Setting up a website can be challenging, especially for beginners. Cloudways simplifies this process by offering managed cloud hosting services that prioritize performance, simplicity, and scalability. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of registering for Cloudways, setting up your hosting environment, and integrating Elastic Email to handle your website’s transactional emails.

We’ll also show you how to bind your payment method and take advantage of their 25% discount for new users!

Why Choose Cloudways?

Cloudways combines high performance with user-friendly features, making it an ideal choice for hosting WordPress and WooCommerce websites. Here’s why it stands out:

• Blazing-Fast Speed: With advanced caching technologies like Varnish and Redis, your website loads quickly.
• No Technical Knowledge Needed: The platform manages servers for you, including backups, security, and updates.
• Flexible Pricing: Pay as you go—you only pay for the resources you use.
• Email Add-ons: Add affordable email services like Elastic Email or Rackspace to handle transactional and business emails.

Step-by-Step Guide to Set Up Cloudways Hosting

1. Register for Cloudways

Visit the Cloudways website.

Click on the “Start Free” button to sign up for a 3-day free trial.

Fill in your details (name, email, and password) and select your monthly hosting budget.

Enter the promo code tianwen to receive 25% off for three months when you upgrade.

Click Start Free to create your account.

2. Verify Your Account

After registering, you’ll receive an email to verify your account.

Follow the link in the email and provide any additional information requested.

Cloudways asks you for basic information like your website URL, contact number, the size of your organization, your role, a link to one of your social media profiles, and a short description of what you’ll use Cloudways for.

If you need help filling in the information, click on the little chat icon in the lower right corner of the screen to get in touch with Cloudways’ helpful customer support team.

Cloudways’ account verification team will review your information and approve your account. They officially state that it can take up to 1-2 business days, but I’ve found that it usually takes 3-4 hours to process a verification request, even on the weekend.

3. Create a New Server

Log in to your Cloudways dashboard.

Click Add Server and select an application (e.g., WordPress or WooCommerce).

Choose a cloud provider (e.g., DigitalOcean or AWS) and configure the server’s size and location.

Click Launch Now to deploy your server.

And in case you’re wondering what those little speedometer-like icons are, those represent high-performance DigitalOcean servers with better storage, memory, and processors.

You’ll be redirected to your Server Management page as Cloudways sets up your server. You’ll notice a new notification bar in your dashboard with a helpful countdown timer of the remaining time for your free trial.

The server setup time usually varies depending on the server size. On average, you can expect your server to be ready in 5-10 minutes.

Once the server is ready, Cloudways will notify you on your registered email address, and your new server will display in the Server management dashboard.

4. Bind Your Payment Method

To enable complete functionality and access advanced features (such as Elastic Email), you need to upgrade your account by binding a payment method.

How to Bind Your Payment Method:

Log in to your Cloudways dashboard and click Upgrade on the top navigation bar.

Fill in your billing information:

Country: Select your country of residence.

Address: Enter your billing address.

City/Postal Code/State: Provide the appropriate details.

Phone: Add a valid phone number.

Enter your payment details:

Credit/Debit Card Number

Expiry Date

CVC (3-digit security code)

Name on Card

Click Proceed to Payment Gateway to verify your card.

Authorize a small charge for verification (refunded within 1-3 business days).

Once you upgrade to a paid plan, the trial reminder will disappear from your account, and you’ll see a new banner inviting you to try Cloudways’ updated interface.

5. Point Your Domain to Cloudways

To make your website accessible via a custom domain:

Before you update the DNS record, copy your server’s IP address from your Cloudways account. Your server’s IP address is on the Application Management page under Access Details > Application Credentials.

Update your domain’s DNS settings to point to your Cloudways server’s IP address.

Click on Add record.

You can create DNS records like A, CNAME, TXT, and MX here. You need to create two A records: one for @ (root domain) and one for www, both pointing to your server’s IP address.

Add your domain in the Domain Management section of your application settings.

Select Add Domain and enter two domain names: one with www (e.g., www.example.com) and one without www (e.g., example.com). This ensures that both versions of your domain are properly configured and accessible to users.

Select the three dots icon next to your domain and choose Make Primary. In the confirmation popup, select Set As Primary to confirm the action. It is recommended to set the www version of your domain as the primary domain, as it is widely recognized and ensures better compatibility and flexibility with certain CDN and DNS configurations.

6. Configure SSL

Cloudways automatically installs an SSL certificate for your website when you first set up your server and even after you update your domain name.

However, you can manually install a free Let’s Encrypt SSL if you’re having trouble accessing your website or want a new certificate. Here’s how.

Go to Applications > Application Management > SSL Certificate in your Cloudways hosting dashboard.

Select Let’s Encrypt as your certificate issuer, and enter your email address along with one of your domain names (either the www or non-www version). By default, you can add one domain name, but you can click the ADD DOMAIN option to include both the www and non-www versions of your domain to ensure both are secured with the SSL certificate.Make sure the domain name value is the same as your DNS record without “https” or special characters. Then, click Install Certificate.

Once Cloudways generates and installs your new SSL certificate, you’ll see a confirmation message and an auto-renewal option in the SSL Management area.

7. Launch Your Website

Test your website thoroughly to ensure everything is working.

Open PageSpeed Insights, paste your website URL in the URL field, and click Analyze.

Wait a few seconds as Google tests your page using a simulated mobile and desktop device.

Once satisfied, launch your website and start driving traffic!

Additional Tips for Cloudways Users

Billing and Payments

• Cloudways operates on a postpaid model, meaning you’ll be billed at the end of each month based on your usage.
• You can manage your payments and view your invoices under the Billing section.

Switch to the Unified Interface

Cloudways recently introduced an updated “Unified Interface” for a better user experience. Once you upgrade your account, you can switch to this interface to access features like Cloudflare Full Page Caching and advanced server cloning.

Claim Your 25% Discount

Don’t forget to use the promo code tianwen during registration to receive 25% off for the first three months of your hosting plan when you upgrade your account.

Conclusion

Cloudways makes it easy to host a WordPress or WooCommerce website without requiring technical expertise. From setting up your server to integrating Elastic Email for transactional emails, the platform is designed for beginners and professionals alike. With its flexible pricing, high performance, and robust features, Cloudways is a top choice for managed cloud hosting.

Ready to get started? Sign up for Cloudways today, and take your website to the next level!