change Your Domain Nameservers in AMP](/support/domain-names/change-domain-nameservers-amp/)Domains 5. [How to Install WordPress Using Softaculous](/support/edu/wordpress/install-wordpress-using-softaculous/)WordPress 6. [How to Migrate Your Website Using cPanel](/support/edu/cpanel/migrate-your-website-another-host-uses-cpanel/)Migrations 7. [View Disk Space and Bandwidth Usage on Shared Servers](/support/product-guides/business-shared-hosting/view-disk-bandwidth-usage-cpanel/)Operations 8. [Resolving an Accidental Block by Fail2ban](/support/product-guides/business-shared-hosting/accidental-block-by-fail2ban/)Security ## Understand the Concepts For decisions, not tasks. Read these before you buy, choose, or plan. [What Is Shared Hosting?](/blog/what-is-shared-hosting/) How shared hosting works and how it compares to VPS and dedicated servers. [Why Is My Website Slow?](/support/website/why-is-my-website-slow/) The most common causes of slow pages and how to track them down. [Business Hosting or Shared Hosting?](/support/product-guides/business-shared-hosting/shared-or-business-hosting/) How to tell which plan your account is on and what the difference means. [What Is a Virtual Private Server?](/blog/what-is-a-virtual-private-server/) How a VPS works and what changes when you outgrow shared hosting. [Why cPanel?](/support/edu/cpanel/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](/contact) team for expert support from real humans. #### Chat or call 24/7 Reach our Live Support team any time by chat or phone. [Contact support ›](/contact) #### Open a ticket in AMP Submit account-specific issues from your Account Management Panel. [Log into AMP ›](https://secure1.inmotionhosting.com/amp) #### Community Support Ask a question and get answers from our community and staff. [Ask a question ›](/support/questions/) #### Support for your account What’s included with your Shared Hosting plan and how to use it. [Read the guide ›](/support/amp/how-to-get-great-technical-support/) ## More Shared Hosting Articles - [Getting Started with Shared Hosting](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/product-guides/business-shared-hosting/getting-started-with-shared-hosting/) - [How to View Your Disk Space and Bandwidth Usage on Shared Servers](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/product-guides/business-shared-hosting/view-disk-bandwidth-usage-cpanel/) - [How to Create Professional Email Addresses for Your Business](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/product-guides/business-shared-hosting/how-to-create-professional-email-addresses-for-your-business/) - [Resolving an Accidental Block by Fail2ban](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/product-guides/business-shared-hosting/accidental-block-by-fail2ban/) - [Why Should You Start With Shared Hosting](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/product-guides/business-shared-hosting/reasons-for-shared-hosting/) - [Do I Have Business Hosting or Shared Hosting?](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/product-guides/business-shared-hosting/shared-or-business-hosting/) - [Using PHP Composer on Shared Hosting](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/website/using-php-composer-on-shared-hosting/) - [Shared Hosting Page Load Metrics You Need To Watch](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/product-guides/business-shared-hosting/shared-hosting-page-load-metrics/) - [Creating Logins on my Shared Hosting Plan](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/product-guides/business-shared-hosting/creating-logins-on-my-shared-hosting-plan/) - [Is Your Host Holding Out on Features You Need?](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/product-guides/business-shared-hosting/hosting-features-you-need/)