Unlimited hosting accounts provide a great opportunity for first time website owners to benefit from an easy to use, capable hosting solution. At the same time, seasoned web masters can use unlimited shared hosting solutions in more advanced ways, such as hosting multiple domains on a single account. By hosting more than one domain on a single unlimited plan, you essentially get a powerful hosting solution that you can use for several projects, without any hassles.

Working with several domains on a single hosting solution has clear advantages. However, there are some downsides that you should know before opting for this solution. Below, we go over how you can set up several domains on one account, using cPanel, and then we will go through the pros and cons of multiple domains hosting, evaluating the technical and the financial aspects of hosting multiple domains.

Quickly set up several domains on one hosting account

Before opting for a hosting plan, make sure to check if the solution is truly unlimited and allows you to host more than one domain. Some providers advertise their hosting plans as unlimited, but they do not include multiple domains in the offer, meaning that you will only be able to associate one domain to the hosting account.

Assuming that you have a proper unlimited hosting account and you have already purchased the domains from a registrar, setting them up on your web hosting account is quick and easy. Go to your control panel (most hosts offer cPanel) and in the Domains section, click on the Addon Domains icon. In the next screen, you will see the addon domain creation interface, where you will need to complete the following fields:

• New Domain Name – the name of the domain that you want to host, e.g.: www.mysite.com
• Subdomain/FTP Username – the username for the account; it is completed automatically by cPanel and in most cases you can leave it as is.
• Document Root – the location of the folder where the files of the addon domain will be hosted; it is completed automatically by cPanel and in most cases, you can leave it as is.
• Password – the password that you will use to access the domain’s FTP account. Optionally, you can use the password generator button to create a strong password.
• Password (Again) – repeat the password to verify it.

After you fill in all the required fields, just click on the Add Domain button and you are done. You will see the newly created domain on the bottom of the page. If needed, you can modify, delete, or redirect a previously created domain. To create a website on the new domain, you can copy the files in its subfolder, or you can install WordPress or another web application.

Once you have created the addon domain in cPanel, all you need to do is to point the domain to the hosting server. You can do this in the administration interface of your registrar, by changing the name server addresses with the one provided by your hosting provider. After you complete this task, you may need to wait a few hours for the name server modification to propagate and you are finished. You now have two domains hosted on a single hosting account.

Benefits and drawbacks of setting multiple domains on one hosting account

Using a single account to host more than one domain certainly makes sense from an economical perspective – you pay the same fee, no matter if you host one site or ten sites. Thus, with a relatively modest investment, you can host many websites, simply and conveniently.

Another advantage of hosting multiple domains on one account is you can manage them from a single interface. Just go to cPanel and select the domain that you want to work with, without having to memorize numerous URLs, usernames, and passwords. Nevertheless, all domains are independent from each other, having their own URLs, email accounts, or structure.

The drawbacks of having several websites on one account comes from the same aspect that makes multiple domain hosting attractive: all your web properties are on a single server. It is the proverbial “all eggs in one basket” situation. If for one reason or another, the server becomes unavailable (technical failure, account suspension, the host goes bankrupt) all of your websites will become unavailable. Another issue to consider is SEO – when you host all your websites on one server, you may not get any PageRank boost from crosslinking between them.

To conclude, you need to carefully balance the advantages and disadvantages that come with multiple domain hosting. If you are willing to accept the risk of keeping all your websites on one server, multiple domains hosting can be an excellent solution.

Have questions about hosting multiple domains on one account?

At GlowHost, we can help you resolve all your questions. Whether you have questions regarding hosting multiple domains on one account or you want to learn more about hosting multiple websites in general, the GlowHost team is ready to help.

To learn more about hosting multiple domains on one hosting account visit www.glowhost.com or call 1-888-293-4678 for more information.