Build Your Own Website and Host It on cPanel

Pick something short, easy to say on the phone, and close to your business name. Avoid hyphens and unusual spellings.

Check whether your name is free using the search box on this page, or at /domains. If you already own a domain, you can skip this step and use it in step 2.

Don't pay yet. You can buy the domain together with your hosting in the next step. Want help deciding? Read how to choose a domain name.

Starter is enough for most first websites. You can move to a bigger plan later.

1. Open the Starter order page, or pick a plan from the cards on this page.
2. Under Choose a Domain, select Register a new domain and enter the name from step 1. If you already own it, select I will use my existing domain instead.
3. Continue to checkout, then create your account, or log in if you have one.
4. Pay with MTN Mobile Money, Airtel Money, or a card. Stay on the payment page until it confirms.

Your hosting is ready when it shows as Active in your account at my.register.rw, under My Hosting. If it isn't Active soon after you pay, message us on WhatsApp and we'll check it.

Already have a domain somewhere else? Change its nameserversA DNS server that holds the authoritative records for a domain and answers where its website and email live. to ns1.register.rw, ns2.register.rw, and ns3.register.rw at the company where you bought it. Your website only appears at your domain once this is done. It can take up to 48 hours to reach everyone: see what DNS propagation means.

1. Sign in at my.register.rw.
2. Open My Hosting and select your hosting.
3. Press Log in to cPanelA popular web-hosting control panel for managing sites, email, databases, and files through the browser.. It opens straight away, with no separate password to type.

cPanel looks like a lot, but you only need a few tools. Find any of them by typing its name in cPanel's search box. cPanel has two looks, Jupiter and Meridian. Tools have the same names in both, and you can switch between them whenever you like.

A and B give you one file named index.html, which is your whole website. Save it, then go to step 5.

C. WordPress is installed inside cPanel, so you don't upload a file and you can skip step 5. In cPanel, search for WP Toolkit or Softaculous, open it, choose to install WordPress on your domain, and save the admin login it gives you somewhere safe. Then read the WordPress launch checklist and how to keep WordPress secure.

1. In cPanelA popular web-hosting control panel for managing sites, email, databases, and files through the browser., open File Manager.
2. Open the public_html folder. Whatever is in this folder is what visitors see.
3. If you see an old index.html or index.php there, select it and press Delete. Leave everything else alone, including cgi-bin.
4. Press Upload in the top toolbar. A new tab opens.
5. Select your index.html file and wait for the bar to reach 100%.
6. Close that tab, return to File Manager, and press Reload. You should see index.html in the list.

The name must be exactly index.html, all in small letters. If your site uses photos, upload them to the same folder. Names must match exactly, so Photo.jpg and photo.jpg count as different files.

On a phone? This works in your phone's browser too. Your downloaded file is usually in the Downloads folder, or in the Files app on iPhone.

Open https:// followed by your domain, for example https://kezabakery.rw, on your phone. Press each contact button to check that it works.

This is optional, and it's already part of your hosting.

1. In cPanelA popular web-hosting control panel for managing sites, email, databases, and files through the browser., open Email Accounts and press Create.
2. Choose a name, like info, and a strong password, then save.
3. Read and send your email by opening Webmail from the same page.

For using it on your phone, and your other options, read business email hosting in Rwanda.

• Get found on Google. Create a free Google Business Profile with your new website address. Read local SEO for Rwandan businesses.
• Share it. Put your address on your WhatsApp profile, social media pages, and receipts.
• Change something later. Make a new index.html and upload it the same way, replacing the old one. The Website Maker gives you a link that brings your details back.
• Keep a copy. Save your index.html on your computer or phone. For bigger sites, read how to back up in cPanel.
• Renew on time. Your domain and hosting are each paid once a year in my.register.rw. If either one expires, your website goes offline.