What can I do with my .htaccess file?

You might have a private area of your website you wish to keep password protected. This password protection is actually set up in the .htaccess file. Most of the functions of the htaccess file, you do not have to concern yourself with as they will be automatically written through cPanel. This is the case of password protecting directories. While you set it up in cPanel, it actually writes a directive to your htaccess file.

Other functions of the htaccess file include, prohibiting hotlinks, rewriting URLs, setting default pages, creating redirects, reconfiguring account settings, and much more. It’s really important to realize how the htaccess file can affect your entire account. Changing something in the htaccess file can alter how your website functions so it’s really important BEFORE making changes to your htaccess to backup your current htaccess file.

Troubleshooting Errors..

If you are getting errors on your website, the .htaccess file can often be the culprit.

• This is easily tested by renaming your current htaccess file. Often, during troubleshooting I’ll simply rename the .htaccess to .htaccess.ops and now you can try reload the website. If the site loads I then know the issue resides in my configuration of the .htaccess file. If it does not fix the issue I was having, I’ll rename the htaccess by removing the .ops I added to the end. That way, it won’t affect my website after I resolve the issue.
• If you are not seeing a change in your PHP settings, you may have to make your php.ini file affect all child folders as well. This is referred to as making the file “recursive“.

What exactly is .htaccess?

The .htaccess file is a hidden text file that allows you to control the way visitors are able to access your site. Some common uses of the .htaccess file would be restricting access to certain files, or redirecting URLs.

You can review our full .htaccess file reference list for more examples of what you can do with a .htaccess file.

Where can i find my .htaccess file?

By default you should have a .htaccess file created on your account in the following directory:

/home/userna5/public_html/.htaccess

You can use your favorite FTP client to modify this file, or follow the steps below to access it directly from cPanel:

1. Login to your cPanel.
2. Under the Files section, click on File Manager.
   
3. Locate your .htaccess file, you may have to show hidden files (click Settings–>Check the “Show Hidden Files (dotfiles)” box).
4. Right-click on the .htaccess file and select Edit.
   
5. If your .htaccess file didn’t exist already during the previous step, click on +File at the top-left, name the file .htaccess, and finally set the directory for the file to be created to /public_html/ or the document root of your site.
6. You might have a text editor encoding dialog box pop-up, you can simply click on Edit.
   

Congratulations, now you know how to locate, and edit your .htaccess file!

#1. Choosing The Best Website Building Platform

Making a website is a lot like building a house, you need a solid foundation. That’s where picking the right website building platform comes into play.

So, what exactly is a website building platform?

In the early days of the Internet, creating a website could only be done by coding in HTML and as you could imagine was a lot harder to do.

Fast forward to 2016 and you’ve got many options to help you build your website including drag n’ drop site builders and content management systems (CMS) suck as WordPress.

A content management system will allow users of any skill level to build a professional website that you can create & update yourself without the need for a web designer or coding knowledge.

The Big Three Website Building Platforms in 2016:

1 in 6 websites on the Internet is powered by WordPress. Most of your favourite websites are built with and run on WordPress.

So Why WordPress versus the others?

Aside from it being the most popular website building platform out there, here are more reasons why:

It costs nothing. It’s free: WordPress is open-source software, that means that it is community driven and the license to use the software is 100% free.Why build two sites. It’s mobile ready: You can kill two birds with one stone! When building a website with WordPress, you’re automatically creating a mobile-friendly website at the same time!Scalable. Small or Big. It Grows With you: It doesn’t matter whether your website is simple a few pages or a few thousand pages with e-commerce shopping cart and a blog. WordPress is very versatile and can grow with your business. It’s built to grow.Simple to use & Very User Friendly: The user graphic system is very easy to use. If you can use Word, you’ll be able to use WordPress to create, edit and maintain a stunning website.Massive Support: Since WordPress is used by millions, there is a massive WordPress community for support, workshops called WordCamps and much more to help you do what you want when you’re stuck.

What about Drupal or Joomla?

Drupal – While this is a very powerful website building platform for experienced web developers and coders it does have a large learning curve for beginners. It’s also mostly used for government and really large businesses for internal websites.

Joomla – A bit easier to learn than Drupal, and is great for shopping cart type websites but still requires knowledge of code to do certain things to your website.

We strongly recommend using WordPress as it is the easiest to use. The versatility of the platform makes it the best choice for beginners to lay the foundation to a great web site.

In the next few steps, I will walk you through the process of getting a domain name & web hosting for your new website and how to install WordPress.

Remember, if you get stuck on any of the steps, our staffs are here 24/7 for you to help you out. We can’t make the website for you, but we can guide you to accomplish what you’re stuck on.

#2. Choosing a Domain Name For Your Website

Registering a domain name can be a some what frustrating experience, but it really should be a fun and creative process for you. A domain name is a unique identifier to point traffic to a website, sort of like a phone number does to a persons telephone. Here’s some criteria that I’ve put together in selecting the perfect domain name when creating a website.

• Does the domain name relate to the website’s content?
• Is the domain name easy to spell and pronounce?
• Is the domain as short and precise as it can be?
• Does the domain name have the correct domain extenion (.com, .net., org)?

You’re going to want to make sure that the domain name is actually available, you can do that by using our domain search tool. Domain names cost about £7.95 per year but when you make your website through Keenweb, we will include a free domain for as long as you remain a customer and choose our £6.99 monthly package.

#3. Choosing the Right Web Hosting Plan

Many whom are looking to start a website often have the question which web hosting package is right for them. This is a legitimate question as sometimes the options can be overwhelming. Keenweb has services that cater to simple websites just starting out to all the way to very large and complex websites.

Since you’re just starting out and looking to make a website I will simply recommend that you opt for a shared hosting package, which starts from £6.99 per month. This package will give you everything that you need to get your domain registered and website created. You’ll get a fully featured web hosting account with all the bells and whistles.

That’s not all, unlike our competitors which only allow you to create a website that is limited and then ask you to pay more to add more pages or e-commerce features like a shopping cart… our company doesn’t. We won’t ask you for more money for additional features such as personalized e-mail addresses, web space, bandwidth, databases, shopping cart functionality, blogging, etc. Also, due to the proprietary technology used by some of these competitors, moving to another provider in the future is almost impossible. When you create a website with WordPress, you can simply backup your website and move it to another web host… so it’s future proof.

GET STARTED NOW

Remember you’ll get the free domain name when you sign up for web hosting (a £9.95/year value). Once you’ve signed up, continue reading on below.

#4. Install & Setup WordPress

Now that you’ve got your web hosting account, let’s work on actually setting up your website.

As mentioned earlier in this guide, we are going to be using WordPress as the foundation to creating your website. WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that is used by over 60 million websites worldwide. The best part? It’s completely free to install and use. I’ve made it easy for my customers to obtain, install and start using WordPress on our hosting platform.

In the below video, Lawrence from our technical support team will walk you through on how to install WordPress.

Congratulations, your website is created!

You’ve now created your first website. The possibilities from this point forward are endless. Included as part of your service are tools to allow you to submit your website to the search engines, receive free marketing credits, access to WordPress themes along with many other tools that will help your website to flourish.

We’ve put together a comprehensive knowledge base full of how to articles on WordPress.

You’ll never be alone…

If you ever need help, our very experienced support team is a click, call or e-mail away. we’ve also created a team specifically to follow up with you from time to time to make sure that you’ve got everything you need to make sure you’re successful online. You’ll never be alone in your journey, that’s our promise.

#1. Selecting a Domain for your Blog

If you aren’t familiar with the term, a domain name is a unique identifier for a website. It tells the browser where to specifically connect to, similar to a phone number connecting to a specific person. For example, Google.com, facebook.com and keenweb.co.uk are all domain names.

When selecting a domain name for your blog, you’re going to want to keep these things in mind:

• Relation to Content: You will want to make sure that the domain name is somewhat related to the content that you will be blogging about. Let’s say you are starting a blog about your fitness journey, a potential domain name could be Journey2fitness.com. This will tell potential visitors what your blog is about. Keep in mind that domain names are alpha-numeric. You will also be able to use hyphens (-) in the domain to create domain names such as Journey-2-fitness.com. Be as creative as you can be.

• Short & Sweet: This one is self explanatory. For the sake of people being able to remember your domain name, make it as short as possible. Try to stay within three syllables max.

If the blog is a personal blog, it may make sense to simply register your domain name as your full name, for example JohnSmith.com. You can always change this or park additional domains in the future.

In step two, I will tell you how to get a FREE domain registration or domain transfer (if you have one already registered).

#2. Getting a Web Hosting Package

A web hosting provider, such as Keenweb, is a Internet service provider that will store your blog content and make it available on the Internet for visitors to access. There are thousands of web hosting providers, most disappear after days of being in business due to the low cost of entry and that is why being smart about your web hosting decision will save you from major headaches down the road.

This is why Keenweb is the best web hosting provider for your blog. We have been in the business since 2008, independently owned, are an A+ Rated BBB Accredited Business & have ranked on INC 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in America list two years in a row.

We are also the greenest web hosting provider on the planet. By 2020, the Internet will be as big a polluter as the airline industry. Keenweb will replace 3 times in the form of renewable energy for every 1 amp we use to power your blog. By hosting with Keenweb, you will be actually helping to make a positive difference for the environment.

Keenweb is a top-tier web hosting provider which normally costs £9.95/mo, but through a special introductory offer for those looking to start a blog, we are offering our web hosting service for £6.99 per month. You will also get a FREE domain name registration or domain transfer (if you already have a domain registered) a £12.95 per year value. Our service also comes with an unconditional 30-day money back guarantee — so there is no risk to you.

Keenweb offers powerful blog web hosting services, here are some of the things you can expect:

So let’s begin. In the next step, I will walk you through each step on setting up your blog.

GET STARTED NOW

#3. Install WordPress to Power Your Blog

Now that you’ve got your web hosting account, let’s work on actually setting up your new blog.

You may or may have not heard about the wonderful blogging tool / CMS called WordPress, but this tool will be the foundation of your website. WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that is used by over 60 million websites worldwide. The best part? It’s completely free to install and use. we’ve made it easy for our customers to obtain, install and start using WordPress on our hosting platform. Lawrence from our technical support team will walk you through on how to install WordPress.

Congratulations, you’ve just started your very own blog!

You’ve now started your first blog. The possibilities from this point forward are endless. Included as part of your service are tools to allow you to submit your blog to the search engines, receive free marketing credits, access to WordPress themes along with many other tools that will help your website to flourish.

You’ll never be alone…

If you ever need help, my very experienced support team is a click, call or e-mail away. I’ve also created a team specifically to follow up with you from time to time to make sure that you’ve got everything you need to make sure you’re successful online. You’ll never be alone in your journey, that’s my promise.

Error: Cannot send emails: 451 http://www.spamhaus.org/query/bl?ip=xx.xx.xx.xx

If you cannot send mail, the problem is likely a restriction by your ISP (Internet Service Provider) as many block the normal sendmail port 25, due to their own security concerns.

This can be the case even if sending was working recently as some ISP’s roll these changes through without warning.

Simply changing to port 587 will resolve the problem for you.

Below are our recommended outgoing SMTP settings:

• Incoming Server: mail.your-domain.com
• Outgoing Server: mail.your-domain.com
• Username: Your full e-mail address
• Password: Your e-mail account password
• Incoming Port: POP3 110 or IMAP 143
• Outgoing Mail server (SMTP) Port: 587
• SSL: NO
• SMTP Authentication Required: YES
• Secure Authentication (SPA): NO

If you are unsure how to make the above changes, we recommend contacting the support department on:

Email: info@keenweb.co.uk

Email: support@keenweb.co.uk

UK Tel: +44 (0)2036375335

Ireland Tel: +44 (0)5603847441

Is your current website just not cutting it?, is it a royal pain editing files and then uploading them to submit any changes? 

This is where wordpress can really help. On average 30% of the sites that we host are made with wordpress and that figure is rising month by month as more people embrace this fantastic open source script. WordPress makes it easy for you to get your website online in a matter of hours and is easily editable via its online back office. It has many different plugins to suit most tasks, so whether your a photographer looking for a photo album or you need an online booking system wordpress has it all.

Keenweb Hosting  provide a one click install system for wordpress meaning that you can have your site up and running even quicker!, we are experts in all things wordpress and with our help you will be up and running in no time!

From only £1.99 – yes you heard it right! for less than a Costa Coffee you can get your website online every month and still have change with our Hobby Plan. Whats great about this plan is that its a great starting point, low cost and can be upgraded when your sites popularity and needs increase. With our 30 Day Money Back Guarantee can you really afford not to give us a try? If you have any questions simply give us a call or drop the team an email and we will get back to you!