Built a site with Weebly: Can I still access my Godaddy FTP?

[stantheman1976]

I registered a site for a business my wife and I started with Godaddy and ended up using Weebly to build the site since Godaddy doesn't offer a free site builder and Weebly is easy and can do what we wanted.

To use Weebly your domain has to point to their IP. Now if I can't access my Godaddy FTP though Windows Explorer. I can access it through the Godaddy control panel and upload or download files but if I point to the file in the address bar I get a Weebly page that says site not published. I'm assuming this is happening since Weebly has my domain pointing to their IP, right? Does anyone know if there is a way I can still use my FTP through normal means and access files I upload by pointing to their location in the address bar like I should be able to?

[zoobie]

I don't know about Weebly but you can use one of many free WYSIWYG HTML editors. Get your site the way you wish locally then upload the HTML to Godaddy.

[stantheman1976]

I know I could do that. Weebly is free and really easy to use. I was able to make a nice looking site with little effort. You can also publish the site with one click. I just need to now if I can still access my FTP account normally since my DNS now points to Weebly's IP to be able to publish the site.

[aedipuss]

godaddy doesn't care what you build your site with. just upload all the files/folders to your hosting url with something like filezilla client, it's free and also one of the best ftp programs.

[stantheman1976]

Normally though you can access through Windows Explorer though. ftp://www.sitename.com and enter the username and password and be able to copy and paste files. You can also normally access a file you've uploaded just by using the address, http://www.sitename.com/filename.

I can't do either of these. I can FTP in by using my site's IP address but in Windows Explorer I can only read what's there and not copy.

For Weebly to work you have to change the DNS settings with Godaddy to point to their IP address. I don't know if that changes things.

[budwzr]

godaddy doesn't care what you build your site with. just upload all the files/folders to your hosting url with something like filezilla client, it's free and also one of the best ftp programs.

Ditto!

Download your web from where it is now, then turn off redirecting at GoDaddy, then use Filezilla to upload it to GoDaddy.

And yes, you should still be able to access the GoDaddy FTP service. That's a different service than HTTP server, and should still work.

[aedipuss]

did you buy web site hosting on godaddy or just a domain name?

[RabidDog]

Every time you use that site another elephant dies ... Nodaddy.

[zenamrketer]

I registered a site for a business my wife and I started with Godaddy and ended up using Weebly to build the site since Godaddy doesn't offer a free site builder and Weebly is easy and can do what we wanted.

To use Weebly your domain has to point to their IP. Now if I can't access my Godaddy FTP though Windows Explorer. I can access it through the Godaddy control panel and upload or download files but if I point to the file in the address bar I get a Weebly page that says site not published. I'm assuming this is happening since Weebly has my domain pointing to their IP, right? Does anyone know if there is a way I can still use my FTP through normal means and access files I upload by pointing to their location in the address bar like I should be able to?

Hi ya stantheman,

I have my DNS through NameCheap and use Weebly for all of my web designing (I've even done redesigns for people that just couldn't get their GoDaddy "website Tonight" up and running satisfactorily).

You should be able to point your GoDaddy domain name to the Weebly IP address. Go to the settings tab in your Weebly editor and under "edit site settings" click the "change site address"icon.

Select the third option on the pop-up window that says "use a domain you already own" and copy/paste or type your domain name in the field provided (be sure to include the .com, .net, .??? part of the address). Click the "continue" button and you'll get a new pop-up window with instructions on how to point your domain name to the Weebly IP address.

To do it manually, select option B. There's a little tab that says "see instructions". Click it and you'll see they have instructions specifically for GoDaddy.

If you've followed those instructions and are still getting a "site not published" Weebly page, that means one of the following needs to be done:

1. you need to go back to your Weebly page (in edit mode) and click "publish".

2. you may need to wait anywhere from 15 minutes to a day or two for your domain to populate online. NOTE: when I've done mine I've had the changes take place within a few minutes. The longest it ever took was a day - but that was my operator error

Good luck and feel free to get in touch if you have any further questions.


Zenmarketer

PS for all you Weebly doubters out there, check out my Client Spotlight. This has become a nice little stream of income for me and makes busy small business owners very happy too

[stantheman1976]

I've done all that already. Weebly points to my site address. If I try to access the site through Windows Explorer ftp it times out. If I type in the address of a file that I uploaded through Godaddy's FTP that I know is there is says site not published.

Do I need to maybe at an FTP host in the domain settings under my Godaddy account?

Edit:
Scratch that. There is already an FTP entry under CNAME like there should be.

[budwzr]

I've done all that already. Weebly points to my site address. If I try to access the site through Windows Explorer ftp it times out. If I type in the address of a file that I uploaded through Godaddy's FTP that I know is there is says site not published.

Why don't you just use a normal web host, it's much easier and straightforward.

Sounds like GoDaddy is purposely obfuscating the process so you don't learn any useful skills and get stuck there.

Most people make their webs on their local computer and just FTP it and it's a done deal.

[stantheman1976]

The whole point on Weebly is its simplicity. It's easy to build a decent looking site and publishing takes one click. Weebly's design functions work well for our site. My wife is a photographer and I do video. There is a nice slide show set up for photos that we both like and I can my samples up easily. With Weebly I don't have to worry about HTML code and make sure a few hundred links are correct. I make what changes I want and click a button and my site is updated. So for now I'll stick with Weebly. The FTP issue is not a life or death issue but it is something I'd like to figure out. I'd like to be able to upload files to my web space when I need to share something.

[stantheman1976]

I was actually able to accomplish what I want by creating a sub domain.

My main thing I wanted to do was be able to upload a file and share it by giving the link to someone. Creating a sub domain works just fine. I still can't copy and paste file through Windows Explorer FTP but I can upload through Godaddy and access the file with the sub domain.

[budwzr]

You might want to check out Filezilla instead of Windoze. Excellent and free.

[lordsmurf]

Weebly is one of those services that is hurting the web dev/design industry.

But not only that, it has replaced high quality professional work with crap-quality sites.
Various aspects are completely mangled, from the image compression to the CSS to the SEO quality.
So while it may seems easy, ultimately it does you no long-term favors.

Not to mention the sites load very, very slow -- horrible, in fact.

In addition, Godaddy is one of the worst hosts/registrars you could possibly use.
And the CEO shoots elephants for fun -- they're an endangered species, you know.
(It's not a myth -- look it up, if you doubt the validity.)
Parsons = rat bastard son-of-a-bitch. I would never want to contribute to that *******'s wealth.

[budwzr]

I'd like to be able to upload files to my web space when I need to share something.

That's why Filezilla was shared with you, but you don't even try to understand or try it out, and you just keep going around in circles. FTP(File Transfer Protocol) and HTTP(Hyper Text Terminal Protocol) are two different animals.

Open Filezilla, create a new connection, enter the domain, then whatever password, and it will take you to the root of your domain and you'll see the structure tree. Then you can upload/download/create folders/ delete folders, whatever.

[lordsmurf]

Filezilla won't connect to all FTPs. It's PASV only connection.
Use WinSCP.

[budwzr]

Filezilla won't connect to all FTPs. It's PASV only connection.
Use WinSCP.

Oh, I didn't know. Anyway I don't use FZ anymore, I use this: http://www.goodsync.com/

It's much more robust than FZ, and does a lot more, but might be a little much for the OP.

[zenamrketer]

Weebly is one of those services that is hurting the web dev/design industry.

But not only that, it has replaced high quality professional work with crap-quality sites.
Various aspects are completely mangled, from the image compression to the CSS to the SEO quality.
So while it may seems easy, ultimately it does you no long-term favors.

Not to mention the sites load very, very slow -- horrible, in fact.

In addition, Godaddy is one of the worst hosts/registrars you could possibly use.
And the CEO shoots elephants for fun -- they're an endangered species, you know.
(It's not a myth -- look it up, if you doubt the validity.)
Parsons = rat bastard son-of-a-bitch. I would never want to contribute to that *******'s wealth.

LOL I fail to see how Weebly is hurting the web dev/design industry. It's been great for my design business
and here's why: The majority of small business owners and entrepreneurs want and need websites but what they
DON'T want or need is to have to screw around with complex web coding. They just want something that works
great and gives them a professional look, is easy to edit, maintain and publish and they want the option to be
able to do all of this from remote locations that doesn't require using their own computer.

I have designed and built some complex looking websites (lots of media, files, forums etc) for a number of people
and they have never once had a problem with the sites loading slowly. I have experienced some professionally
designed sites that are slow to load and don't really look all that good, but it would be foolish of me to surmise that
all professionally designed websites are flawed in that way.

If more professional web designers would calm down and stop feeling so threatened, they might realize they're missing out
on the opportunity to fill another untapped niche. In addition to providing valued service to businesses that really do need
they kind of complex websites you have expertise in creating, you'd also be earning income and helping smaller businesses
get what they want - but hey, go ahead and be stubborn and ignore that market. It just means more money for folks like me
who help get small business owners and entrepreneurs set up with a website that works for them.

As for GoDaddy, I'm not a fan but they clearly have a market and have spent tons marketing to reach that market. I prefer
NameCheap. Very competitively priced, easy to use, very responsive support when I need it.

[lordsmurf]

I fail to see how Weebly is hurting the web dev/design industry.

I don't have time to explain it to you in length. Wish I did. In short: People are making inferior sites for themselves, because it's free/cheap, and they don't know any better. Meanwhile, devs/designers lose work.

I would suggest a "web design service" using Weebly isn't a pro. Sorry. Just a hack trying to make a few bucks. That's like pretending to be a chef, but buying the food from a take-out place down the street.

A good CMS is all that's needed to make a site that the user can easily update himself/herself. But how well the CMS is setup, operates, caches, looks good, etc -- that needs a pro hands. Not some clicky-dicky in a web browser on a "make free sites" site making bold promises that clearly don't translate to the final output.

[stantheman1976]

I'd like to be able to upload files to my web space when I need to share something.

That's why Filezilla was shared with you, but you don't even try to understand or try it out, and you just keep going around in circles. FTP(File Transfer Protocol) and HTTP(Hyper Text Terminal Protocol) are two different animals.

Open Filezilla, create a new connection, enter the domain, then whatever password, and it will take you to the root of your domain and you'll see the structure tree. Then you can upload/download/create folders/ delete folders, whatever.

I downloaded Filezilla. It works fine. Like I said before, I can still use Godaddy's FTP service to upload. The method I use to get files onto my server space isn't as important as being able to share the files I upload. I've got it all worked out now.

[budwzr]

People are making inferior sites for themselves, because it's free/cheap, and they don't know any better. Meanwhile, devs/designers lose work.

That's why it's important to distinguish your work.

No free cut and paste software will ever be able to replace original design, because every real artist has their own unique style that sets their work apart.

Many people buy something inadequate because they don't know the difference, haven't thought it through enough, and/or they want to do something on the cheap. These people should be off the radar map of serious designers, and they are, for the most part.

There's no easy money made dealing with these types of customers. They don't know what they want, and you'll end up redoing everything ten times, constantly be bothered, explaining so many times, just to get a few bucks.

[zoobie]

No free cut and paste software will ever be able to replace original design, because every real artist has their own unique style that sets their work apart.

This bears repeating - probably in a coding forum

No coder would ever consider an WYSIWYG editor because they've already learned to code a much more efficient and far more desirable page that's search engine friendly

[lordsmurf]

Not to pick on China, but I'm reminded Chinese crap that's no good for you.

Example: Toothpaste with bleach in it.
Yeah, it "looks fine" and it was cheap, but it's not good for your health.

Now, back to the website. This is the same situation.
The ONLY difference is your business suffers, instead of your health.

Bleach toothpaste gets taken off the market. Shitty website-making tools stay available.

Inferior products always hurt the market they're in.
And the loser is always the consumer.
(The competitors, too, which are forced to close or cut corners. So again, back to consumer losing.)
The only way to solve this is to fight back, not "distinguish your work".
People don't know what they don't know -- so I am quite willing to teach them.
In this conversation, Weebly makes crappy sites that really are no good for the end users.
Lesson over.

For a relevant example to this site, think of how Verbatim now uses CMC discs.
Or how TY has outsourced some production duties to China.
This was caused by the stupid idea that you could profit from 15-cent blank discs. But you can't.
Thanks to dumb buyers who wanted what was cheapest,
and the budget manufacturers who provided the demanded cheap crap,
everybody now suffers as a result.

[stantheman1976]

Alright, so now I've got everything sorted out and can upload and access files how I want but when trying to upload to my FTP my Godaddy sessions always times out after 10-15 minutes causing the transfer to fail. This is a safety feature with Godaddy so if you forget to log out when you're not actively using your account it doesn't get hacked.

Is there any kind of work around to increase the time out length?