You have registered your SakuraHost account, chosen a hosting plan, and connected your domain. Now it's time for the exciting part — building your website. This comprehensive guide walks you through setting up your first website on SakuraHost, from installing a content management system (CMS) to publishing your first page. Even if you have never built a website before, you can follow these steps to get online within the hour.
Choosing Your Website Platform
Before creating your website, you need to decide on a platform. SakuraHost supports one-click installation of over 400 applications through Softaculous in cPanel. Here are the most popular options for businesses in Tanzania:
WordPress (Recommended for Most Users)
WordPress powers over 40% of all websites on the internet. It is free, open-source, and extremely flexible with thousands of themes and plugins available. WordPress is ideal for business websites, blogs, portfolios, and even e-commerce stores (with WooCommerce). The official WordPress documentation is an excellent companion resource as you build your site.
Joomla
A powerful CMS suitable for complex websites, online magazines, and community portals. Joomla offers more built-in features than WordPress but has a steeper learning curve.
OpenCart / PrestaShop
Dedicated e-commerce platforms for businesses focused primarily on online selling. These offer advanced inventory management, payment gateway integration, and shipping calculators out of the box.
Static HTML Website
If you or your developer has built a website using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, you can upload it directly to cPanel without installing any CMS.
Installing WordPress via Softaculous
Log in to cPanel through your SakuraHost client area by clicking "Login to cPanel" on your service management page. If you need help with this, read How to Access cPanel for the First Time.
In cPanel, scroll down to the Software section and click "Softaculous Apps Installer". You can also search for "Softaculous" in the cPanel search bar at the top of the page.
In the Softaculous dashboard, WordPress typically appears as the first featured application. Click on the WordPress icon, then click the "Install" button.
Fill in the installation form carefully:
- Choose Protocol: Select
https://(always use HTTPS for security — your free SSL certificate handles this). - Choose Domain: Select the domain where you want to install WordPress from the dropdown.
- In Directory: Leave this blank to install WordPress on your main domain (yourdomain.co.tz). If you enter a directory name like "blog", WordPress will be installed at yourdomain.co.tz/blog instead.
- Site Name: Enter your business name or website title (e.g., "Your Business Name").
- Site Description: A short tagline for your website.
- Admin Username: Choose a username for the WordPress admin account. Do NOT use "admin" — this is a common security risk. Use something unique like your first name or a business abbreviation.
- Admin Password: Set a strong password (mix of letters, numbers, and symbols).
- Admin Email: Enter a monitored email address for WordPress notifications.
- Language: Select your preferred language.
Scroll to the bottom and click "Install". Softaculous will automatically create the database, configure WordPress, and set up your website. The process takes about 30-60 seconds.
After installation, Softaculous displays two important URLs:
- Website URL: https://yourdomain.co.tz — This is your public website.
- Admin URL: https://yourdomain.co.tz/wp-admin — This is your WordPress administration panel where you manage content, appearance, and settings.
Essential First Steps After WordPress Installation
Your WordPress site is now live, but there are several important configurations to complete before you start publishing content:
1. Log In to WordPress Admin
Visit https://yourdomain.co.tz/wp-admin and log in with the admin username and password you set during installation.
2. Configure Permalink Settings
Navigate to Settings > Permalinks and select "Post name". This creates clean, SEO-friendly URLs like yourdomain.co.tz/about-us instead of yourdomain.co.tz/?p=123. Click Save Changes. Google's URL structure guidelines explain why clean URLs matter for search rankings.
3. Choose and Install a Theme
Go to Appearance > Themes > Add New. Browse the free theme directory or search for themes suited to your industry. Popular options for business websites include Astra, GeneratePress, and Flavor. Click "Install" then "Activate" to apply your chosen theme.
4. Install Essential Plugins
Navigate to Plugins > Add New and install these recommended plugins:
- Yoast SEO or Rank Math — Search engine optimization tools to help your site rank in Google.
- UpdraftPlus — Automatic website backup plugin.
- Wordfence or Sucuri Security — Website security and firewall.
- WPForms Lite — Easy contact form builder.
- WP Super Cache or LiteSpeed Cache — Page caching for faster load times.
5. Create Your Core Pages
Every business website should have at minimum these pages:
- Home — Your landing page introducing your business.
- About Us — Your company story, team, and mission.
- Services / Products — What you offer and pricing.
- Contact — Your address, phone number, email, and a contact form.
Go to Pages > Add New to create each page. Use the WordPress block editor (Gutenberg) to add text, images, buttons, and other content blocks.
6. Set Your Homepage
By default, WordPress shows your latest blog posts on the front page. To use a static homepage instead, go to Settings > Reading, select "A static page", and choose your Home page from the dropdown. Click Save Changes.
7. Configure Your Menu
Go to Appearance > Menus, create a new menu, add your pages to it, and assign it to the "Primary Menu" location. This creates the navigation bar visitors see at the top of your website.
Uploading a Custom HTML Website
If you have a pre-built website (HTML/CSS/JS files), you can upload it directly:
- Open File Manager in cPanel.
- Navigate to the
public_htmldirectory. - Delete the default
index.htmlif one exists. - Click Upload and upload your website files. Your main page should be named
index.html. - If you have many files, upload them as a .zip archive and extract them within File Manager.
You can also upload files via FTP using a client like FileZilla. Create FTP credentials in cPanel under Files > FTP Accounts, then connect using your domain, username, and password on port 21 (or 990 for FTPS).
What's Next?
With your website live, consider these next steps:
- Set up professional email accounts through cPanel (e.g., info@yourdomain.co.tz).
- Register your site with Google Search Console to monitor your search presence.
- Connect your business to Sakura SMS for customer communication and marketing.
- If you need help at any point, see SakuraHost Support: How to Get Help and Submit Tickets.