You’ve built your website and bought hosting. Now it’s time to put the website online. Most small business hosting includes cPanel, a control panel for managing your website, email and domains. Uploading a website takes about 10 minutes, and you don’t need any technical skills.
Before you start
Table of Contents
- Your website files. If you built your site with the Advanton website builder, you downloaded a ZIP file containing your website.
- Your hosting welcome email. It contains your cPanel address (often yourdomain.com/cpanel or a server address), username and password. Search your inbox for "welcome" or "cPanel" if you can’t find it.
Step-by-step: upload with File Manager
- Log in to cPanel using the address, username and password from your welcome email.
- Open File Manager. It’s in the Files section.
- Open the public_html folder. This is your website’s main folder: anything in it appears on your website.
- Remove any default page. Some hosts place a placeholder file such as index.html, default.html or index.php here. Delete it (or rename it) so it doesn’t replace your homepage. Leave other folders such as cgi-bin alone.
- Upload your ZIP file. Click Upload, choose your website ZIP file, and wait for it to finish. Then go back to public_html.
- Extract it. Right-click (or select) the ZIP file, choose Extract, and extract into public_html. Then delete the ZIP file.
Check the result: your homepage file (index.html) must be directly inside public_html, not inside another folder. If the extraction created a folder (for example public_html/my-website/), open it, select all the files, choose Move, and move them up into public_html.
Now visit your domain. If you’ve just connected it, allow time for the change to take effect; see connecting your domain.
Updating your website later
When you change your site in the website builder, download the new version, then upload and extract it the same way, replacing the old files.
Other ways to upload
- FTP: programs such as FileZilla connect to your hosting with FTP details from cPanel (under FTP Accounts). Useful for large websites.
- Your builder’s publish option: some website builders publish directly; Advanton’s builder gives you files to upload, which works with any host.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause and fix |
|---|---|
| You still see the host’s default page | A default file is still in public_html. Delete it, and refresh your browser. |
| "Index of /" with a list of files | Your index.html is inside a subfolder. Move the files up into public_html. |
| Images or styles missing | Some files didn’t upload or were extracted to the wrong place. Re-upload and extract into public_html. |
| The domain shows an error or a parking page | The domain isn’t pointed at your hosting yet. See connect your domain to your hosting. |
| "Not secure" warning | Turn on free SSL. See how to turn on free SSL. |
Frequently asked questions
Can I upload a WordPress site this way?
WordPress needs to be installed (most hosts offer a one-click installer in cPanel) rather than uploaded as files. This guide is for ready-made websites like those from the Advanton builder.
Is it safe to delete files in public_html?
Delete only the default placeholder page and files from your old website. Don’t delete folders like cgi-bin or .well-known, which your host may use.
How long until my website appears?
Immediately on your hosting. If your domain was connected recently, it can take a few hours, occasionally up to 48, to work everywhere.
Next steps
Last reviewed October 27, 2026. Startup costs are estimates; check local prices, licensing and tax rules before you commit money.
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