Control panels handle many tasks on a daily basis, and are even called the backbone of a website by many people. Most website owners know that a good control panel can simplify the site building and maintenance process, which increases productivity, but one advantageous aspect of a good control panel that is not commonly mentioned is the traffic analysis tools it provides. At first glance, traffic analysis and traffic generation appear to be two completely different subjects. However, the two are very closely related, as the results of traffic generation techniques can be greatly improved by the insight provided by traffic analysis. Since cPanel is the most commonly used control panel, it is only befitting to discuss the traffic analysis tools provided within this popular control panel, and how they can improve traffic generation.

Using Complex traffic Analysis Tools

The cPanel control panel comes with three incredibly useful traffic analysis tools; Webalizer, Awstats and Analog. All of these tools provide a different level of insight and can be used in various situations accordingly. The Analog tool is the hard est to use but provides the most comprehensive overview of website traffic analysis. Analog bears it’s name because it presents information in text format rather than images or graphs. If you can learn how to use Analog, then you won’t have any need for the other two tools provided in cPanel.

Using Basic Traffic Analysis Tools

If you are not interested in surpassing the steep learning curve for Analog, then you may want to try a simpler solution such as Awstats. Awstats is relatively easy to use and lets you schedule comprehensive analytical reports for maximum productivity. This tool is perfect for webmasters that are experimenting with more immediate forms of traffic generation such as social bookmarking. The final tool, Webalizer provides detailed traffic reports on a monthly basis via graphs. Although the reports are infrequent they provide great insight to the long term progress of your website.

Using the Analytical Data to Generate Traffic

Once you have learned how to use the tools mentioned above, you may wonder how you’re going to use the data to generate traffic. The answer is actually quite simple; you are going to remove most of the error from “trial and error!” Virtually all traffic generating techniques require patience, including search engine optimization. The problem is, it can be hard to find out what works and what doesn’t. Which could cause you to waste tie promoting methods that are ineffective. In order to get the best results possible out of your efforts, you’ll need to know how much traffic is coming in and where it is coming from. Once you have this information you can use it to scale up and create a formula that consistently brings your website the desired amount of traffic.

Many business owners do not realize that maintaining website performance is every bit as important as making the website appear to be professional. In fact, many site owners make the mistake of overloading their site with too much information and thereby hindering the speed and functionality of their website. While having complex flash presentations, eye-catching media, and other entertaining features on your website is optimal, it should not sacrifice the performance of your website. After all, how many people will want to stay at your site if all of these features are taking an hour to load? In order to crate a well balanced website and monitor the server load of your website you’ll need a competent control panel, and you’ll need to know how to use it as well.

Database Management

Managing databases and managing your website might as well be interchangeable phrases, as the databases of your website basically comprise it’s existence. Without the right database management skills, you could find yourself staring at a cluttered unorganized mess of date. Using a control panel to maintain cleaned and up to date databases is a good way to improve the speed of your website.  Using database servers like MySQL will let you use several databases for multiple reasons, thereby balancing some of the load placed on the web server. Using a control panel like cPanel will let you manage all of your databases with ease.

Controlling File Transfer Protocol

Uploading files to the server can be a daunting task, especially when you have a lot of content for your site. To lessen the amount of time it takes to upload, it is best to become familiar with your control panels FTP module. You’ll also want to outsource some of the work eventually, especially if you have people producing content for you in large quantities. A good control panel will let you create new FTP accounts for each user, so they can upload the content straight to the website, saving you a lot of time and frustration. Each FTP account can be given limitations or permissions that allow certain users to handle certain tasks. For example, a writer would only be able to upload written content to the site.

Analyzing Traffic with Your Control Panel

Another way to boost productivity and manage the loaf placed on your website is to use the traffic analyzing utilities that are included with your control panel. Using these tools you can find a plethora of statistics that lend insight to the nature of your website’s traffic. This information can help you make decisions in regards to upgrading your web hosting plan, and judging when it is time to expand your server capabilities. The number one reason why website owners suffer from poor website performance is because they fail to upgrade when it is time to do so. Staying on top of your website’s traffic habits not only lets you monitor your servers capability, but you’ll also be able to see what traffic generating techniques work for you by analyzing daily and weekly traffic statistics.

Understanding your website’s traffic is a crucial part of enhancing your search engine optimization efforts.  Knowing where most of your website’s traffic is originating from will allow you to place more emphasis on that traffic stream. For example if you know that most of your traffic is coming from YouTube, then you may want to increase your video marketing efforts. Likewise, you can focus more on the weaker sources of traffic to improve your overall outreach. Any online business owner should be well aware of their website’s traffic stats if they want their visitor base to grow.  Many people opt to use expensive softwares to analyze stats. However this is not necessary, as most of the analytics needed can be found within your control panel which is provided by your web hosting provider.

cPanel Web Analytics

Since cPanel is by fare the most widely-used control panel around, we’ll use it as our primary example of how a control panel can provide all of the website traffic statistics needed. cPanel includes three analytic tools; Analog, AwStats and Webalizer.  When you first discover these tools they can be a bit difficult to use, however as you begin to explore the various features, you’ll soon learn just how simple they are to use. To help you get started using these tools we have included a quick overview of each one.

Analog

Out of the three tools offered by cPanel, Analog is the most advanced. The analytic results offered by Analog are presented in text from, instead of in graphs. However, all of the information you’ll need to improve your website’s traffic flow can be found in Analog. Although this tool has a relatively steep learning curve, learning to use it will improve your site’s performance greatly.

AwStats and Webalizer

The second most advanced tool offered by control panel is AwStats. Although it provides detailed analytical information, it also presents this information in easy to understand charts and graphs. With AwStats, you can analyze statistics concerning email, media viewing and even File Transfer Protocol.  This tool also let’s you create scheduled and requested  reports via it’s simple user interface. You should use AwStats to setup weekly reports of your website’s traffic, and use Analog to analyze your daily traffic.

Webalizer provides statistical analysis on a monthly basis, giving you a broader understanding of your site’s long term stats. Like AwStats, Webalizer also presents information in very simple graphs and charts that anyone can understand. Although the stats provided by Webalizer are basic, they provide great insight to your site’s progression. I would not recommend using Webalizer as your sole means of understanding your website’s traffic though. It is best to use all three of these tools in combination to achieve optimal results.

It is important to note that all of these programs are included free with cPanel, and many other control panels include similar tools. You should remember this before you make the decision to purchase expensive web analytics software unnecessarily.

Every website is hosted by a web server that is responsible for storing and cataloging the website’s data. Most of the time this web server is provided by a third-party web hosting service, which also provides an administrative maintenance module for the server and your website known as a control panel.

A control panel gives you the power to oversee and adjust virtually every feature offered by the web hosting company. The administrative functions you can control include email account management, sub-domains, FTP clients, and database management. Although some web hosts give users the option of choosing their own control panel, most web hosts simply include a pre-configured control panel within the web hosting package. Usually the control panel offered depends upon the operating system the web hosting company is using, whether it be Linux or Windows.

Simplicity: The Deciding Factor

Among the most popular control panels are cPanel, vDeck, CubePanel, Hsphere and Plesk. Although all of these programs offer beneficial features, they have very different designs and user interfaces. All of them are capable of meeting the needs of most webmasters, however some are more effective at doing so, not because of more features, but because of the ease in which those features can be used. The best control panel for you, might not be the best control panel for another. Novice users may find that using a simple control panel such as cPanel suits their needs, while more experienced webmasters may want a more comprehensive control panel like Hsphere. As both off these control panels are capable of the same functions, simplicity is often the deciding factor.

Functionality vs. Ease of Use

Cpanel and Plesk are by far the tow most commonly used control panels. While both of the programs are capable of carrying out the same functions, cPanel is usually seen as being a more comprehensive solution with a longer learning curve. Plesk is very easy to use, and it is also compatible with both Windows and Linux, but there are certain areas in which Plesk has not caught up with cPanel. Many choose vDeck because it combines the simplicity of Plesk with the features of cPanel. However, vDeck is not commonly included in a web hosting package.

Learning to Use the Control Panel

Regardless of which control panel you use, there is going to be somewhat of a learning curve. You can shorten this learning curve by experimenting with the demo before you decide to purchase a control panel solution. This will give you a good idea of whether or not you are going to be compatible with the user-interface of the control panel. If you are having trouble using your control panel, don’t be afraid to contact your web hosts customer service department. They will be helpful in guiding you towards the tutorials you need to get started.

All websites are hosted by web servers that must be maintained to allow optimal functionality for the hosted web site. The manual maintenance of these servers would be an extremely time consuming and complex task without the help of a simplification module.

Each day, your website’s server handles hundreds, if not thousands of tasks. Each task is executed based on the administrative preferences and settings given to the server by the administrator. Without a user-friendly control panel interface, it would be very difficult to adjust and maintain the efficacy of your website’s server manually. Even tasks as simple as creating new email accounts would become time consuming, and the complexity of tasks such as database administration or FTP account creation would be too much to handle for most novice users. The control panel is indeed the most important application associated with your web hosting account. Let us discuss three obvious reasons why having a good control panel is imperative.

1.  Database Administration

Most novice users know very little about the fundamentals of database administration, yet databases are the backbones of every website. A database is to a website what a vault is to bank. All of your website’s information is stored in databases that need to be maintained and administered to obtain maximum speed and functionality for your website.  Most web hosting services use database servers such as MySQL, that allow the user to utilize multiple databases for various reasons. Control panels allow  users to manage these databases with very little foreknown knowledge. Since well-maintained databases are so critical to your website’s performance, having a good control panel that simplifies the process of database administration is crucial.

2. FTP Administration

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a common;y used web-based protocol that simplifies the process of uploading files to your web server.  Control panels enhance the simplicity and functionality of FTP even further, by letting webmasters create individual FTP accounts for their website’s users.  These individual FTP accounts include usernames/passwords, user directories, allocated disk space and more. Using a control panel to manage your FTP functions will remove all manual work, letting you upload files directly from your control panel’s user-friendly interface.

3. Email Account Administration

Having the ability to create multiple email accounts is a standard feature with any web hosting package. Control panels automate the creation and administration of  multiple email accounts, letting you set up useful tools such as autoresponders and message forwarders. Autoresponders are applications that allow the user to automatically respond to emails with a set of preconceived messages. Message forwarders automatically send received emails to specified email addresses based on your preferred criteria. These kind of email automation tools are essential in the productivity of online businesses. Having the ability to use these tools, and easily manage multiple email accounts is another reason why control panels are so important to novice and expert webmasters alike.

Server administration would be a daunting task for many webmasters without the help of a good control panel. Thanks to the development of software such as cPanel and Plesk, even the most novice users can now enjoy the full benefits of a properly maintained and personally adjusted web server.

A control panel is the application used to maintain and administrate your web hosting account, and ultimately your domain. Control panels will allow you to maximize your website’s productivity by making server/domain maintenance and administration a simple task. There are many choices a user has in regards to choosing a control panel, however the following five control panels are considered the most popular and useful control panels in the industry today.

cPanel

cPanel is by far the most popular and maybe even the most user-friendly control panel around. Cpanel provides more services and features than any other control panel in the industry, and it’s customer service is said to be second to none. Cpanel is an all-in-one web hosting solution, allowing it’s customers to administer all aspects of domain hosting, including FTP, email creation, and database maintenance. Cpanel customers also have the option to resell the web hosting services with a reseller’s account. The cPanel interface is so well designed that becoming an expert at using it takes only a few hours at the most. Since cPanel is the most popular control panel, it also has the most tutorials available online. All of this combines to make cPanel the most favored web hosting control panel on the internet.

Plesk for Linux

The Linux version of Plesk is said to be one of the most stable and powerful control panel on the market today.  Though Plesk does not carry as many attributes as cPanel, the learning curve for this control panel is very short. In fact, most of the functions are specifically designed to automate any administration function. Plesk for Linux is capable of controlling up to thirty domains by default, but you have the option of upgrading to an unlimited amount of domains if you’d like.

ServerCP

ServerCP is another user-friendly control panel that often comes integrated with VPS and dedicated  hosting packages. ServerCP is also an extremely powerful Linux-based web hosting solution, equipped with countless useful features.  ServerCP supports unlimited domains by default and also comes with a very user-friendly installation application that lets you install various popular web hosting applications such as blogging platforms (like Wordpress), photo galleries, and even e-commerce shopping carts.  ServerCP is currently available as a free edition (ServerCP Lite, or you can upgrade to the premium version of the software.

Virtuozzo Power Panel

Virtuozzo Power Panel is made by the company Parallels. This control panel is available in multiple  versions designed to support Windows and Linux VPS’s (virtual private servers).  The virtuozzo power panel allows you to access all administrative functions directly from your web browser. Some of the functions that can be accessed via your web browser include web service management processes, server reboots, backup restoring, log data viewing and server resource monitoring . The Virtuozzo Power Panel allows you to have an unprecedented amount of control via your web browser, and is said to be the most optimal control panel for users of Virtual Private Servers.

The web hosting industry’s favorite control panel just got easier to use with the recent edge version release of cPanel/WHM 11.25.  While this is not the official version of the new cPanel, it does offer some improvements and features that deserve mentioning.

Improved Security

cPanel/WHM 11.25 bundles new security features to give server administrators and website owners a peace of mind.  A built-in token system appends URLs with session tokens to help thwart exploits such as XSRF (cross site request forgery) attacks.  cPanel also processes blank referrer checks in a more accurate manner and can trigger XSRF prevention pages to alert administrators of suspicious activity.

Enhancements in DNS Clustering

cPanel has made several enhancements to its DNS clustering facility.  In the latest version, the system syncs and deletes zones in batches, which dramatically reduces memory consumption during the process of DNS synchronization.  There is also the addition of a new feature with the ability to automatically disable any server in the cluster that continuously fails to respond to DNS commands, thus stopping outdated information from being delivered to updated servers when the troubled server is finally restored.

Better IMAP Support for Mobile Devices

Version 11.25 of the cPanel/WHM package has a number of enhancements that provide significantly improved access to the software via popular mobile devices.  For instance, instead of performing authentication with compatible devices over HTTP, the software uses cookies, which cuts the number of authentication requests by up to 50% in most instances.  IMAP IDLE support has also been added for Dovecot email servers, which enables near real-time message delivery to mobile devices.

Optimized Apache Configuration

In older versions of cPanel, using administrative tools such as the Tweak Settings function meant that the Apache web server needed to be restarted numerous times.  With 11.25, Apache is able to maintain a queue for restart requests, which drastically reduces the number of times the server needs to be restarted.  The generation times for httpd.config have also been enhanced, thus resulting in a much faster Apache configuration.

Enhanced Performance

cPanel/WHM is packaged with several enhancements that can lighten the load on the server and prompt faster response times.  Two prime examples are how the RoundCube webmail application can now be operated utilizing the SQLite database engine and the addition of a more robust log daemon that minimizes memory consumption and prevents log processing delays.  Moreover, administrators can now dramatically boost transfer time and create accounts faster than ever before.

Testing Driving cPanel/WHM 11.25

cPanel/WHM 11.25 has some irresistible qualities and even more are to be included in the final product.  Keep in mind that this is an edge version, which means that while it comes bundled with the latest technology and functionality, it also lacks comprehensive testing and therefore, is not recommended for use on a production server.  cPanel/WHM 11.25 will be released in several minor releases but the first major launch is expected to hit the market in the very near future.

cPanel has been an industry leader in control panel software since 1997.  Located in both Houston, Texas and White Haven, Pennsylvania, cPanel.net has made its main mission to produce the best web hosting automation tools available and have succeeded in their cPanel/WHM product.

Designed for all

The cPanel/WHM control panel program is designed with both the experienced and the novice user in mind.  For those just beginning in the world of web hosting, the program offers video tutorials and quite a bit of on-screen assistance.  Those who are more advanced will be pleased to see a section dedicated to their needs.

The entire design of the program is GUI based (graphical user interface).  Throughout the entire panel icons are associated with each task or link.  To the left-hand of the screen, sections dedicated to frequently accessed areas, statistics and even a search box can be found.  The main section of the initial log in page has all categories pertaining to the hosted account in easy to view boxed sections.  The user can access file programs, preferences (which also includes the video tutorials and a handy “Getting Started” wizard), items pertaining to e-mail, logs, domain tasks, security implementations, databases, software/services and an advanced section that includes Apache handlers and MIME types access.

Features

Another great feature to cPanel/WHM is the ability to change the interface to suit the user.  If having a lot of icons assigned to links isn’t your thing, you can opt to change to “lite graphics” or even hide the icons altogether.  All boxes within the panel can be collapsed as well, clearing up some browser page room.  You can also drag and drop all of the boxes within the page.  This is a nifty feature to help if some areas are more accessed than others and you’d like to see them at the top rather than the bottom of the page.

cPanel/WHM is designed to be self-monitoring.  If any service on your server fails, the script will automatically attempt to restart the service.  It can be set up to also notify the server owner by e-mail, SMS or IM of issues that may have arisen.  To help ensure security, cPanel/WHM includes virus protection software, rootkit detection and many other tools.  cPanel.net constantly strives to bring you the latest in their software to ensure reliability and security.

The control panel can also be set for web developers.  PHP PEAR packages, Perl modules and even Ruby on Rails applications can all be installed through the control panel.  The ability to change PHP versions is also available as is a code editor which can be found in the file manager section.

As if the above wasn’t enough, cPanel can automatically update itself and software residing on the hosting server.  With this control panel, worrying about manually updating is a thing of the past.  The interface will allow the user to fine-tune the automatic updates, giving complete control over the process.

Conclusion

An easy to use interface, self-monitoring, development options and auto-update capabilities – all rolled up into one fantastic control panel.  It’s simple to see why so many web hosting companies choose cPanel/WHM as their control panel of choice.

Choosing a control panel is one of the most important decisions you will have to make in regard to your reseller hosting account.  This decision will either help you save time and money or result in a lot of frustration and heartache.  In this article, we will overview three of the best options you have for your reseller hosting control panel.

1.) cPanel

cPanel is renowned throughout the web hosting industry for its ease of use and broad range of features.  The standard cPanel reseller account comes included with two separate applications for managing your business: WHM and cPanel.  Short for Web Host Manager, WHM is the software used to create hosting accounts and packages.  It allows you to add and spend customer accounts, view resource usage, park domains, change passwords, install SSL certificates and perform various other management functions.  The end-user version of cPanel is provided to your customers, giving them the ability to maintain their websites without direct intervention from the reseller or server administrator.  One of the biggest draws of a cPanel reseller account is Fantastico, a third-party application that provides your customers with a way to enhance their web presence by incorporating a variety of powerful add-on programs.  The biggest downside of cPanel is that the software is platform-specific and only supports the Linux operating system at this time.

2.) H-Sphere

The H-Sphere control panel is designed to support Linux and Windows platforms, giving administrators the ability to control a number of different servers from a single, centralized console.  H-Sphere itself acts as a server, offering a range of automated features such as account configuration, payment processing, email notification and domain name registration among others.  It also includes an integrated billing module and offers support for than 20 major payment gateways.  Though a very capable solution, H-Sphere is known to have a much steeper learning curve than other control panels.  This is mainly due to the inclusion of so many features and the overall design of the software that requires you to administrator far beyond the original interface.  With that said, H-Sphere can be mastered and calls for no knowledge of common, yet often perplexing technologies such as HTML, PHP or FTP.

3.) Plesk

Plesk is highly regarded as one of the most stable and secure control panels available.  Reseller and end-users alike both appreciate its well designed interface, simple navigation and professional appearance.  Plesk offers a number of features for the benefit of reseller and their customers, including a fully integrated site builder, an application installer similar to cPanel’s Fantastico and spam filtering with the popular Spam Assassin program.  This control panel also integrates with other solutions designed by SWsoft, its original developer.  The most notable is HSP, which provides automation to facilitate account creation, payment processing, email notification and other administrative tasks.

Conclusion

All of the control panels mentioned in this article make a suitable option for your reseller hosting endeavors.  Although each has its advantage and disadvantages, all offer a high degree of automation and a wealth of features for both the reseller and their customers.

cPanel and Plesk are easily the two most dominant control panels on the web hosting market.  Both have been dramatically improved over the years, which ultimately makes this battle even more tightly contested.  This article will help you choose between cPanel and Plesk by outlining the pros and cons of each control panel.

cPanel Pros

Fast Loading Times - The intuitive design of cPanel allows it to perform fast and efficiently on most servers.  This optimal performance is attributed to the fact that unlike some other control panels, it does not require the use of an external database for backend support.

Highly Functional – A web hosting package equipped with cPanel usually offers more features than one utilizing Plesk.  cPanel can be integrated with a number of add-on applications such as Fantastico, RV Skins and CFS firewall, thus providing end-users with a wide variety of functionality that cannot be obtained in the Plesk environment.

Superior Reseller Support – Until more recently, Plesk did not have any support for reseller hosting, an area in which cPanel thrives in.  Also offering WHM (Web Host Manager), cPanel provides a reseller with control over various aspects of their account, including the ability to create hosting packages, suspend or delete accounts, monitor resource usage and much more.

cPanel Cons

Platform-Specific – Though a Windows version is said to be in the works, cPanel is currently only available for Linux platforms.  This essentially restricts usage from customers who prefer a Windows-based hosting solution.

Tedious Maintenance – Ensuring that a cPanel server is properly configured and protected against malicious attacks can be a full time job.  In addition, this control panel requires frequent updates and patches to make sure the necessary fixes are applied.

Plesk Pros

Cluster Functionality – Plesk is a multi-server solution that allows you to maintain a multitude of servers from a single interface.  This means that the administer only has to log in to a single console and still have the power to effectively manage web, database and FTP servers.

Cross-Platform - Unlike cPanel, Plesk supports both Windows and Linux platforms.  This enables a web host to diversify their offerings and cater to a broader range of customers.  The end-users also benefit as they often have access to both Windows and Linux features.

Tight Windows Service Integration – One of the most unique aspects of Plesk is that integrates seamlessly with various Windows services and technologies such as Microsoft SQL Server.

Plesk Pros

Lack of Integration – In contrast to cPanel, Plesk does not integrate with many third-party applications outside of Microsoft products for added functionality.  For this reason, Plesk is not very popular as a Linux server even though it does support the platform.

Slower Load Times – The mere structure of Plesk makes it susceptible to slow and sluggish performance, particularly in the Linux environment.  This is not always the case, but Plesk has been known to lag on even some of the most powerful servers.

Summary

In closing, cPanel and Plesk are excellent control panels but neither are perfect.  cPanel is ideal for those who prefer Linux while Plesk tends to be the preferred option for Windows hosting.  Depending on your preference, both should suit your needs just fine.