If Cloudways looks confusing at first, don’t worry.
You’re not alone.
👉 Many beginners think cloud hosting is hard — but Cloudways makes it much easier when you follow the right steps.
In this guide, I’ll show you how to use Cloudways step by step, from signup to launching your website
Table of Contents
🌐 1. What Is Cloudways?
Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform that lets you host websites on top cloud providers like:
- DigitalOcean
- AWS
- Google Cloud
- Vultr
- Linode
👉 Instead of managing everything manually, Cloudways gives you a dashboard to handle hosting more easily.
🧾 2. Create Your Cloudways Account
First, create your account.
Steps:
- Click your affiliate link
- Sign up with your name, email, and password
- Verify your email
- Log in to your Cloudways dashboard
👉 Once you log in, you’ll be ready to launch your first server.
🚀 3. Launch a Server
This is the most important step.
Follow these steps:
- Click Launch
- Choose an application → select WordPress
- Name your app, server, and project
- Choose your cloud provider
- DigitalOcean is best for beginners
- Select server size
- Start with 1GB RAM if you are new
- Choose your server location
- Click Launch Now
⏳ It usually takes a few minutes for the server to be ready.
🧠 4. Install WordPress
The good news is:
👉 Cloudways installs WordPress automatically when you select it during server launch.
To access WordPress:
- Go to Applications
- Click on your WordPress app
- Find the Admin Panel URL
- Use the username and password provided by Cloudways
Now you can log in to WordPress and start building your site.
🔗 5. Access Your Website Dashboard
After installation, Cloudways gives you two important links:
- Your temporary website URL
- Your WordPress admin login URL
From here you can:
- Install themes
- Add plugins
- Create pages and posts
- Customize your site
👉 This is where your website building starts.
🌍 6. Connect Your Domain
To make your site live on your own domain:
Steps:
- Go to Domain Management
- Enter your primary domain name
- Save changes
- Go to your domain registrar
- Point your A record to your Cloudways server IP
👉 DNS changes may take a few hours to fully update.
🔒 7. Install SSL Certificate
An SSL certificate makes your site secure and enables HTTPS.
Steps:
- Open your application dashboard
- Click SSL Certificate
- Select Let’s Encrypt
- Enter your email and domain
- Click Install Certificate
👉 Your website will now show as secure in the browser.
⚡ 8. Optimize Speed & Performance
Speed is very important for SEO and user experience.
Do these things:
- Enable Varnish
- Enable Redis
- Use Cloudflare CDN
- Install a lightweight WordPress theme
- Avoid too many plugins
- Compress images before uploading
👉 Faster websites rank better and convert better.
🔄 9. Set Up Backups and Security
Cloudways includes useful backup and security options.
Recommended setup:
- Enable automatic daily backups
- Create a manual backup before major changes
- Use IP whitelisting for secure access
- Keep WordPress themes and plugins updated
👉 This helps protect your site from errors and security issues.
Final Verdict
👉 Is Cloudways easy to use step by step?
✔ Yes — especially if you follow a clear process like this
✔ Great for WordPress users
✔ Excellent for speed, performance, and growth
If you want cloud hosting without dealing with complex server management, Cloudways is a strong choice.
Yes, Cloudways is beginner-friendly, although it has a small learning curve compared to shared hosting.
No, you can manage everything from the Cloudways dashboard without coding.
DigitalOcean is usually the best starting option for beginners
Yes, WordPress installation is automatic during server setup.
Yes, Cloudways offers free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates.
