Frequently asked questions

How do I get my hosting login?

Your username and password are emailed to you the moment your account is provisioned — usually within seconds of payment. Check spam if you don't see it within a few minutes. You can also find your control panel username on your My Orders page.

Where do I log in to manage my site?

Use the "Control Panel" link in the site navigation, or the "open panel" link next to your order — both take you to the same login page. That's a separate login from your store account, using the username/password from your welcome email.

Do I use an A record?

No — don't use a plain A record for your domain. Our server's IP address can change, and a plain A record would silently stop working (and stop getting SSL renewals) whenever that happens, with nothing to alert you. Use the CNAME approach below instead, which stays correct automatically.

Setting up a subdomain (e.g. www.yourdomain.com)

Add a CNAME record at your domain's DNS provider:

This works with any DNS provider and needs nothing further from you — it'll keep resolving correctly even if our server's IP changes.

Setting up your root domain (e.g. yourdomain.com, no "www")

This is the trickier one — DNS standards don't actually allow a CNAME record on a bare root domain. The clean, free fix is to use Cloudflare as your domain's DNS provider (their free plan is enough):

1. Sign up at Cloudflare and add your domain (it's free).
2. Update your domain's nameservers at your registrar to the two Cloudflare nameservers it gives you (takes a few hours to fully propagate).
3. In Cloudflare's DNS settings, add a CNAME record with name @ and target host.rkzhosting.com.

Cloudflare automatically turns that into a working root-domain record behind the scenes ("CNAME flattening") and keeps it correct even as our server's IP changes over time — you never have to touch it again.

My DNS provider supports "ALIAS" or "ANAME" records — can I use that instead?

Yes — if your existing DNS provider (e.g. DNSimple, DNS Made Easy, Route 53) offers an ALIAS or ANAME record type, you can use that instead of moving to Cloudflare. Point it at host.rkzhosting.com the same way as the CNAME above.

How long until my domain and SSL work?

DNS changes can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours to propagate globally. Once your domain is correctly pointed, we automatically request a free SSL certificate for it — this happens on its own and needs nothing further from you, but it can only succeed once your DNS is actually live.

What's the difference between "pay once" and "auto-renew"?

Pay once covers a fixed period (a month or a year, depending on the plan you choose) and simply expires at the end — nothing is charged again automatically. Auto-renew charges the same amount automatically at the end of each period via PayPal, so your hosting never lapses.

How do I turn auto-renew on or off?

Go to My Orders and use the switch in the "Auto-renew" column. Turning it off doesn't cancel anything immediately — your hosting stays active for the period you've already paid for, it just won't renew automatically after that. Turning it back on takes effect right away and doesn't require paying or approving anything again, since it's the same subscription, just resumed.

Can I get a refund?

See our Refund Policy for the details.

How do I change my control panel password?

Log in, go to the "User" icon in the top right, and choose "Change password."

How do I create an email address on my domain?

Go to the "Mail" tab, select your domain, and click "Add Mail Account." You can then set up that inbox in any email app using the server settings shown there.

How do I install WordPress?

Go to your domain under the "Web" tab, and look for the one-click app installer. It handles the WordPress install and database setup automatically.

How do I access my database (phpMyAdmin)?

Go to the "DB" tab to create a database and user, then use the phpMyAdmin link shown there to manage it directly.

How do I check my disk space and bandwidth usage?

Your current usage is shown at the top of every page in the control panel, right next to your username.

Are backups included?

Yes — automatic backups run on a schedule and are listed under the "Backup" tab, where you can also restore from one if you ever need to.

Something's not working — what do I do?

Reach out via our Support page with your domain and a description of what's happening, and we'll take a look.