Knowledge Base
Need some help? Check our knowledge base
Search our knowledge base for answers to our most frequently asked questions.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for, you can use one of the following links to contact us:
Do you have a pre-sale question or general enquiry? Click here to contact us.
Need help with your existing hosting account? Click here to submit a support ticket.
Common questions
A web hosting service allows you to store your web files through high-powered network of computers called web servers. In simple terms, we are providing you with the resources to power your website on the world wide web.
Think of web hosting as renting a piece of land to build an online presence. When you buy web hosting you are buying space and resources on a server needed to build and present a website.
Your web hosting requirements will depend on the amount of resources or level of customisation that you require for your website.
For basic websites, we suggest that you to start with either our Personal or Everyday plans.
Our plans are scaleable, so you can easily upgrade to a bigger hosting account if you find you need more resources.
n addition to a hosting plan, you need a domain name to act as the address for your website.
You’ll need a website! You can hire a web developer to build it for you. Otherwise, if you would like to try to create a website on your own, you can use our free WordPress guides, resources to kick-start your online presence.
Once you submit your order, it’s sent to our support team.
They check you order and make sure you’ve provided all the required information, then they create your hosting account.
The turnaround time for orders made during business hours is approximately one hour. Orders made outside of business hours are normally fulfilled within a few hours.
You will receive a confirmation email when your order is completed.
cPanel is an industry-leading, web-based control panel for web hosting control.
It’s a one-stop-shop for easily creating email accounts, installing applications such as WordPress or Joomla, analyzing web and visitor statistics, and managing your overall web hosting environment.
cPanel also allows you to manage your files, databases and domains.
If you can’t access your site or email, please go to https://downforeveryoneorjustme.com before contacting us for support. You may find that you are being blocked by our firewall, or there are issues you’re unaware of with your internet connection.
If the test does report that your site is down, please open a support ticket so we can investigate the issue for you.
If you can’t access your site or email, please go to https://downforeveryoneorjustme.com before contacting us for support. You may find that you are being blocked by our firewall, or there are issues you’re unaware of with your internet connection.
If the test does report that your site is down, please open a support ticket so we can investigate the issue for you.
Caching is storing copies of files in a cache, so that cached content can be accessed quickly.
Translation:
Each time you visit a website, a copies of the pages you view are stored on your computer. That way, when you want to view those pages again, you get shown the stored copy. This means you get to see the pages faster.
As the name implies, a sitemap maps out your website. It’s a single webpage outlining your websites structure, including sections and links.
Why does your website need a sitemap?
Simply put – your website needs a sitemap in order to be found in SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).
An XML sitemap helps search engines like Google and Bing easily understand your website’s structure while being crawled. And if your website has a complicated structure, or your website is new or has dynamic pages, a sitemap will greatly improve your ranking.
Not only that, you will have a list of all URLs from your website and you get crawl priority. While you are not penalized for not having an XML sitemap, it is an essential aspect of SEO.
How do sitemap errors affect your ranking?
Sitemap errors include compression error, empty sitemap, HTTP error, or incorrect namespace.
These errors can “dirty up” your sitemap, making your website harder to crawl. If certain pages cannot be crawled properly, then they cannot be indexed. If your pages aren’t indexed, you will not get favorable ranking in Google and lose out on lots of organic traffic.
SSL means Secure Socket Layer. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), are cryptographic protocols which provide secure communications on the Internet for such things as web browsing, e-mail, Internet faxing, instant messaging and other data transfers.
SSL is most commonly used in ecommerce, where a secure (https) connection must be established, for the movement of sensitive data between the user and the server.
Apache web server
A web server delivers web content to users (usually on their web browsers). Apache is a popular, feature-rich, and stable web server that Safe Web Hosting uses for almost all of its hosting packages.
Autoresponder
An autoresponder automatically sends an e-mail response to the message sender. One of the most well known examples of an autoresponder is the “Out of Office” message reply.
Backup
A backup is a copy of files or data. In the event of data loss or corruption, you can use a backup to restore the data.
Bandwidth
Bandwidth is the rate of data transfer. It is usually expressed as the amount of data transferred in a second, such as kilobits (KB) per second or gigabits (GB) per second.
Browser
A browser, or web browser, is a client application that parses HTML from a web server and displays it as a human-readable page. Polpular web browsers include Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Internet Explorer/Edge, and Apple Safari.
cPanel
cPanel is a web hosting control panel that enables you to quickly and easily configure many account settings. cPanel is included with all Safe Web Hosting packages.
DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service)
A DDoS attack occurs when multiple computers inundate a target system with network traffic. Depending on the target system’s configuration, it may be unable to handle the increased traffic, and site performance may suffer, or it may crash..
Dedicated server
A dedicated server is a separate physical server that hosts a single account. A dedicated server gives you complete control over the operating system, resource usage, and more. Because the server only hosts one dedicated account (as opposed to a shared hosting server, which hosts many accounts), web site performance is usually significantly faster. Dedicated servers are intended for customers who need a server with high availability and performance.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is an email authentication method designed to detect forged sender addresses in emails, (email spoofing), a technique often used in phishing and email spam. It’s used to verify that an incoming e-mail message is actually from the stated sender, and that the message has not been altered during transit. When DKIM is enabled, the sender digitally signs a message using a private key. The recipient uses DNS to retrieve the sender’s public key and verifies the message’s signature. If the signature is invalid, then the message is assumed to be forged and therefore spam.
Domain name
A domain name is a unique, human readable identifier for a website, such as safewebhosting.com.au. The domain name actually represents a numerical string (the IP address) that instructs a client where to access the actual server.
DNS (Domain Name System)
DNS (Domain Name System) is the service that translates human-readable domain names (such as example.com) into numerical IP addresses that computers can understand (such as 93.184.216.119). When you buy a domain name, either you or the hosting company creates a DNS record that associates the domain name with a numerical IP address. For more information about DNS, please see this article.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
FTP is a service for transferring files over the internet. By using an FTP client application such as FileZilla, you can upload (send) and download (receive) files from a remote server.
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)
HTML is the standard language used to create web pages. A web browser receives raw HTML from a web server, parses it, and displays a human-readable web page.
HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)
HTTP is the protocol used to transfer hypermedia (text, images, video, and more) across the internet. It is the basis for the World Wide Web (WWW), an interconnected collection of hypertext documents.
IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol)
IMAP is a protocol for authenticating to and retrieving messages from an e-mail server. With IMAP, you can use a client e-mail application such as Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird to retrieve and view your e-mail messages. For more information about IMAP, please see this article.
IP address
An IP address is a unique number assigned to a device on a network. A domain name is a human-readable label (such as example.com) that points to the actual numeric IP address that computers can understand.
JavaScript
JavaScript is a client-side scripting language that enables developers to add dynamic content to a web site. Because it is a client-side technology, it runs in the user’s web browser, not on the web server. Most web sites use at least some JavaScript.
Linux
Linux is a free and open source operating system similar in functionality to Unix. It is known for its stability and reliability, and is used in many computers around the world, particularly servers.
Mailing list
A mailing list enables you to send an e-mail message to multiple recipients at once. Mailing lists are commonly used to send announcements or to hold online discussions.
Managed hosting
Managed hosting is a type of web hosting where the provider, such as A2 Hosting, handles configuration changes, software upgrades, and other system administration tasks for the server. Shared hosting, reseller hosting, and managed VPS accounts are all types of managed packages. Managed hosting is a good choice if you do not feel comfortable administering an entire server yourself.
MySQL
MySQL is a popular database system included in all Safe Web Hosting packages. It is often used in conjunction with PHP to build a wide variety of web applications.
PHP
PHP is a free and open source scripting language that enables you to generate dynamic content by embedding code directly into the HTML of a web page.
POP (Post Office Protocol)
POP (Post Office Protocol) is a protocol for authenticating to and retrieving messages from an e-mail server. With POP, you can use a client e-mail application such as Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird to retrieve and view your e-mail messages.
Reseller hosting
On a reseller hosting package, the account owner hosts websites for other users. It is an easy way to start a company or provide hosting services for others, because reseller hosting includes all of the benefits of managed hosting.
Shared hosting
On a shared hosting package, the account shares server resources with other hosting accounts. It is an inexpensive way to run a web site, and includes all of the benefits of managed hosting.
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
SMTP is the standard protocol for sending and receiving e-mail messages.
Softaculous
The Softaculous Auto Installer is included with all Safe Web Hosting packages that have cPanel access. Softaculous enables you to install many popular web applications, such as WordPress and Drupal, with just a few clicks.
Spam
“Spam” is a common term for unsolicited bulk (junk) e-mail messages. There are various methods and techniques for trying to reduce the amount of spam in user inboxes, but currently none of them is 100% effective at blocking all spam and permitting all legitimate messages.
SPF (Sender Policy Framework)
SPF helps prevent spammers from forging messages that impersonate users from another domain. SPF uses DNS records that specify the mail servers and IP addresses on a domain that are authorized to send e-mail messages. SPF is often used in conjunction with DKIM.
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)
SSL is a mechanism for providing secure and authenticated communications across a network. It is often used by web servers and web browsers, but it can also be used by mail servers and clients, and other applications.
Top-level domain
The top-level domain is the right-most portion of a domain name. For example, in the domain name example.com, .com is the top-level domain. Other examples of top-level domains are .org, .net, .gov, and .edu, and there are many others.
Virtual Private Server
A virtual private server is a virtual machine that runs on a physical server with other virtual machines. Because the virtual machine functions as an independent computer, you have complete control over the operating system configuration, and you have root access (unless you are using a managed VPS). A virtual private server is less expensive than a dedicated server, and provides more flexibility and functionality than a shared hosting account.
Webmail
Webmail enables you to view and send e-mail messages from your web browser. This removes the need to install and configure a dedicated e-mail client application, such as Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird. It also means you can access your e-mail account from any internet-connected computer that has a web browser.
WordPress
WordPress is a popular open source blogging platform that is free and highly customizable. You can easily install WordPress on any Safe Web Hosting package, either by manual installation or Softaculous (if your account includes cPanel access).
How to guides
The issue:
Sometimes when you’re developing pages for your web site or configuring domain settings, your web browsers cache and cookies can cause some issues.
E.g. You might update one of your web pages. But when you go to view the new page in your web browser, you see the old (cached) version instead.
How to fix it:
You just need to clear your browsers cache and cookies.
Mozilla Firefox
1. On the History menu, click Clear Recent History. The Clear All History dialog appears.
2. In the Time range to clear box, select the length of time. We recommend that you choose Everything to clear your entire cache.
3. Under history, make sure you select the Cache check box.
4. To clear your cookies, select the Cookies check box.
5. Click Clear Now.
Microsoft Edge
1. Click the Microsoft Edge Settings icon (…), and then click Settings.
2. Under Clear browsing data, click Choose what to clear.
3. To clear your cookies, select the Cookies and saved website data check box.
4. To clear the cache, select the Cached data and files check box.
5. Click Clear.
Microsoft Internet Explorer
1. Access the Delete Browsing History dialog:
If you’re using Internet Explorer 8, on the Tools menu, click Delete Browsing History
If you’re using Internet Explorer 9 or 10, click the Internet Explorer – Settings icon, click Safety, and then click Delete browsing history
2. Clear the Preserve Favorites website data check box.
3. To clear the cache, select Temporary Internet files check box.
4. To clear the cookies, select the Cookies check box.
5. Click Delete.
Google Chrome
1. Click the Google Chrome Settings icon, click More tools, and then click Clear browsing data. The Clear browsing data dialog appears.
2. Click the Basic tab.
3. In the Time range list box, select the length of time to clear data. To clear the entire cache, select All time.
4. To clear the cookies, select the Cookies and other site data check box.
5. To clear the cache, select the Cached images and files check box.
6. Click Clear data.
Google Android
1. Start the web browser.
2. Tap the Settings icon, and then tap Settings.
3. Under Advanced, tap Privacy.
4. Tap Clear browsing data.
5. Tap the Basic tab.
6. In the Time range list box, select the length of time to clear data. To clear the entire cache, select All time.
7. To clear the cookies, select the Cookies, media licenses and other site data check box.
8. To clear the cache, select the Cached images and files check box.
9. Tap Clear data..
Apple Safari
Mac OS X version
1. On the Safari menu, click Clear History.
2. In the Clear list box, select the length of time to clear data. To clear the entire cache, select all history.
3. Click Clear History.
iOS
1. On the home screen, tap Settings, and then tap Safari.
2. Tap Clear History and Website Data.
3. To confirm, tap Clear History and Data.
Opera
1. In the left sidebar, click the O (menu) icon, and then click Settings.
2. Click Advanced, and then click Privacy & security.
3. Click Clear browsing data.
4. Click the Basic tab.
5. In the Time range list box, select the length of time to clear data. To clear the entire cache, select All time.
6. To clear the cookies, select the Cookies and other site data check box.
7. To clear the cache, select the Cached images and files check box.
8. Click Clear data.
What if my browser isn’t listed here?
We’ve listed all the popular web browsers here, but if you can’t find yours, you have two options:
1. All browsers should have a MENU or OPTIONS button of some sort. Just click on that and you should see a HELP option. Just click that to view the help documentation.
2. Do a Google search.
To get your website to work, you need to tell your domain name to “point” to the SafeWebHosting.com.au servers.
This is done by changing the DNS information for that domain name at your domain register (the company you used to buy your domain name).
You will need to access the domain registers website and login to their client area. To do this, you will need your username and password [check the email they sent you when you bought the domain name]
Then find the section that says something like “Change/Update DNS info” or “Manage nameservers”.
You then replace the information that is currently there with the nameserver information for Safe Web Hosting servers:
ns1.safewebhosting.com.au
ns2.safewebhosting.com.au
ns3.safewebhosting.com.au
By re-delegating the DNS information for your domain name, you are in effect hooking your domain name up with the SafeWebHosting.com.au servers, and all requests for your domain name will now be routed to the SafeWebHosting.com.au servers.
Note: Please be aware that It can take up to 24 hours for the change to take effect, and for your site to be accessible via your domain name. However, most changes tend to happen within an hour or two.
If you can’t find a Member’s section on the site that you purchased the domain name from, contact their support staff and tell them what you want to do.
