GrowHosting Insights

New cPanel

MySQL databases explained

What a database is, how it differs from your files, how to create a MySQL database and user in cPanel, use phpMyAdmin safely and fix common errors. 4 min read · Read the guide → New Business

Selling online in the DRC

Choose your sales model, the tools to build your shop, how to accept Mobile Money and card payments, organise delivery and earn your customers' trust. 4 min read · Read the guide → New Marketing

Get found on Google

How Google ranks results, finding the words your customers use, optimising each page, publishing useful content, technical SEO, local SEO and earning links. 4 min read · Read the guide → New Hosting

Move your website to GrowHosting

Take stock, prepare the new hosting, copy files and databases, test before switching, move your emails, update the DNS and check everything afterwards. 4 min read · Read the guide → New Marketing

Google Business Profile

Why a Google Business Profile matters, how to create and verify it, complete it fully, collect and answer reviews, keep it alive and link it to your website. 3 min read · Read the guide → Marketing

Google Search Console

What Search Console tells you, how to add and verify your site through DNS, submit your sitemap, read the Performance report, check indexing and react to alerts. 3 min read · Read the guide → Marketing

Measure your website traffic

Three complementary tools, cPanel statistics, installing Google Analytics 4 with consent, the metrics that matter, measuring goals and a monthly review routine. 3 min read · Read the guide → Marketing

Start an email newsletter

Why a newsletter, choosing the right tool, building your list legally, essential technical settings (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), writing emails people open and measuring results. 3 min read · Read the guide → Marketing

WhatsApp Business and your website

WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business, creating a wa.me link, adding a WhatsApp button to your site, linking your profile to your website, best practices and measuring contacts. 3 min read · Read the guide → Marketing

Write your website copy

Talk about the customer first, a home page in 5 blocks, rules for effective text, writing a service page, trust elements, choosing languages and proofreading. 3 min read · Read the guide → cPanel

Choose your PHP version

What PHP is, why old versions are risky, checking compatibility, changing the version in cPanel, PHP extensions and options, and what to do if the site breaks. 3 min read · Read the guide → cPanel

Subdomains and addon domains

The difference between a subdomain, an addon domain and an alias, how to create each in cPanel, practical uses and points to watch. 3 min read · Read the guide → E-mail

Email forwarders and autoresponders

What a forwarder is, creating one in cPanel, forwarding a whole domain, setting up an autoresponder, an out-of-office template, filters and regular checks. 3 min read · Read the guide → cPanel

Cron jobs explained

What a cron job is, understanding schedules, creating a task in cPanel, replacing WordPress's built-in cron, good practices and troubleshooting a task that does not run. 4 min read · Read the guide → Hosting

Understand website errors

How HTTP status codes work, the common 4xx and 5xx errors, other frequent messages, a simple diagnostic method and how to design a helpful 404 page. 4 min read · Read the guide → WordPress

Update WordPress safely

Why updates matter, what to update, a safe 6-step method, automatic updates, what to do if something breaks and when to clean up unused plugins. 3 min read · Read the guide → WordPress

Choose a WordPress theme

The criteria that really matter, free or premium, traps to avoid including nulled themes, testing a theme before adopting it, customising safely and switching later. 3 min read · Read the guide → WordPress

Create a WooCommerce shop

What to prepare, installing WooCommerce, basic settings, adding products, accepting online payments, keeping the shop fast and the checklist before opening. 3 min read · Read the guide → WordPress

WordPress staging site

What a staging site is for, creating one with the app installer or by hand on a subdomain, protecting it from visitors and Google, pushing changes and keeping it up to date. 3 min read · Read the guide → WordPress

Reliable WordPress emails (SMTP)

Why WordPress emails get lost, sending through SMTP, creating a dedicated address, configuring an SMTP plugin, checking SPF, DKIM and DMARC, setting up the form and testing. 3 min read · Read the guide → Domains

Never lose your domain name

How a domain registration works, what happens at expiry, how GrowHosting reminds you, 6 good habits, renewing in minutes and what to do if your domain has already expired. 3 min read · Read the guide → Domains

WHOIS and domain privacy

What WHOIS is, whether your details are public, why they must be accurate, how to update them, how to spot fake renewal letters and how to look up a domain. 3 min read · Read the guide → Domains

Redirect a domain

Permanent or temporary redirects, the most common cases, redirecting a whole domain or a single page in cPanel, traps to avoid and how to check the result. 3 min read · Read the guide → E-mail

Manage mailbox storage

How mailbox storage works, checking used space, increasing the quota in cPanel, freeing up space, archiving old emails and good habits to avoid a full mailbox. 3 min read · Read the guide → E-mail

Use webmail

How to access webmail, a tour of the interface, creating a professional signature, organising your mailbox, syncing with your phone, staying safe and watching storage. 3 min read · Read the guide → Business

Start a reseller hosting business

How reseller hosting works, who it is for, the tools provided (WHM, cPanel, WHMCS, white label), launching step by step, your responsibilities and mistakes to avoid. 3 min read · Read the guide → Business

Choose a web developer

Clarify your needs, compare developers, read the quote carefully, keep the domain and hosting in your name, check the delivery and plan for maintenance. 3 min read · Read the guide → Getting started

A mobile-friendly website

Why mobile comes first in the DRC, responsive layouts, readable text, easy-to-tap buttons, a light and fast site, testing on real phones and a mobile checklist. 3 min read · Read the guide → Getting started

Web hosting glossary

Plain-language definitions of the most common web terms: hosting, domains and DNS, security, email, tools like cPanel and PHP, and visibility. 4 min read · Read the guide → Hosting

First steps on a VPS

Managed or unmanaged, connecting over SSH, securing access with keys, updating the system, enabling a firewall, setting up backups, monitoring and installing your applications. 3 min read · Read the guide → Security

Website backups: the 3-2-1 rule

Why you need your own backups, what to back up, the 3-2-1 rule, how to back up from cPanel, automate it and test your restores. 4 min read · Read the guide → Security

Passwords and two-step verification

Which accounts to protect first, what makes a good password, password managers, the GrowHosting e-mail sign-in code and how to spot phishing. 4 min read · Read the guide → Security

Website hacked: what to do

Recognise a hacked website, contain the attack, clean the site, fix the flaw and restore your reputation with Google and e-mail providers. 4 min read · Read the guide → cPanel

cPanel for beginners

How to access cPanel from your client area and what its essential tools do: files, e-mail, domains, databases, security, PHP and resource usage. 4 min read · Read the guide → cPanel

Upload your website files

Put your website online: the public_html folder, uploading a ZIP with cPanel’s File Manager, using FileZilla over TLS, file permissions and common errors. 4 min read · Read the guide → E-mail

Set up your e-mail on your phone

IMAP settings, ports and step-by-step guides for Android, iPhone and Outlook, plus fixes for the most common errors when adding your professional address. 4 min read · Read the guide → E-mail

Keep your e-mails out of spam

Why legitimate e-mails land in spam and how to fix it: SPF, DKIM and DMARC in cPanel, content best practices, bulk sending rules and how to test your setup. 4 min read · Read the guide → WordPress

Install WordPress in a few clicks

Install WordPress from cPanel step by step, then make the first settings: time zone, permalinks, theme, essential plugins and first pages. 4 min read · Read the guide → WordPress

Speed up your WordPress site

Measure, enable LiteSpeed Cache, lighten images with WebP, clean up plugins, update PHP and clean the database: the method to make WordPress faster. 4 min read · Read the guide → Security

Secure your WordPress site

Updates, login protection, user roles, backups and hardening: the essential measures to protect your WordPress site, plus what to do if it is hacked. 4 min read · Read the guide → Getting started

Create a website step by step

The 10 steps to create your business website with a domain name, hosting and WordPress: content, installation, essential settings, launch and upkeep. 5 min read · Read the guide → Hosting

Shared, VPS or dedicated?

Shared, WordPress, VPS, semi-dedicated, dedicated and reseller hosting compared: resources, skills needed, budget and the signs it is time to upgrade. 4 min read · Read the guide → Domains

The .cd domain name guide

Why choose a .cd domain for your business in the DRC, who it is for, how to register it at $25 a year, and how to manage and protect it. 4 min read · Read the guide → Domains

Transfer a domain name

Conditions, EPP code, unlocking, timing and the mistakes to avoid: how to transfer your domain name to GrowHosting without your site or e-mail going down. 4 min read · Read the guide → Domains

DNS explained simply

What DNS is, how nameservers work, what A, CNAME, MX and TXT records do, how to edit them in cPanel and why propagation takes time. 4 min read · Read the guide → Getting started

Web hosting explained simply

What web hosting is, how it works and how to choose the right plan (shared, WordPress, VPS, dedicated) for your website, explained without jargon. 6 min read · Read the guide → Domains

How to choose a domain name

Seven criteria for a short, memorable domain name, which extension to choose (.cd, .com, .org, .net) and the good habits to keep after registration. 5 min read · Read the guide → E-mail

Create a professional e-mail address

Why an address such as contact@yourdomain.com builds trust, how to create it in cPanel, set it up on your phone and keep your e-mails out of spam. 5 min read · Read the guide → Security

SSL and HTTPS explained

What an SSL certificate does, why HTTPS is essential for trust and Google, and how to move your whole website to HTTPS for free with cPanel. 5 min read · Read the guide → Billing

Pay for your hosting by Mobile Money

Pay your GrowHosting invoices by Airtel Money, Orange Money, M-Pesa or Afrimoney: step-by-step guide, what to do if a payment fails and security rules. 5 min read · Read the guide →