cPanel

Publish a quick placeholder website with cPanel Site Publisher

Create a simple one-page site, 'coming soon' page or business card in minutes with cPanel Site Publisher templates, and replace it later with your real website.

BeginnercPanel hosting2 min read

A new domain that shows an empty folder or a 403 error looks unfinished. Site Publisher in cPanel publishes a simple, mobile-friendly page from a template in a few minutes: a "coming soon" notice, an about-me page or a digital business card. It is ideal while your real website is being built.

Before you start

  • The domain is added in cPanel and points to MdmHost. See add a domain.
  • Have your texts ready: name, short description, contact email, phone and social links.
  • Site Publisher writes an index.html into the domain's document root. If a site is already there, it would be overwritten, so only use it on an empty or placeholder domain.

Publish a page

  1. Open cPanel → Domains → Site Publisher.
  2. Select a domain: click the domain you want. cPanel warns you if the document root already contains files.
  3. Select a template, for example Under Construction, About Me, Business or Personal. Click Show preview to see it.
  4. Customize and publish: fill in the fields (title, description, email, phone, social profile URLs, and for some templates opening hours or an address).
  5. Click Publish. cPanel confirms and shows a link to view the site.

Tip: Use a contact email on your own domain, e.g. info@example.com, so the page looks professional. Create the mailbox first.

Edit the page later

Open Site Publisher again, choose the same domain and template, change the fields and click Publish. The previous version is replaced.

Replace it with your real website

  • Install WordPress or another app with Softaculous. Softaculous may complain that the folder is not empty; delete the Site Publisher files (index.html and the template's asset folder) first, or tick the overwrite option if you are sure.
  • Or upload your own site with File Manager or FTP; your index.php or new index.html replaces the placeholder.

Secure it

Check that the domain has a free SSL certificate in Security → SSL/TLS Status and switch on Force HTTPS Redirect in Domains, so the page opens on https://. See force HTTPS.

Troubleshooting

  • Old page still showing: browser or LiteSpeed cache. Open the site in a private window.
  • Domain not listed: it is not added to this cPanel account, or it is an alias sharing the main document root.
  • Site Publisher missing: the feature is disabled for your package; ask support or use a simple HTML file instead.

Next steps

Was this guide helpful?

Still stuck?

Ask MdmHost AI for a quick answer, or open a ticket and our team will take a look. We are here 24/7.

Ask MdmHost AIOpen a ticket

Related guides