Granting WolfPack Advising Website Hosting Access

Overview

As part of our engagement, WolfPack Advising may need access to your website’s hosting environment to build, update, or manage your website. This access allows our team to work directly within your hosting platform to make changes to your site’s files, databases, or content management system (CMS).

Important: Website hosting access is different from domain access. Hosting access allows us to manage your website’s files and content. Domain access allows us to manage DNS records. You may need to grant one or both depending on the scope of your project.

Please note that your domain and DNS settings may be managed by a different provider than your hosting. For example, your website might be hosted on WP Engine while your domain is registered with GoDaddy. If we need to make changes to your DNS records, email configuration, or domain settings, we may need access to your domain registrar as well. If you are unsure whether your domain and hosting are managed in the same place, we can help you determine that.

The steps to grant access vary depending on the hosting provider you use. Please follow the appropriate process for your provider below.

How To Find Your Hosting Provider

If you are unsure where your website is hosted, there are a few simple ways to find out:

• Check your billing statements or email for invoices from a hosting company.
• Log in to where you manage your website — the platform name is typically your hosting provider.
• Use a lookup tool such as BuiltWith.com or WhoIsHostingThis.com to identify your hosting provider by entering your domain name.

Common hosting providers include:
WPEngine, GoDaddy, SiteGround, Bluehost, Cloudways, Squarespace, Wix, Shopify, and AWS. Once you’ve identified your provider, follow the relevant instructions below.

If Your Website Is Hosted On WordPress Managed Hosting

If your website runs on WordPress and is hosted with a managed WordPress provider (such as WP Engine, SiteGround, Cloudways, GoDaddy Managed WordPress, or Bluehost), you will need to create a user account for WolfPack Advising within your hosting platform and your WordPress admin panel.

Step 1: Grant Hosting Platform Access

Most managed WordPress hosts support multi-user access. To add our team:

1. Log in to your hosting provider’s dashboard.
2. Navigate to the Users, Team, or Account Management section.
3. Click Add User or Invite User.
4. Enter the email address provided by WolfPack Advising (support@wolfpackadvising.com).
5. Assign a role with sufficient permissions to manage the website (typically Administrator or Full Access).
6. Send the invitation.

Step 2: Grant WordPress Admin Access

In addition to hosting platform access, we will need an Administrator account within your WordPress installation:

1. Log in to your WordPress admin panel (typically yourdomain.com/wp-admin).
2. Navigate to Users > Add New User.
3. Enter the email address and username provided by WolfPack Advising.
4. Set the Role to Administrator.
5. Click Add New User.

Note: The person granting access must have an Administrator role in WordPress in order to create new users and assign the Administrator role. If your account does not have Administrator access, you may need to contact your hosting provider or the person who originally set up the site to have your role updated before completing this step.

WolfPack Advising will receive an email with login instructions and will be able to manage your site’s content, themes, plugins, and settings.

If You Are Unable To Add Users

If your hosting plan or WordPress installation does not support adding new users, you can share your existing login credentials with WolfPack Advising using a secure method such as a password manager, encrypted email, or a tool like OneTimeSecret.com. Alternatively, you can provide us with a recent full backup of your website (including files and database) so we can set up a development environment to begin work. Please contact us and we will guide you through the best option for your situation.

If Your Website Is Hosted On Squarespace

Squarespace supports multi-user access through its permissions system. To grant WolfPack Advising access:

1. Log in to your Squarespace account.
2. Navigate to Settings > Permissions.
3. Click Invite Contributor.
4. Enter the email address provided by WolfPack Advising.
5. Set the permissions level to Administrator (this allows us to manage site content, design, and settings).
6. Click Send Invite.

WolfPack Advising will receive an email invitation to accept access. Once accepted, our team can manage your website directly within Squarespace.

If You Are Unable To Add Users

If you are having trouble inviting contributors, you can share your Squarespace login credentials with us using a secure method such as a password manager or OneTimeSecret.com. Alternatively, you can export your site content and send it to us so we can begin work. Please reach out and we will help you determine the best path forward.

For full instructions, refer to Squarespace’s official support article: “Inviting Contributors — Squarespace Help Center”

If Your Website Is Hosted On Wix

Wix allows you to add collaborators to your site through its Roles & Permissions settings. To grant WolfPack Advising access:

1. Log in to your Wix account.
2. Open the site you want to share access to.
3. Navigate to Settings > Roles & Permissions.
4. Click Invite People.
5. Enter the email address provided by WolfPack Advising.
6. Assign the Admin role (this allows us to manage site content, design, apps, and settings).
7. Click Send Invite.

WolfPack Advising will receive an email invitation to join your site. Once accepted, we will be able to make the necessary changes.

If You Are Unable To Add Users

If your Wix plan does not support adding collaborators, you can share your Wix login credentials with us using a secure method such as a password manager or OneTimeSecret.com. Please contact us and we will walk you through the safest way to do this.

For full instructions, refer to Wix’s official support article: “Roles & Permissions — Wix Help Center”

If Your Website Is Hosted On Shopify

Shopify supports staff accounts that allow you to grant team members access to your store’s admin. To grant WolfPack Advising access:

1. Log in to your Shopify admin panel.
2. Navigate to Settings > Users and Permissions.
3. Click Add Staff.
4. Enter the name and email address provided by WolfPack Advising.
5. Select the appropriate permissions (we will typically need access to manage Online Store, Themes, Content, and Settings).
6. Click Send Invite.

WolfPack Advising will receive an email to create a staff account and access your Shopify admin.

If You Are Unable To Add Users

If your Shopify plan limits the number of staff accounts, you can share your admin login credentials with us using a secure method such as a password manager or OneTimeSecret.com. Alternatively, you can provide us with a theme export or recent backup so we can begin development. Please reach out and we will help you find the right approach.

For full instructions, refer to Shopify’s official support article: “Staff Accounts — Shopify Help Center”

If Your Website Uses cPanel Or Traditional Hosting

If your website is hosted with a provider that uses cPanel (such as Bluehost, HostGator, A2 Hosting, or GoDaddy’s standard hosting), you have two options for granting access:

Option 1: Provide cPanel Login Credentials

You can share your cPanel login credentials directly with WolfPack Advising. We recommend changing your password after our work is complete if you choose this option.

Option 2: Create A Separate cPanel Account

If your hosting plan supports it, you can create a separate cPanel user for our team:

1. Log in to your hosting provider’s dashboard.
2. Navigate to cPanel or the hosting management area.
3. Look for the User Manager or Account Management section.
4. Create a new user with the email address provided by WolfPack Advising.
5. Assign the appropriate permissions (file management, database access, and FTP access are typically required).

If your provider does not support multi-user cPanel access, sharing credentials via a secure method (such as a password manager or encrypted message) is the recommended approach.

If Neither Option Works

If you are unable to share credentials or create a new account, you can provide us with a recent full backup of your website files and database. This allows us to set up a development environment and begin work while we sort out direct access. Please contact us for guidance.

If Your Website Is Hosted Elsewhere

If your website is hosted with a provider not listed above (such as AWS, Google Cloud, Webflow, GoDaddy Website Builder, or another platform), the general process is the same:

1. Log in to your hosting provider’s account or admin panel.
2. Locate the user management, team access, or permissions settings.
3. Add WolfPack Advising as a user, collaborator, or team member with the necessary permissions to manage the website.

If you are unable to add users on your platform, you can share your login credentials with us using a secure method such as a password manager or OneTimeSecret.com, or provide us with a recent backup of your site. Please let us know and we will be happy to loop in a member of our website team to guide you through the process step by step.

What WolfPack Advising Will Do With Hosting Access

Once we have the appropriate access, WolfPack Advising will use your hosting platform to build, update, or manage your website as outlined in our engagement. This may include:

• Website Development: Building or redesigning your website to align with your brand and business goals.
• Content Updates: Adding, editing, or reorganizing pages, text, images, and other media on your site.
• Plugin and Integration Management: Installing, configuring, or updating plugins, apps, and third-party integrations as needed.
• Performance and Security: Implementing updates, security patches, and performance optimizations to keep your site running smoothly.
• Troubleshooting: Diagnosing and resolving technical issues that may arise with your website.

We will only make changes that fall within the agreed scope of work. If any changes outside the original scope are needed, we will communicate with you before proceeding.

Security And Best Practices

WolfPack Advising takes the security of your website and accounts seriously. Here are a few best practices we recommend:

• Use Platform-Native Sharing: Whenever possible, use your hosting provider’s built-in user management system to grant access rather than sharing your personal login credentials.
• Enable Two-Factor Authentication: We encourage all clients to enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on their hosting accounts for added security.
• Revoke Access When Complete: Once our engagement is complete, you can remove our user account or revoke access at any time through your hosting provider’s settings.
• Secure Credential Sharing: If you need to share login credentials, please use a secure method such as a password manager, encrypted email, or a tool like OneTimeSecret.com. Avoid sending passwords in plain text via email or text message.

Need Additional Assistance?

If you require additional assistance or are unsure about any of the steps outlined above, please let us know. We can loop in a member of our website team to guide you through the process and ensure everything is set up correctly.

Important: Hosting access allows us to manage your website’s files, content, and settings. Your domain registration, DNS records, and email configurations are managed separately and may be hosted with a different provider. These are not affected unless specifically agreed upon. If we need access to your domain or DNS settings as part of our engagement, we will let you know and provide separate instructions.