How to Host a Website in Sri Lanka: Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

If you have created a website and want to make it available online, you need two main things: a domain name and web hosting.

Hosting a website may sound technical at first, but the process is straightforward once you understand the basic steps. This guide explains how to host a website in Sri Lanka, from choosing a domain and hosting plan to uploading your website and enabling HTTPS.

What Do You Need to Host a Website?

Before publishing your website, you normally need:

  • A domain name

  • A web hosting account

  • Your website files or a CMS such as WordPress

  • DNS configuration

  • An SSL certificate

Once these are connected correctly, visitors can access your website through your domain name.

Step 1: Choose a Domain Name

Your domain name is the address people type into their browser to visit your website.

For example:

yourbusiness.com

Choose a domain that is:

  • Easy to remember

  • Easy to type

  • Related to your business or brand

  • Short where possible

  • Free from unnecessary numbers and symbols

Depending on your business, you may use extensions such as:

  • .com

  • .lk

  • .org

  • .net

  • Other available domain extensions

If you already own a domain, you can connect it to your new hosting account.

Step 2: Choose a Web Hosting Plan

Your hosting account stores your website files and makes them accessible through the internet.

For most new websites, shared hosting is a practical starting point.

Shared hosting is commonly suitable for:

  • Business websites

  • WordPress websites

  • Blogs

  • Portfolio websites

  • Landing pages

  • School websites

  • Small organisation websites

If your website requires more server resources or custom software, you may need VPS hosting instead.

Ceylon Web Servers offers shared hosting starting from Rs. 2,200 per year.

Step 3: Purchase Your Hosting Account

After selecting a hosting package, complete your order and payment.

Once your hosting account is activated, you should receive the information required to manage your hosting.

This may include:

  • Hosting control panel login

  • Server IP address

  • Nameservers

  • FTP information

  • Account username

  • Temporary password

Keep these details secure.

Step 4: Connect Your Domain to Your Hosting

If your domain and hosting are purchased from different providers, you need to point the domain to your hosting server.

There are usually two common methods.

Method 1: Change the Nameservers

Your hosting provider may give you nameservers similar to:

ns1.example.com

ns2.example.com

Log in to the company where your domain is registered and replace the existing nameservers with the nameservers provided by your hosting company.

DNS changes may take some time to update across the internet.

Method 2: Use an A Record

You can also point the domain directly to the hosting server's IP address.

A typical DNS configuration may contain:

A Record

Name:

@

Value:

Your Server IP Address

You may also create another record for:

www

Depending on your configuration, www may use an A record or CNAME.

Step 5: Log In to Your Hosting Control Panel

After your hosting account is activated, log in to the hosting control panel provided with your account.

The control panel allows you to manage many parts of your website without using server commands.

Depending on your hosting service, you may be able to manage:

  • Files

  • Databases

  • Email accounts

  • Domains

  • Subdomains

  • SSL certificates

  • Backups

  • PHP versions

  • DNS settings

Step 6: Upload Your Website Files

If your website was created using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, Bootstrap, or another web technology, you need to upload its files to your hosting account.

Open the File Manager in your hosting control panel.

Find the main website directory. Depending on the server configuration, this may be named something similar to:

public_html

Upload your website files into this directory.

Your main file will usually be:

index.html

or

index.php

For example:

public_html/
    index.html
    about.html
    contact.html
    css/
    js/
    images/

Once the files are uploaded correctly and your domain is connected, your website should become accessible online.

Step 7: Upload a Website Using FTP

You can also upload website files using FTP software such as FileZilla.

Your hosting provider may give you:

  • FTP hostname

  • FTP username

  • FTP password

  • FTP port

Add these details to your FTP application and connect to the server.

Then upload your website files to the correct web root directory.

FTP can be useful when you need to upload many files at once.

Step 8: Create a Database If Your Website Needs One

Static HTML websites usually do not require a database.

Websites built using systems such as:

  • WordPress

  • Laravel

  • Custom PHP applications

  • eCommerce platforms

may require a MySQL or MariaDB database.

From your hosting control panel, create:

  1. A database

  2. A database user

  3. A database password

Then assign the user to the database with the required permissions.

You will normally need these details:

Database Host
Database Name
Database Username
Database Password

Enter them into your application's configuration file.

Step 9: Install WordPress

If you want to create a website without developing it from scratch, WordPress is a popular option.

Depending on your hosting control panel, WordPress may be available through an automatic installer.

The basic installation process usually requires:

  • Your domain

  • Website title

  • Administrator username

  • Administrator password

  • Administrator email address

Once installation is complete, you can normally access your WordPress dashboard through:

yourdomain.com/wp-admin

From there, you can install themes, plugins, create pages, and manage your website.

Step 10: Enable SSL and HTTPS

After connecting your domain, enable an SSL certificate.

SSL allows your website to use:

https://

instead of:

http://

For example:

https://yourdomain.com

HTTPS helps encrypt information transferred between your visitors and your website.

It is especially important for:

  • Login pages

  • Contact forms

  • Customer accounts

  • Online stores

  • Payment-related pages

After enabling SSL, make sure your website redirects HTTP traffic to HTTPS.

Step 11: Create Your Business Email

Your hosting package may allow you to create professional email addresses using your domain.

For example:

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

A domain-based email address generally looks more professional than using a personal email address for business communication.

You can usually create email accounts from the hosting control panel.

Step 12: Test Your Website

Before promoting your website, test it carefully.

Check:

  • Home page

  • Navigation menu

  • Images

  • Contact forms

  • Mobile responsiveness

  • HTTPS

  • Email forms

  • Login pages

  • Links

  • Website speed

Also test your website from a mobile phone because many visitors may access it from mobile devices.

Step 13: Add Your Website to Google

Once your website is online, you can start preparing it for search engines.

Create and submit a sitemap where applicable.

You can also use Google Search Console to monitor how Google discovers and indexes your website.

Make sure important pages contain:

  • Clear titles

  • Useful content

  • Meta descriptions

  • Proper headings

  • Relevant keywords

  • Internal links

Avoid copying content from other websites.

Step 14: Keep Your Website Updated

Publishing your website is only the beginning.

You should continue maintaining it after launch.

Regular maintenance may include:

  • Updating WordPress

  • Updating plugins

  • Updating themes

  • Updating application software

  • Checking backups

  • Removing unused plugins

  • Monitoring website errors

  • Checking SSL status

  • Changing weak passwords

Keeping your website updated can reduce security and compatibility problems.

Step 15: Keep Your Own Backups

Even if your hosting provider offers backups, keep an independent copy of important website files and databases.

You can keep backups on:

  • Your computer

  • External storage

  • Cloud storage

  • Another backup server

For database-driven websites, remember that backing up only the website files may not be enough. You should also back up the database.

How to Host an HTML Website

If you already have an HTML website, the process is simple.

  1. Purchase a domain and hosting plan.

  2. Connect your domain to the hosting server.

  3. Open File Manager.

  4. Open the main web directory.

  5. Upload your HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and image files.

  6. Make sure index.html exists.

  7. Enable SSL.

  8. Visit your domain and test the website.

Your website should then be available online.

How to Host a PHP Website

For a PHP website:

  1. Purchase compatible web hosting.

  2. Upload your PHP files.

  3. Select the required PHP version.

  4. Create a database if needed.

  5. Import your database.

  6. Update your database configuration.

  7. Configure your domain.

  8. Enable SSL.

  9. Test the application.

Make sure your hosting server supports the PHP version required by your application.

How to Host a Laravel Website

Laravel hosting requires a little more configuration than a basic PHP website.

You may need:

  • Compatible PHP version

  • Composer

  • MySQL or MariaDB

  • Required PHP extensions

  • Correct document root

  • Writable storage directories

  • .env configuration

A Laravel application's public web directory should normally point to its public directory.

Your .env file may require configuration such as:

APP_URL=https://yourdomain.com

DB_HOST=localhost
DB_DATABASE=your_database
DB_USERNAME=your_username
DB_PASSWORD=your_password

After deployment, you may also need to run Laravel commands depending on your application and hosting environment.

For larger Laravel applications, a VPS may provide more flexibility.

Shared Hosting or VPS: Which One Should You Choose?

Choose shared hosting when:

  • You have a small or medium website

  • You have a WordPress website

  • You have a standard PHP website

  • You want a lower-cost hosting option

  • You do not need server root access

Choose VPS hosting when:

  • You need root access

  • You need custom server software

  • You need more CPU or RAM

  • You run larger applications

  • You need custom server configurations

  • You expect significant traffic

Starting with shared hosting and upgrading later is suitable for many websites.

Common Website Hosting Problems

Website Is Not Opening After Changing Nameservers

DNS changes are not always immediate.

Check that your nameservers or DNS records are correct and allow time for DNS changes to propagate.

Website Shows a Default Hosting Page

Your website files may not be inside the correct web directory.

Check your document root and confirm that index.html or index.php is present.

HTTPS Is Not Working

Check whether your SSL certificate has been installed and activated correctly.

Your domain must normally point to the hosting server before SSL can be issued successfully.

Database Connection Error

Verify:

  • Database name

  • Username

  • Password

  • Hostname

  • User permissions

A single incorrect database setting can prevent an application from connecting.

Images or CSS Are Not Loading

Check file paths and filename capitalization.

On some hosting environments:

Logo.png

and

logo.png

may be treated as different files.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to host a website in Sri Lanka?

The cost depends on the hosting provider and resources included in the package.

Ceylon Web Servers shared hosting starts from Rs. 2,200 per year.

Do I need technical knowledge to host a website?

You do not need advanced server knowledge for a basic shared hosting website.

A hosting control panel can be used for most common tasks such as uploading files, creating email accounts, managing databases, and installing SSL.

Can I host a WordPress website in Sri Lanka?

Yes. WordPress can run on a compatible shared hosting account or VPS.

Can I host my own HTML website?

Yes. Upload your HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and image files to the main web directory of your hosting account.

Do I need a domain before buying hosting?

Not always.

You can purchase hosting first and connect a domain later, although you will normally need a domain before visitors can access your website using a normal website address.

Can I move my existing website to another hosting provider?

Yes.

Website migration usually involves transferring files, databases, emails where applicable, and then updating the domain's DNS records.

Host Your Website with Ceylon Web Servers

If you are ready to publish your website, Ceylon Web Servers provides hosting options for personal websites, businesses, developers, and online projects in Sri Lanka.

Available hosting options include:

  • Shared Hosting

  • Reseller Hosting

  • VPS Hosting

Shared Hosting starts from Rs. 2,200 per year.

For hosting assistance or more information:

Website: ceylonwebservers.com
Call / WhatsApp: 070 244 7722

Choose the hosting package that matches your website requirements, connect your domain, upload your website, enable SSL, and your website can be available online.