Using Staging Websites for Safe Testing

What are Staging Websites?

Staging websites are specialized website instances that allow you to test changes, updates, and new features before deploying them to your live production site. They provide a safe environment where you can experiment without affecting your live website visitors.

Key Benefits of Staging Sites

• Risk-free testing: Test updates without affecting your live site
• No resource consumption: Staging sites don't count against your standard website package allowances
• Search engine protection: Automatically set to noindex to prevent search engine indexing
• Easy deployment: Push changes live with a single click when ready

Prerequisites

Before you can create a staging website, two requirements must be met:

1. Hosting Package Support: Your hosting package must explicitly permit staging websites
2. Staging Domain Configuration: A staging domain must be configured by administrators (this is already set up for you)

Creating a Staging Website

To create a new staging website:

1. Navigate to your Websites section in the hosting control panel
2. Click Add New to create a new website
3. Choose one of three options:
   • Start from scratch: Begin with an empty site
   • Install an app: Install WordPress, Joomla, or other applications
   • Clone a website: Create a copy of an existing site (recommended for testing)
4. Important: Check the "Make this a staging site" checkbox before completing the setup
5. Complete the creation process

Identifying Staging Sites

Staging websites are easy to identify in your website list:

• They display a distinctive STG tag
• They use a designated staging domain suffix
• They appear in your website list alongside regular sites

Working with Staging Sites

What's Included

Staging websites retain most standard website features:

• Full file system access
• Database access
• Application installations
• SSL certificates
• FTP/SFTP access

What's Excluded

To keep staging sites separate from production, these features are excluded:

• Domain mapping: Cannot map custom domains to staging sites
• Email functionality: Email services are not available on staging sites
• Search engine indexing: Robot.txt files are excluded during cloning and deployment

Deploying to Production

When you're satisfied with your staging site and ready to make it live:

1. Navigate to your staging website's dashboard
2. Click the Push Live button
3. A modal window will appear
4. Enter the desired production domain name
5. Confirm the deployment
6. Your staging site will be pushed to production

Important Deployment Notes

• Robot.txt exclusion: Robot.txt files are automatically excluded during deployment to prevent search engine blocking on your live site
• Domain verification: Ensure your production domain is properly configured and pointing to our servers
• Backup first: Always backup your live site before pushing staging changes
• Database changes: Test database migrations carefully before deployment

Best Practices

When to Use Staging Sites

• Testing WordPress theme or plugin updates
• Developing new website features
• Testing major design changes
• Trying new configurations
• Training new team members
• Reproducing and fixing bugs

Staging Workflow

1. Clone: Create a staging site by cloning your production site
2. Test: Make changes and test thoroughly on staging
3. Verify: Ensure everything works as expected
4. Deploy: Push changes live when ready
5. Monitor: Watch your live site after deployment

Tips for Effective Testing

• Keep your staging site synchronized with production regularly
• Test across different browsers and devices
• Check for broken links and images
• Verify forms and interactive elements
• Test site performance after changes
• Review error logs before deploying

Reseller Hosting

If you're a reseller:

• You must independently establish your own staging domain configuration
• Contact support for assistance setting up staging domains
• Your clients will benefit from staging functionality once configured

Troubleshooting

Can't Create Staging Site

If you can't create a staging website:

• Check that your hosting package supports staging sites
• Verify you've checked the "Make this a staging site" checkbox
• Contact support if staging domains aren't configured

Deployment Issues

If deployment fails:

• Ensure the target domain is properly configured
• Verify DNS settings are pointing to our servers
• Check that you have permission to deploy
• Contact support for assistance

Need Help?

If you need assistance with staging websites:

• Create a support ticket from the Tickets section
• Contact our technical support team
• Refer to other knowledge base articles