← penichecomms.ca Open the Website Builder →

Your website, online

Three short sessions, about 45 minutes in total. Do them all today, or one at a time: we email you each step a few days apart after you buy.

Before you start, you'll need
1

Export and upload

About 20 minutes

This puts your site online.

  1. In Tools Studio, open your site in the Website Builder and go to Export.
  2. Fix anything in the “things still to fill in” box (or export anyway; they show as placeholders).
  3. Tick the box confirming the content is yours, then press Download site (.zip).
  4. Unzip the file on your computer.
The Website Builder's Export page: a live preview of the site on the left; on the right, a list of things still to fill in, each with a Fix in editor link, and the Download site (.zip) button.
The Export page. The box on the right lists anything still to fill in; the Download button is below it.

Inside the zip you'll find three things. Each one goes to a different place:

Where each part of the zip goes The contents of public_html go into your hosting's public_html folder. vault.php goes in the folder above public_html. README.md stays on your computer. YOUR ZIP (on your computer) 📁 public_html/ your pages, images, settings 🔒 vault.php private passwords and keys 📄 README.md this guide, in short YOUR HOSTING (File Manager) 📁 yourdomain.ca/ 🔒 vault.php 📁 public_html/ index.php, images, includes/, data/ … README.md stays on your computer what's INSIDE it one level ABOVE
Upload what's inside public_html, not the folder itself. vault.php goes one level above it, where the public can't reach.
  1. In your hosting, open File Manager and find your domain's public_html folder (sometimes www or htdocs). On Hostinger: Websites → your site → File Manager.
  2. Open the public_html folder inside your zip, select everything in it, and upload it into your hosting's public_html. Keep the folders as they are.
  3. Go up one level and upload vault.php there.
  4. If your host left a placeholder page (index.html or default.php), delete it.
  5. Visit your domain.
You'll know it worked when your site shows at your domain.
Host won't let you go above public_html? Put vault.php inside public_html instead. It still works, and the site's settings block it from the web.
Keep the zip. It's your backup, and Page Editor uses it when you change the site later.
2

Connect your email

About 15 minutes

Your Contact form works straight away using your host's basic mail, but those messages often land in spam. A mailbox on your own domain fixes that.

  1. At your host, create an email account on your domain, for example hello@yourbusiness.ca. Keep its password in a password manager.
  2. Find its outgoing mail (SMTP) details (see the table).
  3. In File Manager, right-click vault.php → Edit, and fill in the Email sending section. Save.
  4. In public_html/config.php, set MAIL_FROM to the same address if it isn't already.
  5. Send yourself a message through your Contact form.
Setting in vault.phpHostingerOther hosts
SMTP_HOSTsmtp.hostinger.comLook under “Email → Connect devices” or “Mail client settings”
SMTP_PORT465
SMTP_SECUREssl
SMTP_USERThe full email address
SMTP_PASSThat mailbox's password
The Email sending section of vault.php, filled in Five lines, each with a setting name and a value between quote marks: SMTP_HOST smtp.hostinger.com, SMTP_PORT 465, SMTP_SECURE ssl, SMTP_USER hello@yourbusiness.ca, SMTP_PASS the mailbox password. vault.php (File Manager → Edit) // ---- Email sending ---- define('SMTP_HOST', 'smtp.hostinger.com'); define('SMTP_PORT', 465); define('SMTP_SECURE', 'ssl'); define('SMTP_USER', 'hello@yourbusiness.ca'); define('SMTP_PASS', 'your mailbox password');
Type only between the quote marks, and keep the quote marks. (Example values; use your own.)
You'll know it worked when you see a thank-you message and the email arrives within a minute. The first time, check spam and mark it “not spam”.
vault.php is private. Never email it or paste what's in it anywhere.
3

Check everything

About 10 minutes

Six checks on your live site before you tell anyone.

All six ticked? You're live. Add your site to your Google Business Profile, your social media bios and your email signature.
+

Changes and safety

For later

Changing text or photos

  1. Open Page Editor in Tools Studio.
  2. Upload your site's zip and make the change.
  3. Export, then upload the new public_html contents over the old ones.
  4. Leave vault.php where it is.

Don't edit pages by hand

If you plan to use Page Editor, edit there. Hand edits are overwritten the next time you upload an export.

Keep it safe

  • Keep the latest zip in a safe place (a cloud drive is fine).
  • Use a strong, unique hosting password and turn on two-step login.
  • Never share vault.php. If it leaks, change the passwords in it.

If something's not right

Blank page or “500 error”
Check your host runs PHP 7.4 or newer, and that you uploaded what's inside public_html, not the folder itself.
“Page not found” on every page except the home page
The .htaccess file didn't upload; some computers hide it. In File Manager, turn on “Show hidden files” and check it's in public_html.
The Contact form says it couldn't send
Check NOTIFY_EMAIL and MAIL_FROM in config.php are real addresses. If you filled in the email section, double-check the host, port (465 with ssl, 587 with tls), the full email address and the password. Wait 20 seconds between tests: the form allows one message per visitor every 20 seconds.
Messages land in spam
Fill in the Email sending section (stage 2) so mail comes from your own mailbox, and make sure MAIL_FROM is on your own domain.
Images are missing
Check the image files uploaded next to your pages, with the same names and folders as in the zip.

Rather not do this part?

Peniche Communications sets these sites up every day. Send us your domain and what you're seeing, or ask about hosting where we do all of it for you.

Get help

Peniche Communications · Edmonton, Alberta · Back to top