Creating Domains and Sub-Domains in cPanel

If you work with WordPress, chances are that you’re familiar with the term cPanel. When you are ready to publish your site and bring it to the masses, you need to arrange hosting for it. With a hosting contract, you can handle all site issues, from uploading new content to editing files or creating a new database via cPanel. cPanel is a Linux-based web hosting control panel that provides a graphical interface and automation tools designed to simplify the process of hosting a web site. In this article, we’ll tell you how to use cPanel to create domains and subdomains.

Perks of a cPanel Hosting Account

There is a reason a cPanel hosting account is so popular: it is relatively easy to use and comes with many options and functionalities. But you have to know what you’re doing, up to a certain extent, to benefit from all these options. No problem: plenty of sources to check online!

Now, you arranged hosting for a specific domain, so you already have that domain. But how do you add more domains? cPanel offers the Addon Domains option for this purpose. What is the biggest advantage of using these addon domains? Saving money! Instead of opening a new hosting account for additional domains, you can host additional domains in your cPanel hosting account – by using addon domains. Addon domains are in fact subdomains, but with their own domain name. Both are stored in a certain subdirectory of the home directory, usually. So now that we know we have to go to the Addon Domain functionality, let’s go there and start creating new Addon Domains.

First Thing’s First: Register a Domain Name

Addon domains save you the costs of additional hosting packages; however, you will still need to register a domain name. There are plenty of domain registrars available online, so assuming that your desired domain name is available, this is the easy part. You have the option to register a domain directly from cPanel, if you log into Account Management Panel (AMP). You will find the domain registration option under ‘Additional Services’ under Domains.

Point the New Domain to the Correct Servers

If you used the AMP option to register a new domain name, it will automatically point to the right nameservers. If you registered the domain somewhere else, you need to make sure it is pointing to the right servers. Look up the nameservers used by your hosting company and adjust the domain registration info so that it matches the nameservers.

Creating an AddOn Domain

Make sure the option to create addon domains is part of your hosting package. If it is, open cPanel and locate the Domains section. This is the section where you find the option to create addon domains, among other things. Clicking the AddOn Domains opens a dialogue box in which you need to fill in the details of the domain you want to create. In the previous steps, you already took the necessary steps to purchase the domain and point it to the right location, so after this step you’re all set with a new domain in your existing hosting account!

If you want even more detailed instructions, you can check out this tip on how to use addon domains with your hosting service.

Do I Also Need Subdomains?

Well, that depends. Apart from the question of whether you need a subdomain or not, subdomains can be very useful. So, we’ll tell you how to work with them and then you can decide for yourself.

To create a subdomain, log in to cPanel and go to the section called Domains. Once in the Domain section, click on Subdomains. Here, you fill in the necessary parameters to create the subdomain. First, add the title of the subdomain. Then add the domain name of the site you want to create the subdirectory for. The third step is choosing the root-directory, which location will be recommended by the system – but you can easily change this setup. Now that you have a subdomain, what are we going to use it for?

Fast Access to Specific Parts of the Site

Let’s say you’re in the analytics business and you create a lot of reports for your clients. You upload new reports so your clients can download them, or check them on the site itself. Creating a subdomain (reports) for this is easy, and it is very convenient for your client. The client bookmarks the url: http://reports.domain.com and finds all the necessary information there. A simple but effective solution, it is often used in mobile sites. You can give easy access to certain parts of the site. Making a subdomain password-protected is also easy to do using cPanel.

Working with addon domains and subdomains is simple and useful. Within cPanel, both options are readily available and quick to set up. Practice makes perfect – so go set up a couple of addon domains and subdomains in your WordPress site!