Some webmasters run sites for many years without knowing how to FTP a website. Most web hosting companies provide easy-to-use online site builders capable of creating very professional-looking sites and also provide one-click installation processes that make it incredibly easy to get WordPress sites up and running. The same can be said about Joomla and many of the other popular content management systems (CMS) and once the CMS is installed it is an easy matter to add, modify, and remove content using the site’s admin area. Everything can be done online so knowing how to FTP a website never becomes an issue, but if it has become an issue, this article is for you.
What is FTP?
FTP stands for ‘File Transfer Protocol’. It’s a file-sharing process and, although it has other uses, it used to be the main method webmasters used whenever they needed to upload or update their sites.
How to FTP a Website with FTP Surfer
FTP Surfer isn’t the only FTP client available, but the software is free to download, quick and easy to use, and doesn’t add any hidden codes or links to uploaded material.
8 steps to FTP a website:
Step 1: Download FTP Surfer and install it onto your computer.
Step 2: Look for ‘Edit’ at the top left of the screen, open the drop-down menu and select ‘Site Profile’.
Step 3: When the pop-up box appears select ‘New Profile’.
Step 4: A new ‘untitled’ site will appear in the ‘My Neighborhood’ panel. Name the site by providing it with the website URL (omit “http://” and “www.”). This will usually be the domain name like “MyCoolNewSite.net” or if the site is a subdomain called BakingTips you would need to enter “BakingTps.MyCoolNewSite.net”.
Step 5: Enter the ftp. address. This is usually the same as the entry made for the site name but with the addition of “ftp.”
Step 6: Enter the ftp user name and password provided by your web hosting company (some web hosts may use the site name for the user name) then click “okay”.
Step 7: Click on the site name in the “My Neighborhood Panel”. This will cause some folders to appear in the main screen area. You then need to double-click on the root folder. This is typically called “public_html”, but some web hosts use a different name for the folder. Alternative names include:
• www
• htdocs
• httpdocs
• html
• public
• web
Step 8: Select the files to be uploaded and drag and drop them into the root folder.
Congratulations you just learned how to FTP a website.
