Control Panels: cPanel

If you own a website, chances are likely that you also are using cPanel to manage the development of your masterpiece. cPanel can make everything much easier, as it allows you to do everything from checking web stats to managing your domains. However, many tend to panic when they see so many features. Therefore, it is necessary to know how exactly to approach the infamous software.

One of the most important cPanel options is the ability to manage the domains you own. There are many ways you can control this, no matter what you have. There are options for people with only one domain, and there are tons of options for those with many domains. For instance, if you have three domains that you want to control, you can click on the "Add-Ons" button to add another domain. If you have sub domains, or allow others to create sub domains on your server, you can create more through the "Sub domain" button.

The ability to create e-mail addresses is also another great feature. If you have a website and want it to match your site, it is possible to make one. Want the name but don't want a new e-mail box? You simply create an e-mail address by clicking on the "Web mail" button and click on forwarding an e-mail address if you want it to be forwarded to another account. This is very helpful for any webmaster who wants to stay organized and keep everything in one place.

Although these features are great, most webmasters like the statistics a lot more. You can access this page by selecting "Web Stats." Usually cPanel supports Awstats or another similar statistic program. These web statistics show you everything from the number of visits in an hour to the type of browser they use. Other features include how the visitor got to your site in the first place, and what keywords they used in the search engines to find you. This can be extremely helpful for someone who just wants to know where their visitors are coming from! After all, without this knowledge, it would be impossible to go forward, without knowing much information. If you find it hard to analyze, there are also options to see the progress through charts and pie graphs. This may be easier to visually see how your site is doing.

Instead of having to upload every single picture and file for your website through the cPanel, it is much easier to download an FTP. You can create specific FTP options and their actions through the “FTP” button. By downloading an FTP program through your computer, you can directly connect to the server and send all of your files in bulk. This will make it much easier and won’t take hours just to upload a few simple html pages. If you are unsure which FTP program to use, cPanel often suggests a few and provides links to them. A popular favorite is often Coffee Cup, which is a free and great program to use.

Although cPanel can sound confusing, it actually is extremely easy to use. Every page is clearly labeled, allowing you to get around your panel very quickly. Without the help of such a program, it would be a lot messier to keep track of websites. We would not have the opportunity to manage our domains, see our web stats, and create other e-mail addresses all within one click. Thank goodness for the internet.