Why choose our Cloud Shared? More than 1800 hosted domains

If I already have a website, can I transfer it to your web hosting? Moving your website to Instant is a simple process. If you have access to your existing website files, you can upload them through our Hosting Control Center or via an FTP client. If you don’t have a current copy of your website, you should be able to request one from your current website hosting provider. If you have any questions along the way, our 24/7 support team is here to assist you. We can help you determine the best method for transitioning your website to a Instant account.

How do I transfer my web pages to your server? If you’ve built your website in a HTML editor, like Dreamweaver or Microsoft Expression Studio, you have to upload your website files via FTP (File Transfer Protocol). We have a built-in FTP File Manager that you can access in our Hosting Control Center. However, if your files are larger than 20 MB, we recommend using the tool FileZilla, which works with Windows®, Mac®, and Linux® operating systems, or other third-party FTP clients.

What are the advantages of a Dedicated IP? Dedicated IP addresses are very exclusive and secure, while shared IP addresses are not. Most domain names share their IP addresses with hundreds of domain names. Therefore, if one domain name causes issues, all of the domain names can be impacted. Some search engines or ISPs will penalize an IP address if one of its domain names sends spam email. With a Dedicated IP, you can avoid the disadvantages that come with sharing your IP address with other users. Online experts believe that a static IP or Dedicated IP address can boost search engine ranking results. Search engines like unique addresses because your domain name isn't associated with or connected to other domain names.

Why would I need a Dedicated IP? There are many reasons for needing a Dedicated IP address. For example:

• Direct Access - With a Unique IP address, you can view your website using a hosting IP address, or you can have direct access to your website's files using FTP or a Web browser. Updating DNS – When you update your domain name's DNS, your site becomes inaccessible for 24-48 hours. This can cause major issues for you if you need to FTP or preview any changes. With a unique address (Dedicated IP), you can upload content and preview your website with no problems! All you need to do is type your Dedicated IP address into your browser and your site will come up.
• SSL Certificates – SSL certificates require a Dedicated IP address. A website that requests personal or payment information should have SSL protection, but SSLs require a static IP (Dedicated IP) to work. With a Dedicated IP, you are able to set up an SSL that redirects your visitors through an encrypted hosting connection. (Our SSL certificates include a Dedicated IP, so you do not need to purchase a Dedicated IP credit separately if you are adding a certificate to your site on your shared hosting account.)

Some websites need particular components to function correctly. Check this list to make sure your hosting has what you need. If you need more information about your hosting account, see What type of hosting account do I have?

Component	Classic		Web		cPanel	Plesk
	Linux	Windows	Linux	Windows
Access Databases	-	✓	-	-	-	-
AJAX	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
ASP (.NET, AJAX)	-	✓	-	✓	-	✓
CGI	✓+	-	✓+	-	✓	✓
cURL	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Cron Jobs	✓	-	✓	-	✓	-
FrontPage Extensions	✓	✓	-	-	-	-
FTP over SSL	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
ionCube	✓	-	✓	-	✓	-
mod_rewrite	✓	-	✓	-	✓	-
Microsoft URL Rewrite Module	-	✓	-	✓	-	✓
MS SQL	-	✓	-	✓	-	✓
MySQL	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Perl	✓+	-	✓+	-	✓	✓
PHP	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Python	✓+	-	✓+	-	✓	✓
Raw Access Logs	✓	-	✓	-	✓	✓
Server Error Logs	✓	-	✓	-	✓	-
Service Side Includes (SSI)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓

If you've already decided you need a hosting account, you might get slipped up when you get asked, "Linux or Windows?" Fortunately, there isn't a big difference between them and either type of account works for most customers. To make sure you do get the right type of account, though, you should choose the type of hosting account you want based on how you're building your site.

Development Tool	Linux	Windows
WordPress® or other Web apps	✓	-
Dreamweaver or other WYSIWYG apps	✓	-
PHP, MySQL, CGI, Python, or Perl	✓	-
ASP, ASP.NET, MS SQL	-	✓
ASP, ASP.NET and PHP, MySQL	-	✓
I have no idea what any of this means	✓	-

It's important to note that these are just our recommendations. Windows accounts will actually support most of these development tools (more info), but Linux hosting best fits most customers hosting needs.

What kind of web hosting do I need? We offer both Windows and Linux hosting. Which one you need depends on what you want to do with your site, like whether you want to create a shopping cart or add a blog. If you're not sure if you need Windows or Linux, you can always call  Instant support team. We're here to help 24/7. The link below offers a simple, step-by-step guide to picking the best web hosting package for your site. Our different packages to find one that fits the size of your website and the traffic it generates. And as always, our award-winning 24/7 support can answer any of your questions. For more information, see Should I choose a Windows or Linux hosting account?