FAQs & Tutorials

• How to Set Up a CRON Job in cPanel?

  CRON Jobs Detailed cPanel Tutorial

  You will find your CRON manager icon in the very bottom utility box (Advanced) in your cPanel main dashboard screen.

  Once you click the CRON jobs icon you are taken to the CRON selection screen. In this screen you will choose the means to manage CRON based on your level of experience. New users will select “standard”.

  In this screen you will actually setup your new CRON.

  The first field, “Command to run” will likely be as above or even an http:// address within your website. This is the actual function you wish to schedule the execution for.

  The other fields are to schedule the timing of the CRON. Minutes means, how many minutes apart to run the CRON for example. If you are setting a weekly CRON for example you would need only to select the Day and time as the minutes become unnecessary.

  Try to run your CRON at a time when you website is less busy for optimum performance. Additionally note, that PRO-Webs and most other hosting companies will not allow you to run a CRON job in shorter than 10 minute intervals.

  CRON jobs are an easy way to configure scripts and functions to run without human intervention, but keeping a close eye on your CRONs and their timing is crucial for the seamless running of your website as well.

• How do I create an FTP account in cPanel?

  It very important to use proper FTP accounts for various vendor and employees for your website. Creating an account for each allows you to control their access and log their usage as well.

  1. To get started login to your PRO-Webs hosting cPanel

  2. In the 3rd box down called “Files”, select the FTP icon.

  Select the FTP Icon as Shown

  3. Once in the FTP manager, you will see the following options to create and FTP account.

  FTP Manager Account Creation

  4. You have several options to create accounts.

  • Username: You will enter a unique username. Once finished the login will be username@domain.com to use FTP.
  • Password: Use a strong 10 character or more alpha numeric password. This will be the user’s password to login with.
  • Directory: This is where you can allow full access or limit the user to a specific directory. Full access (including outside of the root) will be blank, Just account http or public html access will be public_html/. Additionally, you can limit the user to a specific folder such as public_html/data/
  • Quota: this is the amount of transfer you wish to allow the user for FTP.

  5. Once you have filled everything in, click the create account button. The user will login to FTP using the following information.

  Host: ftp.yourdomain.com

  User: username@yourdomain.com

  Password: the exact one you setup

• What is Fantastico?

  Fantastico De Luxe is the leading vendor for auto installing programs for cPanel servers. With more than 10,000 installations, it provides more than one million end users the ability to quickly install dozens of the leading open source content management systems and other software applications on their websites.

  Complete list of 50+ included Fantastico scripts

  Fantastico DeLuxe will allow you to install over 50 website scripts and programs nearly instantly. To use fantastico just login to your hosting control panel, click the Fantastico icon, and then click one of the 50+ scripts to be installed such as…

  Blogs, Portals/CMS, Customer Support Desks, forums, shopping carts, Image Galleries, Mailing Lists… and more.

  Can’t find Fantastico? You may need to upgrade your hosting to use Fantastico… Call 330.871.4357 (HELP) for hosting upgrade information

• Is there a cPanel hosting manual?

  Yes certainly, a free manual for cPanel is available at  http://www.cpanel.net/support/docs/index.htm.

  Additionally, if you have a clustered account or are a reseller the WHM free manual is also handy http://twiki.cpanel.net/twiki/bin/view/AllDocumentation/WHMDocs/WebHome

• What is an Addon Domain?

  Addon Domains are handled exactly like subdomains as far as the server is concerned, but to the web they are separate domains.

  Addon Domains do not have their own cPanel;  You can still create email accounts, redirects, Fantastico installs, subdomains, etc. and even manage databases in phpMyAdmin.

  Every addon domain is also a subdomain. You may actually load your addon domain in one of three ways:

  * http://addondomain.com/ (As an Addon Domain Name)
  * http://addondomain.com.primarydomain.com/ (As a Subdomain Name)
  * http://primarydomain.com/addondomain.com/ (As a subfolder)
  We suggest that you correctly redirect others to the correct canonical url for your website to avoid duplication.

  To your visitors, the Addon Domain appears to have its own hosting just like any other website. Note that an addon domain can NEVER have a dedicated IP as it resides within the hosted domain’s account. If you decide you need a dedicate IP later, we can move your site to a full account for a small fee. Just contact us and we can quote this upfront for you. 330-871.HELP (4357)

  Creating an addon domain is very simple….

  Note: You may not be able to create a new Addon Domain if you do not own the domain name or if your DNS hasn’t propagated yet. Additionally, you hosting package may not include addon domains, in which case you would need to upgrade.

  Login to your hosting control panel and click the Addon Domains icon, under the Domains heading. There are three fields cPanel asks for when creating an Addon Domain for your hosting account.

  1. New Domain Name: Enter the new domainname.com, but do not put http or www in the name field.
  2. Username/directory/subdomain Name: This will be the folder/directory cPanel creates in your public_html folder. Normally, you want to ensure the name you provide doesn’t already exist as a folder in your account, but cPanel will automatically suggest the name and we recommend you use the suggested folder name.
  3. Password: Fill in any password you want here 80% strong or better. This password is used also for an FTP account which is automatically created by cPanel. Passwords must be alpha numeric with at least one character for all hosting accounts… addon or otherwise.

  Your new domain is now successfully added. You can upload the site files to the specific addon folder which was created in the public_html folder, all of this addon domains files will go in the new directory/folder..

  How to remove an Addon Domain.

  If you have an Addon Domain set up and would like delete or remove it, please do the following:

  1. Login to your hosting control panel and click Addon Domains.
  2. At the bottom, under Actions, click Remove for the specific addon domain.

• cPanel Cron Jobs Detailed Tutorial

  A cron job allows you to run a command or function at times set by the job(cron). You could set a cron job to delete cache files every week that your disk space is not being used up by those files. You can also set a cron job to run and upload your product feed for example. A cron, which is short for chronograph, is only applicable on a Unix system for scheduling tasks.

  To access the Cron Job interface, click on the cron icon in your lowest menu table icon of your cPanel.
  

  The Cron Jobs Interface in your standard x3 theme appears like this:

  

  Notice that here you have 2 options, Standard and Advanced CRON options. If you are just getting started, you should likely use the Standard Cron menu. If you are an advanced user then this tutorial is stuff you already know.

  This is what the Standard Cron menu interface looks like:

  

  There are several places to fill in information for your new Cron Job… starting with an email address to send the Cron report to. We suggest you use this report e mailer, at least until your Cron is functioning 100% to your satisfaction.

  Next you will see the field to run the command or url from. Enter the command or url you would like to be executed by the Cron job to run in the blank field next to the command to run label (as shown in the image above).

  Next, you will select how often you wish the Cron to be run by selecting an option in each of the boxes. These boxes may appear confusing at first… But its really very simple.

  Every Minute box is set to “0″ by default. This box controls minutes. For example to run a Cron every 10 minutes (which is the shortest time allowed by your PRO-Webs hosting) you would select “Every Ten Minutes” from this menu and leave the rest default.

  Every Hour Box, is set to 3am by default. If you wish to run a Cron everyday at 5am you would set this to 5am and leave everything else default.

  Every Day Box, is the same. So if you wish to run a Cron every 2 days at 5am. You set the HOUR box to 5am and the DAY box to 2. This will then run every 2 days at 5am.

  Every Month Box, will schedule Cron jobs for a certain month. Most people will not use this option and should leave it set to default, but it is a handy option for updating Copyright dates on January 1st.

  Weekdays Box is to run Cron jobs by day. So lets say you wish to run a Cron every Tuesday at 4am. You would set the Weekdays box to Tuesday, the Hour box to 4am and the rest remain default.

  Last step… When you are all finished creating your Cron, you must select the SAVE CRONTAB button on the bottom of the page to start your Cron Job.

• What is Urchin Stats & How Do I Use It?

  If your PRO-Webs hosting package has Urchin Stats included, then you have a wealth of valuable knowledge about your website right in your cPanel. If you do not have the Urchin Stats, then contact us to find out how to add it.

  Urchin 5 analyzes traffic for one or more websites and provides accurate and easy-to-understand reports on your visitors – where they come from, how they use your site, what converts them into customers and much more. This is the very same platform used by Google Analytics.

  To find and use your Urchin Stats you must login to your cPanel. Once logged in, locate the “Logs” section and look for the Urchin Icon.

  Once inside you will find a wealth of stats and graphical presentations about your website and its visitors to help you promote your site more effectively.

• Using SPF & Domain Keys for Email Security

  Created in 2003 SPF is an acronym for Sender Policy Framework, which is an attempt to control forged emails. SPF is not directly about stopping spam, but rather about giving domain owners a way to say which DNS email sources are legitimate for their domain and which ones aren’t.

  DomainKeys is an email authentication system that allows for incoming mail to be checked against the server it was sent from to verify that the email has not been modified. This ensures that messages are actually coming from the listed sender (domain) and allows abusive messages to be tracked with more effectively.

  How to Set Up your Email Authentication

  1. Login to your PRO-Webs hosting control panel.

  2. In the “Mail” section locate the “Email Authentication” icon

  3. Once inside the Email Authentication screen you will see the Domain Keys and SPF settings.

  4. To enable your Domain Keys, simply click enable.

  5. To enable your SPF record in its basic settings, click enable.

  Additional Advanced SPF Options Include:

  Additional Hosts that send mail for your domains (A): All the hosts you specify here will be approved for sending mail. You do not need to specify your primary mail exchanger or any server that an mx has been created for as they are already included automatically.

  Additional MX servers for your domains (MX): All the mx entries for every domain you specify here will be approved for sending mail.

  Additional Ip blocks for your domains (IP4): All the ip blocks you specify here will be approved for sending mail. Blocks should be specified in CIDR format (ie 127.0.0.1/32). The main server interface ip cannot be removed from this list if it is present.

  Include List (INCLUDE): The SPF settings for all hosts your specify in this list will be included with your SPF settings. This is useful if you will be sending mail though another service (ex. mac.com, comcast.com, etc).

  All Entry (ALL): If you are sure you have entered all hosts (your primary mail exchanger and any other mx entries are automatically included) that will send mail for your domain, check this box to exclude all other domains.

  Overwrite Existing Entries: Check yes to overwrite.

  Save Your Changes: Click Update.

  Most customers will only have any use for steps 1-5 and you are not advised to make advanced changes without adequate DNS and email knowledge.

• Changing Your Domain MX Record in cPanel

  How to modify your MX record for your domain mail from one mail server to another in cPanel. MX record, is a short term for mail exchange record. The MX Record is an DNS entry in a domain name database that identifies the mail server that is assigned for handling e-mail for that domain name.

  You can have one server handle your website and another handle your email, such as Cpanel for the site and a Google Aps for email if you like. You can assign multiple MX records so mail can go to more than one server and order them in priority by number, the lowest number will receive mail first but more on that later or simply as a failsafe if more than one MX is availiable for use… Like a backup MX.

  Step 1

  Login to your PRO-Webs cPanel and locate the divided “Mail” section. In the Mail section you will find an icon which looks like this .

  NOTE: If you do not have this icon, then this priveledge is not part of your hosting agreement and you will need to request an upgrade to change your MX.

  Step 2

  Click the MX icon to display the MX Entry Maintenance Screen as seen below

  Cpanel MX Maintenance Screen

  Notice that this one is already set up for Google Aps.

  • Make sure the domain dropdown is correctly set for the domain you wish to edit.
  • Set the correct priority as needed in the priority field.
  • In the box following the to: you will add the new MX record, make sure it is followed by a period.
  • For Google Aps and most other applications you will leave the “Always accept mail locally even if the primary mx does not point to this server. ” unchecked.
  • Click “Change” to submit.

  Repeat this step for additional MX records.

  Step 3

  You will need to delete your local MX from the list and make certain that the “Always Accept” colum is displaying “No”.

  These changes will take up to 24 hours to propagate.

• How do I set up Outlook with POP?

  The intention of this document is to assist PRO-Webs Inc. customers in the set up of Microsoft Outlook for use with their PRO-Webs Inc. hosted email. PRO-Webs Inc. claims no ownership of software’s mentioned in this tutorial nor does PRO-Webs Inc. offer standard support for said software’s.

  Creating Your E-mail Account

  The first step to receiving email via your hosted account is to create an email account on your new server. PRO-Webs Inc. provides its customers access to their hosted account via Cpanel, a popular open source control panel used by many hosting companies to provide their customers a friendly and easy to use interface in order to manage their servers.

  To access your Cpanel type “http://yourdomain.com/cpanel” in your browsers address bar. Please note that PRO-Webs Inc. does not store your passwords, and can not give you your password over the phone. Should you lose or forget your password the best we can do is reset your password and email it to you via secured email.

  Cpanel Main Page

  

  Once logged in you should be presented with a screen similar to the one you see here. Now that we have gained access to our hosting account it is time to create an email account. You can not receive email via you hosting account until you have crated at least 1 email account.

  

  Click on the icon resembling a envelope to access your “Email Accounts” screen.

  E-mail settings in Cpanel

  

  This is the screen you will set up your email account in.

  Email: Enter email name. eg: entering payments here would give the email address “payments@yourdomain.com” or entering support here would give you “support@yourdomain.com”

  @: Notice the drop down, if you have more than one domain hosted with this account you may have more than one option here. Select the domain to for this email account. Most customers will have only one selection here.

  Password: Enter your desired password here, note the Password Strength: just below. A score of less than 80/100 is highly discouraged. It is strongly recommended you use a strong alpha numeric password with a symbol thrown in here and there, or even better click the “Generate Password” and let the server give you a strong password. What ever method you decide to use, WRITE DOWN YOUR PASSWORD, you will need it to set up Outlook.

  Password (Again): Simple enough, retype the password you just created to verify correct spelling. If both do not match you will not be able to create an account.

  Mailbox quota (optional): Just as the description states, this is an optional field. Default is set to 250MB but you may change it if you like. It’s your disk space.

  Click the “Create” button and you have just created an email account to be used with your domain. Now wasn’t that fun?

  Now that you have created your new mail account you will see it listed below in the same screen “E-mail settings” along with a few settings options. See below.

  

  Now that you have created your new email account here under “Current Accounts” you will also notice a few other option / settings here, the scope of which I wont go into detail as they are mostly self explanatory. We are only concerned with the one on the far right “Configure Mail Client” for the purpose of this tutorial. So click on that now.

  E-mail settings in Cpanel

  

  This area is intended to help you configure your email client, note the list under “Please select an application:” Upon clicking on one of these links the server will create a registry file for you to download. This file will attempt to import the correct setting into your email client automatically. Please note though that have never seen this work successfully, so I usually have people scroll down to the next section.

  

  Here we are going to look at the “Manual Settings” and what we are going to need to get Outlook configured as your email client. We are only really going to need 3 of these lines. You may want to write these down, as you will need them to complete setting up Outlook.

  Mail Server Username: email+yourdomain.com

  Incoming Mail Server: mail.yourdomain.com

  Outgoing Mail Server: mail.yourdomain.com (server requires authentication) port 26

  Configuring Outlook

  Outlook Main

  
  Open Outlook and click “Tools” in the top menu bar.

  

  Then select “E-mail Accounts…” from the drop down menu.

  E-mail Accounts

  

  Select “Add a new e-mail account” Then click the “Next” button.

  

  Server Type

  Select “POP3″ from the list. Then click the “Next” button.

  

  Internet E-mail Settings (POP3)

  This is where you are going to need the information you wrote down earlier when I reviewed “E-mail settings in Cpanel”

  Your Name: This is the name that will be displayed when you send email using this account. Enter your name or company name here.

  E-mail Address: This is the name you entered when creating the e-mail account. eg: payments or support followed by @yourdomain.com. This is your e-mail address

  User Name: This will be the same as your e-mail address eg: “payments@yourdomain.com” or “payments@yourdomain.com”

  Password: This is the password you assigned to this account when you set it up, you did write it down, didn’t you?

  Incoming mail server (POP3): enter “mail.yourdomain.com”

  Outgoing mail server (SMTP): Enter “mail.yourdomain.com” here as well.

  After entering all your info, click the “More Settings…” button.

  General Tab in “More Settings”

  

  Under mail account you may put anything you like, this only displays on you machine. This is used as an identifier for multiple email accounts.

  Outgoing Server Tab in “More Settings”

  

  Check “My outgoing server (SMPT) requires authentication”.

  And check “Use same settings as my incoming mail server”

  Connection Tab in “More Settings”

  

  You should not have to change anything here.

  Advanced Tab in “More Settings”

  

  Leave “Incoming server (POP3):” set to 110.

  Change “Outgoing server (SMTP):” from 25 to 26.

  Leave ALL the boxes unchecked.

  In the image I have “Leave a copy of massages on the server” checked because I have set up 2 computers with the same info. There for, with this box check I will now have to go into the server periodically and remove old emails to avoid running out of disk space.

  This is not an advised option for most customers.

  Click OK.

  E-mail Accounts settings in Outlook

  

  Setting are now complete, click “Test Account Settings” now and test it.

  Test Account Settings Accounts settings in Outlook

  

  If all went well, and you followed all the steps, you should show green check marks by each item.

  You have successfully set up Outlook as you email client for your new server.

• What types of carts can you install?

  We install and develop Zen cart as our choice of shopping cart platforms, but can work on or optimize any shopping cart software.

• Do you install mods?

  Yes, we can install your Zen Cart mods for you, and even configure them if you like. http://pro-webs.net/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=10

  http://pro-webs.net/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=10
• Can you help me configure my cart?

  Yes, we would be happy to prepare a quote for the configurations you need. http://pro-webs.net/store/index.php?main_page=contact_us

• What website software do you develop sites in?

  We have quite a few different platforms we are versed in, but do not limit ourselves to these platforms should the need present itself. We have experience with quite a few more software platforms.. These are our favorite.

  * Drupal – Complete content management software. Drupal supports a variety of websites ranging from personal weblogs to large community-driven websites
  * Zen Cart – Ecommerce shopping system – The art of e commerce
  * Cube Cart – Flexible online store software
  * Open-Realty – Web based listing management application for many different venues
  * vBulletin – Forum / Bulletin board software – Top of the line forums and tools
  * SMF – Professional grade software package for online communites – forums.
  * Nucleus – Content management blogging software, when you need more than a blog
  * b2evolution – Multiuser and multiblog software – Great software for corporate blogs with many users
  * WordPress – Personal blogging software – The standard in blogging, numerous options and plugins
  * PerlDesk – Customer helpdesk and email management – Powerful Perl scripting
  * osTicket – Multi-User web helpdesk interface – Great software for many customer service personal to use seamlessly and simultaneously
  * phpCoin – Invoicing and billing software (this support center is running phpCoin in a customized development)
  * phpLD – All inclusive link, photo, and article directory software. phpLD is the authority in directory software
  * Coppermine – Image Gallery system featuring categories and albums, thumbnails and intermediate size pics, search feature, new and random pictures, user management (private galleries, groups), user comments, e-cards feature, slideshow viewer
  * FAQMasterFlex – Database-driven web-based application for creating and maintaining Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on your web site
  * TNG – The Next Generation of Genealogy Sitebuilding is a powerful way to manage and display your genealogy data on the Internet

  Need something else? Just ask

• What kind of software can run on my website?

  Generally, any common software can be run on your website if it is available within you control panel, or outside software that does not violate our Acceptable Use and Banned Code Policy. When in doubt just ask us.

• Do you install software and applications?

  Yes, we can install software, mods, scripts, and applications for you in most cases. Just send us an email (http://pro-webs.net/store/index.php?main_page=contact_us) to inquire.

• What is GEO-Targeting?

  Geo Targeting is the process of optimizing your website or page to target a specific region, or area within the search results.

• What is a custom quote?

  At PRO-Webs, every package and project is completely designed around your needs, wants, budget, and our expert suggestions. We do not want to charge you for elements you don’t need or won’t make use of.

  Therefore, every project is quoted uniquely for your site. Then we will give you 90 days to think about it, or even just sleep on it, there is no pressure to decide immediately as you project quote price is “locked” for 90 days.

  We can even develop staged quotes to help lessen the burden on your budget. We will quote the project then develop a prioritized plan of implementation of the period of time you require.

• Can I change my quote?

  Sure, we will be happy to revise/review your quote for you. Just let us know (http://pro-webs.net/store/index.php?main_page=contact_us). Please reference your name, email, and phone contact information so we may track your quote down.

• What is PRO-Webs.net?

  PRO Webs, Inc. is a web development & SEO located in Mogadore, Ohio, founded in 2003. We provide custom web solutions, search engine optimization and ecommerce development with honest billing and guaranteed quotes.

• What kind of hosting servers do you provide?

  All of our hosting servers are Linux based and running Apache. Individual server machine details, location, and facilities are provided upon request. All hosting servers are located within the USA.

• What is an IP address?

  All computers across the Internet are assigned a unique identifier string referred to as an IP (Internet Protocol) address. They are used like street addresses or phone numbers, so that other computers can find them. A standard IP address would like this: 111.222.333.444.

• How long does it take to change over my hosting?

  The full DNS propagation of a domain to it’s new IP address and nameservers can take up to 72 hours. Ideally, you will leave your old hosting “live” until the DNS fully propagates, so that “most” of the time during propagation one site or the other will display…Keeping any downtime far reduced.

• Can you move my site for me?

  Yes, in most cases we are happy to move your site in it’s current configuration to our servers. Just send us an email (http://pro-webs.net/store/index.php?main_page=contact_us) about your request and needs.

• Why should I register my domain for more than one year?

  It is not a huge factor, but domain registrations that expire in less than a year are not as trusted an longer registration periods.

• What is domain registration?

  Domains are registered or leased from Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers – ICANN (http://www.icann.org/) is responsible for the globally coordinating the system of unique identifiers for the entire Internet. Computers and other devices which access the Internet use these identifiers to reach each other via the Internet.

  Registrars such as Namecheap, Enom, and GoDaddy are merely agents who sell the registrations.

• What is WhoIs?

  WhoIs is the database of domain registrations. Most domains have a publicly available WhoIs record. Some international domain’s information is not displayed within the database.

  There are many tools to search the WhoIs database, VeriSign is a very easy and effective search tool.

• What is a sub domain?

  A sub domain is an extension of the main domain. Many engines treat them like “a different site”, Google has gotten away from this and will treat it just like a directory in many cases. Sub domains are best used to host content that is not related to your main site’s theme.

  This is what a sub domain looks like:

  http://tutorials.pro-webs.net/

  And a directory/folder like this:

  http://pro-webs.net/tutorials/

• What is a Domain alias?

  A domain alias is the “other” domain extensions of the same domain text name. Such as pro-webs.biz and pro-webs.net.

  It is generally a good idea to acquire your domain aliases to stop others from leeching or squatting on your name and traffic.

• Is it good to buy an expired domain?

  It can be a good idea to by an expired domain, but there are some really “shady” deals out there and you can find you have purchased a lemon.

  People regularly use redirects to fake a domain’s PageRank. The domain may have been banned or have a penalty.

  Generally speaking you would want to register an expired domain that hosted content similar or relevant to your own. You can check it here (http://www.archive.org/index.php).

  You should NEVER purchase a domain expired less than 45 days, as it can be reclaimed by the original registration holder.

• I’m stumped, cannot think of a good domain name…Can you help?

  Try this tool (http://www.domainsbot.com/) for looking at domain name possibilities.

• Can you register a domain for me?

  Yes, we have a merchant account to purchase domain name registrations with, and would be happy to assist you. Just let us know what you are looking for, and your contact information. We will contact you live, while registering your domain.

• Can I use a different name to register my domain? What about privacy?

  ICANN requires valid contact information for every Domain registration including registrant, technical, billing, and administrative. Falsifying Domain registration information can lead to the cancellation of the registration. If you are concerned about your privacy, most registrars offer a WhoIs privacy protection.

  Additionally, is you will require an SSL to encrypt payment communication on your website, then the registration information will be used and cannot differ for the SSL certificate.

• Can you fix my design?

  We are happy to redesign your pages or just tweak them. Just send us your project details and we will provide you with a custom, written project or hourly quote.

• What is FTP and how do I use it?

  FTP means File Transfer Protocol. Every PRO-Webs hosting account has a main user FTP account. There are many free FTP software applications available.. Here are a few.

  FileZilla FTP http://filezilla-project.org/ – Core FTP http://www.coreftp.com/

  When you set up an FTP utility you are encouraged to use your account’s IP address as the host. If you are unsure of your account’s IP, it can be located in the left hand column of your hosting cPanel.

  For your main FTP account the username and password are synced and therefore are the same as your cPanel account, unless you change them.

  Please use them HelpDesk if you are having trouble setting up or using your FTP access.

• What is BoxTrapper?

  BoxTrapper is a cPanel integrated utility to help prevent spam emails from reaching your inbox. You are advised to use this utility very carefully, as you can block wanted emails as well. This video (http://www.cpanel.net/media/tutorials/boxtrapper.htm) will walk your though the basic configuration for BoxTrapper.

• What is an email forwarder?

  Email forwarders optionally forward a cPanel account’s mail to another address. This video (http://www.cpanel.net/media/tutorials/forwarders.htm) has step by step instructions for the use of email forwarding.

• What is an autoresponder?

  An autoresponder delivers a specific response to incoming emails, by issuing an email back to the sender. This video (http://www.cpanel.net/media/tutorials/autores.htm) can help you set up autoresponders.

• How do I redirect sites/page to another?

  cPanel has a built in Apache based utility to redirect a page, directory, or site to another. This video (http://www.cpanel.net/media/tutorials/redirects.htm) will step you though the process of setting up a redirect.

• How do I park a domain in my account?

  The video tutorial (http://www.cpanel.net/media/tutorials/parked.htm) to park domains within your account is here. Parking a domain means a you have not identified an IP address of the servers that will host this website and wish to reserve the name for later use. The parked domain uses the main account’s nameservers. Not all accounts have the ability to park domains, if you need this upgrade or additional parking slots added just contact us for an upgrade.

• How do I create email accounts?

  This cPanel video (http://www.cpanel.net/media/tutorials/emailaccounts.htm) provides step by step instructions for managing the email utility within your cPanel. If you require additional email address accounts, please contact us for an upgrade.

• How do I create a subdomain?

  This video tutorial (http://www.cpanel.net/media/tutorials/subdomain.htm) will help you set up a subdomain within your cPanel account. A subdomain is a separate address under your domain. Subdomains are generally unnecessary, unless you are creating content that is not easy related to the theme of your main domain.

• How do I create a MySQL database?

  This video (http://www.cpanel.net/media/tutorials/addmysql.htm) will step you through creating a new MySQL database and configuring users and permissions. If you are in need of additional databases within your account, just contact us for an upgrade.

• How do I change my cPanel username & password?

  Login to your cPanel using your current password. In the Top Section (Preferences) click change password. If you do not recall the “old” password, then please submit a ticket via the helpdesk and we will reset your password. Unfortunately, your username cannot be changed.

  Please note that we will at our discretion ask for verification information and that the password can ONLY be emailed to the hosting account email address on file.

• Creating new and limited FTP accounts

  Many times a web professional will require FTP access to your website to complete tasks and services for you. It is highly recommended that you create any vendor a individual FTP account. In this video (http://www.cpanel.net/media/tutorials/ftpacct.htm) you can see how that is done, and how to limit their access to the specifc area they are servicing.

  Remember to delete the vendor’s FTP account after the task has been completed… You can always make them a new one should they require access once again.

  If you need more FTP accounts, please contact us about an upgrade for your hosting.

• What is a Service Level Agreement?

  When we provide you a service level agreement in writing that means very simply that the project will be completed with implied warranty for the quoted service level tasks and price.

• What is a robots.txt?

  A robots.txt is a document placed in the root of your site to tell the search engines bots that crawl your site where they are allowed to go, and not.

• What is a Google sitemap or sitemap.xml?

  A sitemap.xml, commonly referred to as a Google sitemap is a “road map” for the search engines to locate, determine importance of, last modified date, and other related information about your site’s pages…In order to crawl them more efficiently.

• Hyphens or Underscrores?

  Having relevant keywords in your domain name can be a very good thing…But do not forsake the usability factor.

  How often have you seen domain names like this?

  www.I-am-trying-to-game-the-search-engines-but-I-just-have-a-stupid-looking-domain-name-instead.com

  OK, so that’s a exaggeration, but you do not need to use hyphens to separate you keywords in “most” cases. The only time you would need to separate them, is if the search engines do not display the keywords highlighted within domain names in the search results. This hardly ever happens.

  So keep it easy to remember and user friendly for best results.

• Are your designs optimized?

  When PRO-Webs designs a site or page, we have the knowledge and experience to NOT make common design mistakes that cause poorly optimized pages. Optimization services are available for your new design.

• Has my site been penalized?

  There are many different types of penalties a website can incur, and honestly if you are unsure of the penalty or it’s cause..Then you will likely need help to fix it and get re-included if necessary. We research penalties, process solutions to repair the errors, and complete re-inclusion requests. Just send us a quote request (http://pro-webs.net/store/contact_us.html) and we will get back to you ASAP.

  There are some things you can research on your own to help determine is you have been penalized.

  Did your Google PageRank drop a great deal or is showing a ZERO, or grey bar in the toolbar?

  This can be a penalty or just a natural drop.

  Is your site failing to rank in search results for a particular phrase that it was previously ranking for? Or your pages are not displayed when searching for your domain name.

  If you have made recent changes to your site or the pages not ranking, then this is most likely flux. Flux is the period of time search engines take to digest and determine trust for new content.

  If you have not made changes, then check to see your pages are not blocked with a “noindex” Meta tag, blocked in your robots.txt, or removed pages in the search engines tools.

  Then at this point if you have not cloaked pages, have hidden text, or bought or sold links…Then I would suggest you get assistance to determine the filter or penalty applied and how to resolve the issue.

• Using phpMyAdmin for SQL Dumps & Backups

  This tutorial will teach you how to use phpMyAdmin to create SQL dumps and backups of your databases.

  1. phpMyAdmin-IconLogin in to your hosting control panel and locate the phpMyAdmin icon within the cPanel. (It will generally open a new window, so your pop up blocker may grab it. Use the control button when clicking to allow the pop up.

  2. Select the correct database using the left hand menu and click the link of the database you wish to dump or backup.

  3.  Along the top of the right hand side you will see tabbed menu selections like below, you will choose export.

  tabs-export

  4. Once in the export screen you have many selections, we will address each one below.

  * On the left side of the export screen you can select individual tables or all to export.
  * Also on the left side you have options for the export format, in this case it will be SQL and is likely checked by default for you.
  * On the right of the export screen under options you will first see custom commenting, Enclose export in a transaction and Disable foreign key checks. We will not be using these and they should remain blank.
  * The next box down is structure, in this box you will check the following options:

  1. Add DROP TABLE / VIEW / PROCEDURE / FUNCTION
  2. Add IF NOT EXISTS
  3. Add AUTO_INCREMENT value
  4. Enclose table and field names with backquotes

  * We will not be checking the option Creation/Update/Check dates, under Add into comments.
  * In the last right hand box labeled data we will be checking the following options only:

  1. Complete inserts
  2. Extended inserts
  3. Maximal length of created query field should be 50000
  4. Use hexadecimal for BLOB
  5. Lastly, the Export type dropdown will be set to Insert.

  * The large field below labeled Save as file will be checked to export this as a file and not in your broswer window. Compressions is only necessary for very large databases.
  * All of this completed, just click the go button and your dump/backup will begin assembling for you.
  * After its done you will have the opportunity to save the file. Please safe this to a secure location and NEVER place SQL files in your website file directories, as they are very vulnerable.

  To use this for backing up when you haven’t another utility to backup your databse is a great idea. If you should need to restore you backup simply load the database as described above and select the import tab instead of export, browse to your SQL dump file and hit GO.

• Can I turn off the weight, inventory count, manufacturer, etc.?

  Yes, you can.

  Open your Admin.

  Put the cursor over Catalog on the top menu.

  Choose Product Types from the dropdown.

  Choose Products General (or the product type you are customizing).

  Click Edit Layout and turn off any settings you do not want to display on the store pages.

• What do you mean by Zen Cart Hosting?

  Your Zen Cart Software has some very specific hosting environment needs. We want your Zen Cart to function with all the power and functionality it was intended… In order to deliver a fully functional Zen Cart, we offer Zen Cart specific hosting for shop owners. Please view our Zen Cart Hosting Plans and contact us with any additional questions or concerns you may have.

• My site’s been hacked – now what?

  Written by Nathan Johns, Google Search Quality Team

  All right, you got hacked. It happens to many webmasters, even despite the hard work you devote to prevent this type of thing from happening. Prevention tips include keeping your site updated with the latest software and patches, creating an account with Google Webmaster Tools to see what’s being indexed, keeping tabs on your log files to make sure nothing fishy’s going on, etc. (There’s more information in the Quick Security Checklist we posted last year.)

  Remember that you’re not alone—hacked sites are becoming increasingly common. Getting hacked can result in your site being infected with badware (more specifically malware, one type of badware). Take a look at StopBadware‘s recently released report on Trends in Badware 2007 for a comprehensive analysis of threats and trends over the previous year. Check out this post on the Google Online Security Blog which highlights the increasing number of search results containing a URL labeled as harmful. For even more in-depth technical reports on the analysis of web-based malware, see The Ghost in the Browser (pdf) and this technical report (pdf) on drive-by downloads. Read these, and you’ll have a much better understanding of the scope of the problem. They also include some real examples for different types of malware.

  The first step in any case should be to contact your hosting provider, if you have one. Often times they can handle most of the technical heavy lifting for you. Lots of webmasters use shared hosting, which can make it difficult to do some of the things listed below. Certain tips labeled with an asterisk (*) are cases in which webmasters using shared hosting will most likely require assistance from their hosting provider. In the case that you do have full control over your server, we recommend covering these four bases:

  Getting your site off-line

  • Take your site off-line temporarily, at least until you know you’ve fixed things.*
  • If you can’t take it off-line, return a 503 status code to prevent it from being crawled.
  • In the Webmaster Tools, use the URL removal tool to remove any hacked pages or URLs from search results that may have been added. This will prevent the hacked pages from being served to users.

  Damage Assessment
  

  • It’s a good idea to figure out exactly what the hacker was after.
    • Were they looking for sensitive information?
    • Did they want to gain control of your site for other purposes?
  • Look for any modified or uploaded files on your web server.
  • Check your server logs for any suspicious activity, such as failed login attempts, command history (especially as root), unknown user accounts, etc.
  • Determine the scope of the problem—do you have other sites that may be affected?

  Recovery

  • The absolute best thing to do here is a complete reinstall of the OS from a trusted source. It’s the only way to be completely sure you’ve removed everything the hacker may have done.*
  • After a fresh re-installation, use the latest backup you have to restore your site. Don’t forget to make sure the backup is clean and free of hacked content too.*
  • Patch any software packages to the latest version. This includes things such as weblog platforms, content management systems, or any other type of third-party software installed.
  • Change your passwords – https://www.google.com/accounts/PasswordHelp

  Restoring your online presence
  

  • Get your system back online.
  • If you’re a Webmaster Tools user, sign in to your account
    • If your site was flagged as having malware, request a review to determine whether your site is clean
    • If you used the URL removal tool on URLs which you do want in the index, request that Webmaster Tools re-include your content by revoking the removal.
  • Keep an eye on things, as the hacker may try to return.

  Answers to other questions you may be asking:

  Q: Is it better to take my site off-line or use robots.txt to prevent it from being crawled?
  A: Taking it off-line is a better way to go; this prevents any malware or badware from being served to users, and prevents hackers from further abusing the system.

  Q: Once I’ve fixed my site, what’s the fastest way to get re-crawled?
  A: The best way, regardless of whether or not your site got hacked, is to follow the Webmaster Help Center guidelines.

  Q: I’ve cleaned it up, but will Google penalize me if the hacker linked to any bad neighborhoods?
  A: We’ll try not to. We’re pretty good at making sure good sites don’t get penalized by actions of hackers and spammers. To be safe, completely remove any links the hackers may have added.

  Q: What if this happened on my home machine?
  A: All of the above still applies. You’ll want to take extra care to clean it up; if you don’t, it’s likely the same thing will happen again. A complete re-install of the OS is ideal.

  Additional resources you may find helpful:

  • If your site’s been flagged by Google as serving malware, we’ll alert you when you visit Webmaster Tools.
  • Don’t forget about the Google Webmaster Help Group; it’s full of extremely knowledgeable users, and Googlers as well. For a nice, on-topic example, check out this thread. There’s also a Stop Badware group.
  • Matt Cutts recently posted Three tips to protect your WordPress installation on his blog, and there are lots of great comments below the post as well.
• Setting up Google Analytics w/ Conversion Tracking Basic

  Account Creation and Basic Setup

  Proceed to Google Analytics.

  Sign up for an Analytics account.

  Login to Analytics & click the sign up button.

  You will be taken to the following form to enter your website information: (Click to Enlarge)

  

  Website’s URL: Fill in your website address

  Account Name: Name this account for your own identification

  Set your country and time offset & submit.
  

  Fill out your own information as the main administrator/user & continue.

  Accept the terms and click “Create New Account”.

  Next you will be presented with a tabbed code selection.

  You want to be using the “New Tracking Code (ga.js), not the legacy code.

  If you are hard coding Google Analytics, you need only place this entire code in your includes/templates/custom/common/tpl_footer.php

  If you are using the Analytics Zen Cart addon, simply extract the account reference number from the code and insert it in the UA-** box in your module administration tools for the Analytics add on.

  It will look like this UA-xxxxxxx-x, then press continue in your Analytics interface.

  It will now show your new account and some information… It will take a few minutes for the tracking to show a successful status and begin receiving data.

  Configuring Zen Cart Conversion Tracking

  In the account management screen, click the “edit” link next to the account you are configuring, in the settings column.

  Now you should be in your “Profile Settings Page” for the account you are configuring.

  For basic Analytics configuration we need only concern ourselves with the first table called “Main Website Profile Information”.

  Click the “edit” link in the header of the Main Website Profile Information table.

  Much of this information you have already configured.

  In the field marked “Default Page” you will enter your website’s index page filename. If your Zen Cart is installed in the root (directly under public_html) then this filename is index.php.

  In the field marked “Exclude URL Query Parameters” you will enter zenid, unless you have changed your sessions parameter for Zen Cart.

  Check the radio button “Yes, an E-Commerce Site” and choose your setting for currency.

  Lastly, you may opt to track your site search within Analytics.

  Save Changes and your conversions tracking is configured.

• Adding a User to View Your Google Analytics Data

  1. Login to Analytics here http://www.google.com/analytics/
  2. From the start page- Overview: all accounts select the “accountname.com” link (left column)
  3. From the Overview »  Account Name select the “Edit” link for the account
  4. In the very bottom block – Users with Access to Profile click the + Add User link in the table heading
  5. In the Add User Access To Profile screen select Grant access for existing User to Profile or New User as needed
  6. In the Google account email address field
  7. Select reports or additional account administrator
  8. Click the “Save Changes” button.

• Have Any Zen Cart Tutorials?

  Indeed we do, check them out here (http://pro-webs.net/tutorials/)