UPLOAD YOUR SITE

Upload your site: guides by host

The site you own is one flat zip: index.html at the top, one CSS file, your photos. These are the screens of each host; your account shows the same steps with your own file names.

your Plesk host

where you pay for hosting → Plesk → Websites & Domains → Files → httpdocs

  1. 1. Open Plesk's File Manager

    Sign in to Plesk (your host's Windows or Plesk hosting). Under Websites & Domains click Files (File Manager) and open httpdocs: that is the web folder.
    your Plesk host · Websites & DomainsWebsites & Domainsyourbusiness.comFilesanother-domain.comFilesexample-store.netFilesclick Files on your domainSchematic of your Plesk host's screen — labels may differ slightly.
  2. 2. Back up first

    Select every file and folder in httpdocs → Archive → Add to Archive → name it old-site-backup → then select the archive → Download.
    your Plesk host · File Manager › httpdocsFile Manager › httpdocs/httpdocsUploadExtractMoveCompressDownloadSettings📁old-site📁photos📄index.html📄site.css📄about.htmlCompress, then Download the zipSchematic of your Plesk host's file manager — the buttons may sit elsewhere; the names are the usual ones.
  3. 3. Move the old site out of the web folder

    Go up one level (the folder that holds httpdocs), + → Create Directory → old-site. Back in httpdocs select everything → Move → old-site.
    your Plesk host · File Manager › httpdocsFile Manager › httpdocs/httpdocsUploadExtractMoveCompressDownloadSettings📁wp-admin📁wp-content📄.htaccess📄index.php📄wp-config.phpMove everything to your home folder (one level above httpdocSchematic of your Plesk host's file manager — the buttons may sit elsewhere; the names are the usual ones.
  4. 4. Upload the zip and extract it

    In httpdocs click + → Upload File → yourbusiness-remo.zip. Select the zip → Extract Files. The zip is flat: index.html lands in httpdocs. Delete the zip.
    your Plesk host · File Manager › httpdocsFile Manager › httpdocs/httpdocsUploadExtractMoveCompressDownloadSettings🗜yourbusiness-remo.zip📁old-siteUpload yourbusiness-remo.zip, then Extract hereSchematic of your Plesk host's file manager — the buttons may sit elsewhere; the names are the usual ones.
  5. 5. Make sure index.html is the front page

    Look in httpdocs for an old index.php, index.htm, default.html or default.php. If one is still there, move it into old-site: a server shows those before index.html. httpdocs/index.html must sit directly in httpdocs, not inside a folder.
    your Plesk host · File Manager › httpdocsFile Manager › httpdocs/httpdocsUploadExtractMoveCompressDownloadSettings📄index.html📄site.css📄about.html📄contact.html📁photosindex.html at the root, no index.php leftSchematic of your Plesk host's file manager — the buttons may sit elsewhere; the names are the usual ones.
  6. 6. Open your site

    Open https://yourbusiness.com in a private window and click a few menu links. If the old site still shows, press Ctrl+F5; if it still does, an old index.php or index.htm is left in httpdocs (previous step).
    Open your siteA private browser window🔒 https://yourbusiness.com/Your new home pageindex.html, served from your own hostingpadlock + the new site = doneThis is what you are aiming for: your domain, the padlock, the new site.
  7. 7. Keep the padlock (HTTPS)

    Websites & Domains → SSL/TLS Certificates → install the free Let's Encrypt certificate; then, under Hosting Settings, turn on the redirect from HTTP to HTTPS. If the site opens as http:// without the padlock, ask me in the chat for the three-line .htaccess redirect, or turn on your host's Force HTTPS switch.
    your Plesk host · HTTPSHTTPShttps://yourbusiness.com 🔒Certificate: valid(http:// should forward to https://)Schematic of your Plesk host's screen.

Watch out

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