Connect your domain to your web hosting

When IT Solver sets up web hosting for you, your domain must point to that hosting before visitors see your new website. The dashboard can make the DNS changes and set up the security certificate for you.

Before you start

• You must be an Owner, IT manager or Web designer of your business in the dashboard. The Billing only role cannot connect a website. See What each dashboard role can do.
• This is for cPanel web hosting from IT Solver. Websites that IT Solver hosts on CloudCannon do not use Connect website. To connect those, contact us.
• Your web hosting must be active. If you do not have hosting yet, see Get new web hosting.
• The DNS for your domain must be managed by IT Solver. If it is not, see Change nameservers or move your DNS to IT Solver. If you just moved your DNS to IT Solver, wait until the move is complete and the security certificate for your domain is ready before you connect. This can take some time after the move.

Get new web hosting

1. Sign in at dashboard.itsolver.net. You can also type dashboard.itsolver.net into your browser.
2. In the sidebar, select Web Hosting.
3. Select Get help. This opens the Tech Support page.
4. Contact IT Solver from that page, or email support@itsolver.net. Tell us which domain the website is for.
5. When IT Solver sends the invoice, pay it from the invoice email or from Billing.

Only an Owner, IT manager or Billing only user can open Billing. If you are a Web designer, you cannot open Billing. Ask an Owner, IT manager or Billing only user to pay the invoice.

Web hosting starts after IT Solver confirms payment. Payment by card is the fastest. We match bank transfers automatically at 9:15 am Brisbane time each day. For faster setup after a bank transfer, email support@itsolver.net and we can match your payment. To see our bank details, select Billing. Then, under Wallet, select Bank transfer. If you have not seen these bank details before, please verify them by calling 07 3123 6000 and choosing menu 1. See Pay by bank transfer.

Connect your domain to your hosting

The Connect website button shows only when your domain does not point to your hosting yet. If you do not see Connect website and your domain does not show your new website, contact us and tell us the domain name.

1. In the sidebar, select Web Hosting.
2. Find your website in Websites. The row shows Web hosting and your domain name.
3. Select Connect website. The dashboard reads your current DNS records and hosting, then shows Confirm website connection.
4. Read Remove records. These are the records that the dashboard deletes, usually the records that point to your old website.
5. Read Add records. These are the new records. They point your domain and the www address to your hosting. They can also include SPF, DKIM and DMARC records, so that email sent by your website is trusted.
6. Read the AutoSSL notes. AutoSSL gets the security certificate for your website. It runs for the whole hosting account, so it can also update certificates for other names on that account.
7. Select the box I confirm these exact DNS and AutoSSL changes for your domain.
8. Select Connect website.

The preview expires after 15 minutes. The dashboard makes only the changes in the preview. If your DNS or hosting changes before you confirm, the dashboard asks you to preview again.

Track the connection

After you confirm, the dashboard shows four steps: DNS, Certificate, Proxy and Check. The status updates every 5 seconds while the page is open. You can close the page. The connection continues, and the status shows when you come back.

While the steps run, the badge shows In progress. The certificate step can take up to 90 minutes. The result is one of these:

• Complete: your domain points to your hosting and the certificate is installed. Select Visit website to check it.
• Rolled back: a step failed. The dashboard put your previous DNS records back. You cannot try again from the dashboard. Contact us.
• Needs attention: a step failed and the dashboard could not safely undo all changes. Contact us.

To see all DNS records for the domain, select View DNS records. See Add, change or delete DNS records.

Change the temporary landing page

After the connection is complete, your domain can show a temporary landing page while IT Solver prepares your WordPress website. The page shows your business name, email and phone number. WordPress replaces this page automatically.

1. In the sidebar, select Web Hosting.
2. Find your website in Websites.
3. Select Edit temporary page. If the Temporary landing page section is already open, go to the next step.
4. Change Business name, Email or Phone number.
5. Select Update temporary page. The dashboard shows Temporary landing page updated.

You can update the page up to 10 times in one hour. The business name can have up to 120 characters. When WordPress is active, you cannot change the temporary page. The dashboard then shows that the temporary landing page is no longer shown.

Check if your website is online

If IT Solver monitors your website, its row shows Online or Needs attention. Select View status to open the status page for your website. If you do not see a badge, monitoring is not on for that website.

Examples

Your new hosting is ready, but your domain still shows the old website

The row for your website shows Connect website.

To fix it: do the steps in Connect your domain to your hosting. Check the records in Remove records before you confirm.

The dashboard says the domain redirects to another website

The row for your website shows: This domain redirects to another website. Check what is required before you connect this hosting service. When you select Connect website, you see: This domain redirects to another website. Remove the redirect before you connect this hosting service.

To fix it: if the domain has forwarding in the dashboard, remove it. See Forward your domain to another website. Then refresh the page and select Connect website again. If the domain has no forwarding in the dashboard, the redirect is on your old website. Contact us and tell us the domain name.

You waited too long before you confirmed

You select Connect website and see: This preview expired. Preview the current changes again.

To fix it: refresh the page, select Connect website, read the new preview and confirm within 15 minutes.

You just moved your DNS and the connection could not be verified

You select Connect website and see: The website connection could not be verified. Try again or get help.

To fix it: the security certificate for your domain is not ready yet. Wait one hour, then refresh the page and select Connect website again. If you still see the message the next day, contact us and tell us the domain name.

The temporary page shows an old phone number

Customers see an old number on your domain while your new website is being built.

To fix it: do the steps in Change the temporary landing page.

Still have a problem?

The dashboard can show: The website connection could not be verified. Try again or get help. Right after a DNS move, this message usually means that the security certificate is not ready yet. Refresh the page and select Connect website again. If you see the same message, contact us and tell us the domain name.

Questions? Email support@itsolver.net or phone 07 3123 6000.