If your domain is already pointed to your hosting account but your real website isn't ready yet, you don't need to leave visitors looking at a blank error page. cPanel includes a built-in tool called Site Publisher that lets you put up a simple placeholder page, such as a "Coming Soon" notice with your contact details, in just a few minutes.
This is different from putting an existing site into maintenance mode. Site Publisher is for a domain that doesn't have a real website on it yet, while maintenance mode is for temporarily taking down a site that already exists.
How to Create a Page with Site Publisher
- Log in to your cPanel account.
- In the search box at the top of the cPanel dashboard, type Site Publisher and click the icon when it appears (it's normally found under the Files section).
- cPanel will show you a list of domains and subdomains on your account that don't currently have a site published. Select the domain or subdomain you want to use.
- Choose one of the available page designs. Each one offers a slightly different layout and set of fields.
- Fill in the details the template asks for, such as your business name, a short description, your contact email address, phone number, and any social media links you want to show.
- Click Publish to make the page live.
- Open your domain in a browser to confirm the page is showing correctly.
Site Publisher only works on a domain or subdomain that doesn't already have files in its web folder. If you've already uploaded a website, you won't see that domain listed as an option, since there's already content there to protect.
Updating or Removing the Page Later
You can go back into Site Publisher at any time to edit the details on the page or choose a different design, as long as you haven't yet uploaded your real website files. Once you're ready to launch your actual site, simply upload your website files to the domain's web folder (usually public_html or the relevant subdomain folder) through File Manager or FTP. This automatically replaces the Site Publisher page.
If you'd rather remove the placeholder page without uploading a new site yet, open Site Publisher again, select the domain, and use the option to unpublish it.
Once your real site is ready, see What Every Small Business Website Needs Before Launch for a checklist before you go live.