How To: Host/Publish a Site

Launching a website, funnel, or store is an exciting step for your business, and Wind Solutions makes it easy to turn your vision into a live online presence. In this guide, we'll walk you through the step-by-step process of connecting your domain and publishing your site using Wind Solutions' intuitive platform. Whether you're creating a sleek website, an engaging funnel, or a fully functional online store, this article will equip you with everything you need to succeed.

Navigate to Domain Settings

The first step in connecting your domain in Wind Solutions is to access the domain settings. From the left-hand dashboard in your Wind Solutions account, locate the Settings menu.

Clicking on this will open a variety of management tools. Look for the Domains option under Settings, which is dedicated to managing connected domains or adding a new one.

Once you're in the Domains section, you'll see a list of currently connected domains or a prompt to add a new one. This section is your control panel for managing all domain-related tasks, from connecting existing domains to purchasing new ones. It is designed to give you a clear overview and make navigation easy as you begin the setup process.

Connect / Purchase a Domain

If you already own a domain, you can quickly get started by selecting the Connect a Domain option. In the pop-up window, enter the name of the domain you wish to connect and follow the on-screen instructions. Wind Solutions will guide you through the process of linking your domain to the platform.

For those who don\u2019t have a domain yet, Wind Solutions provides an integrated tool to search for and purchase new domains. Click Purchase a Domain, and you\u2019ll be prompted to search for an available domain name. The search tool will return various domain name options along with pricing, allowing you to select one that fits your brand and budget. Once you make your selection, simply follow the checkout process to finalize your purchase. The purchased domain will automatically be available in your account for further configuration.

Connect a Domain

Click on the button “+ Connect a domain” in the upper right corner as highlighted in the image below.

This will lead you to the Step where you need to enter the domain you want to Connect. In our example we will connect the domain “windsolutions-test.at”.

Click Continue to get to the next step, if you purchased the domain using Wind Solutions you can click continue in the step visible in the next image to configure the Domain automatically, if not you are forwarded to the “Add Record manually”  option, which you can also enter by clicking the option available. Also note that in this step you have the option to also add the www subdomain option of your domain.

When connecting an existing domain, updating your DNS records is a critical step. Wind Solutions will provide specific DNS values that must be added to your domain registrars control panel. These settings ensure your domain is correctly linked to your site on the Wind Solutions platform.

Start by adding an A Record to point the root domain (indicated by @) to the IP address provided by Wind Solutions. This directs traffic from your domain to the hosting server. Next, add a CNAME Record for the www subdomain. This record maps www.yourdomain.com to the same hosting server, ensuring users can access your site.

Once you've added these records, save the changes and return to Wind Solutions to complete the verification process. Keep in mind that DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate globally, although it often happens within a few minutes.

In our example of adding the DNS Records in order to connect a domain, we will use Helloly as DNS Provider/Registrar. Enter the DNS Management tool of your DNS Provider and add the DNS Records as told to.

Note that there may already be a Default A/Cname Record with a "www" Hostname, this can occur in Problems when adding another Record - to solve this you can just edit the existing Record or delete it and enter the new one.

Once you have updated your DNS records at your registrar, return to Wind Solutions and click the Verify Records button. The platform will check if the records are correctly configured. If everything has been set up properly, you will see a confirmation message, and your domain will be successfully connected.

In case the verification fails, double-check your DNS entries to ensure they match the exact values provided by Wind Solutions. Pay special attention to details like the record type (A or CNAME), host name, and IP address or hostname. If issues persist even after 48 hours, you can contact the support of your DNS Registrar or contact Wind Solutions support for assistance.

Info Callout for Verification Problems!

Please note that the verification process may take some time because DNS record updates, known as propagation, can take up to 24 and even 48 hours to fully sync across the internet. This delay happens because DNS records are distributed across a network of servers worldwide. Each server updates its records at different intervals, which can lead to a delay before all servers recognize the changes. If it has been longer than 24 hours, double-check your DNS settings for any mistakes and repeat the setup process if necessary.

 

As you can see our Domains are successfully added to Wind Solutions.

 

 

Purchase a Domain

If you prefer to purchase a new domain directly through Wind Solutions, the process is seamless and user-friendly. 

Start by clicking on “Purchase a domain” in the Domain Settings this will lead you to the page where you need to enter your desired domain name in the search bar. The system will display a list of available domains, including various extensions like .com, .org, .net, and more. Note that as of now we do not offer the top level domain “.at”, if you want to use a domain with this top level domain you need to choose another DNS Provider such as Helloly, GoDaddy or CloudFlare.

Once you find a domain that suits your needs, you can proceed to purchase it. After completing the payment, the domain will appear in your Wind Solutions account as an active domain (it may take a few minutes to change its status to active), ready for configuration. This eliminates the need to use a separate domain registrar, saving you time and ensuring your domain is immediately integrated with the platform.

You have the option to manually configure your Domain using the configure button as visible in the image before. Within the selected Domains section, click Add Record. From there, you will be prompted to specify the type of record, the host name, and the corresponding value.

For example, to set up an A Record for the root domain, choose "A" as the type, use @ as the host name, and enter the IP address provided by Wind Solutions in the value field. Similarly, you can add a CNAME Record for the www subdomain by specifying www as the host name and entering the hostname provided by Wind Solutions in the value field. Save the record and allow time for the changes to take effect.

 

 

Once your domain has been successfully connected, you can make adjustments by clicking on the “Edit” option in the Domain Settings. This allows you to define specific configurations for your domain. For example, you can assign a particular website or funnel to the connected domain, ensuring the correct content is displayed when visitors access your site. The interface provides a simple dropdown menu for selecting the desired configuration, offering seamless management of your online assets.

By selecting the correct settings, you can fine-tune the behavior of your domain, ensuring that it aligns with your business requirements. Whether you want to link a homepage, landing page, or other online resources, this step ensures precision in delivering your content.

Choose your Default and Error Page

Customizing the behavior of your domain starts with defining the Default Page. This is the page visitors are directed to when they navigate to your root domain (e.g., www.yourdomain.com). Using the dropdown menu, you can select a homepage or another key page to ensure a smooth user experience.

In addition to the Default Page, you can also set a 404/Error Page to handle cases where users access invalid or non-existent URLs. This feature allows you to redirect visitors to a helpful or branded error page, keeping them engaged rather than leaving them with a generic error message. You can further enhance the domain settings by adding a custom robots.txt file, which helps manage search engine behavior on your site.

Navigate to URL Redirects Settings

URL Redirects provide a powerful way to control how users are directed between different versions of your domain or between pages. To set up redirects, navigate to the URL Redirects section under Settings. This is especially useful if you have multiple domain versions, such as www.yourdomain.com and yourdomain.com, and want to consolidate traffic to a single preferred URL.

For example, if you want all traffic from yourdomain.com to redirect to www.yourdomain.com, you can set up a redirect in this section. This ensures consistent branding and avoids confusion among visitors. The interface allows you to add and manage multiple redirects, giving you full control over your site's navigation behavior.

Add URL Redirects

To create a new redirect, start by clicking the “Add Redirect” button. In the popup form, you can specify the domain you want to configure, the path for the redirect (e.g., /old-page), and the target URL or domain where users should be sent.

You can choose between different redirect types, such as:

• URL Redirect for specific pages.
• Funnel Redirect for directing users to a funnel within your account.
• Website Redirect for entire websites.

For more comprehensive redirects, select the “All” option, which allows you to redirect all traffic from one domain to another. This is particularly helpful when rebranding or consolidating domains. Once you fill in the required fields, click Add Redirect to save the configuration.

In our example we want anyone that enters the “windsolutions-test.at” Domain to get forwarded to the “www.windsolutions-test.at” Domain. In order to do that we need to choose the Redirect Type “All”.

Select the Domain “windsolutions-test.at”.

And enter the Target Domain “www.windsolutions-test.at”.

After setting up your redirects, they will appear in the URL Redirects list. Here, you can view all configured redirects, along with their paths and destinations. For each redirect, you can use the Edit or Delete options to make changes or remove it as needed. This ensures you maintain complete flexibility in how traffic is managed across your domains.

For instance, if you decide to change the target destination for a redirect, simply edit the configuration and update the target URL. The changes will take effect immediately, ensuring minimal disruption to your visitors.

Navigate to Sites Feature

To manage your websites, funnels, stores, or webinars, start by navigating to the Sites section in the left Feature Sidebar. This feature is your central hub for creating, editing, and publishing all types of online content. Once you access the Sites section, you'll find tabs for different functionalities, including Funnels, Websites, Stores, and more. Selecting the appropriate tab allows you to focus on the specific content you want to build or edit. More about which type of Site to choose in the article “Funnel/Websites Builder(Editor) in Detail”.

This organized interface ensures you can easily find and manage all your projects, whether you're creating a new marketing funnel or customizing your website's layout.

Navigate to the Feature where you want to customize the Domain or Path to publish a Site.

Funnels

In the Funnels tab, you can view and manage all the funnels you've created. Each funnel is listed along with its last updated timestamp and the number of steps it contains. To edit a specific funnel, simply click on its name. This will take you to the selected funnel, where you can customize each step, configure settings, and assign a domain.

The funnel editor is divided into sections like Steps, Stats, Sales, and Settings. The Steps section allows you to add, edit, or reorder steps within your funnel, while the Settings section is where you assign a domain and adjust other critical configurations.

To assign a domain to a funnel, navigate to the Settings tab within the funnel editor. Here, you'll see a field labeled Domain, which provides a dropdown menu of available domains in your sub-account. Select the desired domain for your funnel. You can also set a custom path, such as /plumbing, to create a unique URL structure.

Additionally, this section allows you to enable features like payment processing, tracking codes, image optimization and more. Be sure to save your changes once you've configured all the necessary settings.

Each funnel step can be edited individually to meet your needs. Click on the step you wish to edit, and you will be taken to a detailed editor where you can update the page design, content, and settings. You can also assign specific paths for each step, ensuring the URLs are clean and SEO-friendly.

For advanced functionality, you can set up split tests for your funnel steps, allowing you to optimize performance by comparing different variations. Once all steps are configured, publish your funnel to make it live.

 

 

Websites/Stores/Webinars

Note that we will only show a Website as example here, this is because Stores and Webinars are essentially functioning exactly the same as Websites in this scenario of editing Domains and Paths.

The Websites tab in the Sites section is where you can create and manage full-fledged websites. Each website is listed along with details like the number of pages it contains and the last updated timestamp. To edit a website, click on its name, which will open the website editor.

In the website editor, you'll find options to manage pages, track stats, and configure security settings. You can also assign a domain and customize the path for the website, much like you would for a funnel. The editor provides a visual interface, making it easy to adjust layouts, add new pages, and modify existing content.

Navigate to the Settings Tab of a Website to select a connected Domain and corresponding path as you wish.

You can also manage paths of specific pages using the three dot icon to enter the settings of a page.

 

 

Hosted/Published Site

Once you've finalized the design and content of your website, follow this Guide above to host/publish your Site.

After publishing, test the website by visiting the assigned domain to ensure everything is functioning as intended. Check for broken links, alignment issues, and page load times to deliver the best experience for your visitors.

As you can see everything works completely fine and we can visit our Website successfully.

Best Practices 

Choose a Memorable Domain Name: Select a domain that aligns with your brand and is easy to remember.

Optimize Your Site for Mobile: Ensure your site is fully responsive and looks great on all devices.

Set Up an SSL Certificate: Wind Solutions automatically provides SSL encryption for all hosted domains to secure your site.

Regularly Update Content: Keep your site fresh and relevant by updating content, products, or promotions.

Test Before Publishing: Use the preview function to ensure your site works perfectly before going live.

FAQs

Conclusion

Hosting and publishing a site has never been easier than with Wind Solutions. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can seamlessly connect your domain and bring your online presence to life. Whether you're launching a website, a marketing funnel, or an online store, Wind Solutions provides all the tools you need to succeed. Stay creative, follow best practices, and enjoy the benefits of a professionally hosted site that showcases your brand to the world!