Frequently Asked Questions

Host Marauder is an authorized web hosting reseller. We provide domains, hosting, business email, SSL certificates, website security, and professional services. The hosting infrastructure, domain registration, email services, and security products are powered by enterprise-grade infrastructure through our upstream provider. Host Marauder handles your account setup, product configuration, ongoing support, and professional services — you get enterprise reliability with a dedicated team who knows your stack.

Yes — a free account is required to purchase any product. Your account is where your products, DNS settings, billing, and configuration live after purchase. Create an account here — it takes about two minutes.

Your account sign-in is handled by our infrastructure provider's secure authentication system at sso.secureserver.net. This is intentional — your credentials are processed by a dedicated secure auth environment, never by a third-party page. It's the same system protecting millions of accounts worldwide.

On the sign-in page, click "Forgot Password" and follow the prompts. A reset link will be sent to the email address on your account. If you no longer have access to that email, contact our support team — we'll help verify your identity and restore access.

First, confirm you're signed in with the exact email address used at checkout — it's easy to have multiple accounts. If you've verified and still can't locate it, contact our support team with your order confirmation email and we'll locate the product and connect it to your account.

2FA is managed in your account settings after sign-in. Navigate to Account Settings → Security and follow the steps to enable 2FA via authenticator app or SMS. We strongly recommend enabling 2FA on any account that manages live websites or domain names.

Yes — one account can hold multiple domains, hosting plans, email subscriptions, and security products. Everything purchased through Host Marauder under the same account appears in a single product dashboard, making it straightforward to manage renewals, DNS, and billing across all your services.

Reach us through the Contact page for any question — pre-sale, technical, or billing. For active products, your account dashboard also provides access to 24/7 infrastructure support. Priority Care plan customers receive phone support and same-day response. For emergencies (site down, active security incident), contact us immediately — don't wait for email.

Absolutely. Registering the domain first protects your name while you decide on hosting, email, and platform. Your domain will be active with DNS parking while you build — you pay only the registration fee and add hosting when you're ready.

Try a different extension (.net, .co, .io, .org), adjust the name slightly (add "get", "the", or "hq"), or consider aftermarket acquisition if the exact name is business-critical. Our domain search suggests available alternatives automatically.

Domain registration is near-instant. Once checkout is complete, your domain is typically registered within minutes. DNS propagation — the time it takes for your domain to resolve globally — can take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours, though most changes propagate within 1–2 hours.

Without privacy protection, your name, address, phone number, and email are publicly listed in the WHOIS database — freely accessible to anyone and routinely harvested by spammers. Privacy protection replaces your personal details with proxy information. It's worth adding for any business domain.

An EPP code (also called an Auth Code or Transfer Code) is a password issued by your current registrar that authorizes a domain transfer. You'll need one when moving a domain from another registrar to Host Marauder. Request it from your current registrar — they're required to provide it, usually via email within minutes.

Domain transfers typically take 5–7 days. Your site remains live with no downtime during the transfer. Transfers include 1 year of free registration renewal.

Domains must be renewed annually. If a domain expires, it enters a grace period (typically 30–45 days) where you can still renew normally. After that, it enters "redemption" status where recovery costs significantly more. Eventually it's released for public registration. Enable auto-renewal to avoid this entirely.

Yes — you can point your domain to any hosting provider by updating nameservers or DNS records. That said, keeping them together simplifies management and means one dashboard, one support contact, and cleaner DNS coordination.

• .com — Best for most businesses. Universally recognized and trusted.
• .org — Nonprofits, communities, and public-facing organizations.
• .net — Strong alternative when .com is taken. Widely recognized.
• .co — Modern, clean alternative favored by startups and personal brands.
• .io — Tech companies, SaaS products, and developer-facing tools.
• .store / .shop — eCommerce-focused brands.

When in doubt, register .com first. If .com isn't available, .co or .io are strong alternatives.

For established or growing businesses, yes. Registering .com, .net, and .co variants of your brand name prevents competitors or squatters from registering them. You can set all alternate domains to forward to your primary domain — no additional websites required. It's inexpensive brand protection.

Website Builder is the simplest — no coding, drag-and-drop, fast to launch. Best for small businesses who want to get online quickly. Managed WordPress is optimized specifically for WordPress with automatic updates, daily backups, and CDN. Best for blogs, content sites, and WooCommerce stores. cPanel gives you full server control through the industry-standard cPanel interface — best for developers, multi-site setups, and businesses that need database access or custom PHP.

"Managed" means the infrastructure provider handles tasks that would otherwise be your responsibility: WordPress core updates, security patching, daily backups, and performance optimization. Your server is tuned specifically for WordPress. You still have full access to your WordPress dashboard and can install any theme or plugin.

Yes. Free site migration is available on Managed WordPress Deluxe and Ultimate plans. On other plans, or for complex migrations (multisite, WooCommerce with large catalogs), we offer a professional migration service for $199. See our Services page for details.

Yes — you have full access to your WordPress dashboard and can install any plugin or theme from the WordPress repository or upload premium plugins and themes. The "managed" aspect handles infrastructure-level maintenance, not restrictions on what you can build.

Basic ($12.99/mo) — 1 website, 30 GB storage, up to 25,000 monthly visitors. Deluxe ($16.99/mo) — 1 website, 75 GB storage, 100,000 visitors, CDN, free migration. The most popular for business sites. Ultimate ($22.99/mo) — up to 5 websites, 100 GB, 400,000 visitors, staging environment, WP-CLI.

Yes — all hosting plans include one free domain name registration for the first year. Standard renewal rates apply after year one. The free domain applies to standard extensions (.com, .net, .org, etc.). Specialty and premium domains are not included.

• Website Builder — 1 site per plan
• Managed WordPress — 1 site on Basic and Deluxe; up to 5 sites on Ultimate
• cPanel — Multiple sites on Deluxe and Ultimate (unlimited on Ultimate)

Yes — you can upgrade your plan at any time from your account dashboard. Upgrades take effect immediately and billing adjusts on a prorated basis. Starting on a lower tier and upgrading as you grow is a completely valid approach.

If your site consistently exceeds the visitor limits on your current plan, you'll be notified and can upgrade to a higher tier. We don't abruptly take your site offline — the plan limits are guidelines rather than hard cutoffs, though sustained overuse may require an upgrade to maintain performance.

cPanel hosting includes unlimited email accounts at your domain on all plans. Website Builder and Managed WordPress plans do not include email hosting natively — for professional email at your domain, you'll want a Microsoft 365 plan. See our email page for options starting at $7.99/user/mo.

Yes — all hosting plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee for first-time purchases. Domain registrations are excluded from refund eligibility. Contact us within 30 days to request a refund.

Our VPS plans offer dedicated virtual server resources with self-managed and fully managed options. VPS hosting scales from 1 vCPU all the way to 32 vCPU configurations. We also offer a VPS provisioning and stack setup service for teams who want a fully configured server without doing it themselves.

VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting gives you dedicated virtual server resources — CPU, RAM, and storage — that aren't shared with other users. You need VPS when your site consistently exceeds shared hosting limits, when you need root-level server access, when you're running a custom application stack, or when traffic and performance requirements outgrow shared hosting tiers.

Self-managed VPS gives you root access and full control — you're responsible for OS updates, security patches, software configuration, and backups. Fully managed VPS includes infrastructure support from the hosting provider for OS-level management. Either way, our VPS provisioning service can configure and harden your server from scratch.

For self-managed VPS, yes — you'll need comfort with Linux, SSH, server administration, and security hardening. If you're not there yet, our VPS Provisioning service handles the initial setup and configuration for you, and our monthly management retainer handles ongoing maintenance.

Yes — you can install WordPress (or any other CMS) on a VPS. You'll need a web server (Nginx or Apache), PHP, and MySQL configured first. Our provisioning service handles all of this and can install WordPress as part of the stack setup. Note that a VPS doesn't include the automatic WordPress updates that Managed WordPress hosting provides.

Available OS options vary by plan and are confirmed at checkout, but typically include common Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, CentOS, and Debian. Windows Server options may also be available. Our provisioning service can configure any supported OS for your stack requirements.

Yes — VPS plans are available in a range of configurations from 1 vCPU up to 32 vCPU with corresponding RAM and storage. You can upgrade to a larger plan as your resource requirements grow. Contact our support team to discuss upgrade timing and any migration steps required.

Yes — self-managed VPS plans include full root access via SSH. This gives you complete control over the server environment — you can install any software, configure any service, and manage the OS directly. With root access comes full responsibility for security hardening and maintenance.

Our $349 VPS Provisioning service includes: OS installation and initial security hardening, web server setup (Nginx or Apache), PHP and MySQL/MariaDB configuration, SSL certificate installation, firewall and fail2ban configuration, SSH key authentication setup, monitoring agent installation, and full deployment documentation. See the Services page for details.

Yes — Microsoft 365 business email requires a domain you own (e.g., yourbusiness.com). Setup guides you through adding a few DNS records to connect your domain — typically 15–30 minutes. If you don't have a domain yet, you can register one on our Domains page.

All Microsoft 365 plans are priced per user per month. Each user gets their own 50 GB mailbox, calendar, and access to the plan's included apps. Start with one user and add more at any time — billing adjusts automatically.

Email Plus ($7.99/mo) is a pure email plan — Outlook, 50 GB mailbox, OneDrive, and shared calendars. Online Business Essentials ($10.99/mo) adds Teams, SharePoint, and web-based Office apps — making it a full collaboration platform rather than just email.

Business Professional ($15.99/mo) includes everything in Online Business Essentials plus fully installed desktop apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and more) on up to 5 devices per user. It also includes advanced security features, compliance tools, and device management capabilities.

Yes. Microsoft 365 includes migration tools that can import existing email from Gmail, another Exchange account, or most IMAP-based providers. For larger migrations or when you want it done correctly from day one, our M365 Onboarding service ($179) handles DNS setup, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, mailbox creation, and migration.

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are DNS records that prove to receiving mail servers that your emails are legitimate. Without them, emails from your domain frequently land in spam or get rejected by business email systems — even if your mailbox is working correctly. Setting these up is one of the most important parts of any Microsoft 365 deployment, and something we handle as part of our M365 Onboarding service.

Yes — all plans include access to Outlook for iOS and Android, as well as the OneDrive mobile app. Business Professional users can also use the full mobile versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on their phone or tablet.

Yes — Microsoft 365 plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee for first-time purchases. Prices for Microsoft 365 plans are set by Microsoft's Price Catalog and cannot be independently modified by resellers.

Yes — small sites are often easier targets precisely because they tend to have less protection. Automated bots don't distinguish between a Fortune 500 website and a local business blog. If your site has a login page, contact form, or runs on WordPress, it's actively being probed.

Essential ($6.99/mo) provides weekly malware scanning and automatic removal. Advanced ($17.99/mo) adds daily scanning, a Web Application Firewall, and security reporting. Deluxe ($19.99/mo) adds DDoS protection and CDN performance. Premium ($26.99/mo) provides continuous monitoring and priority incident response for sites where any downtime is unacceptable.

Express is a one-time $299.99 emergency service for compromised sites. Our security team manually reviews your site, removes all malware, cleans up blacklist flags, and documents what was found. It does not include ongoing monitoring — after remediation, we recommend adding an active security plan to prevent reinfection.

Domain Validated (DV) SSL verifies that you own the domain — fast to issue and sufficient for most websites. Extended Validation (EV) SSL requires verification of your legal business identity and displays your company name alongside the padlock. EV is recommended for financial services, law firms, and eCommerce where maximum customer trust is critical.

A standard SSL covers one domain. For multiple separate domains, choose a 5-Site certificate. For all subdomains of one domain (e.g., shop.yourdomain.com, blog.yourdomain.com), choose a Wildcard SSL. For combinations, the Managed SAN SSL covers up to 5 sites with professional installation.

Contact us immediately via the Contact page and indicate it's an emergency. Do not take your site offline yet — our team needs to assess the compromise first. We'll begin with the Website Security Express service ($299.99), which includes manual review, malware removal, and blacklist cleanup. Speed is critical when a site is actively serving malicious content.

They protect against different threats and work best together. SSL encrypts traffic and builds trust — every website needs it (most hosting plans include free SSL). Website Security actively scans and removes threats before they cause damage. Backup is your recovery option when something does go wrong. Together they create a complete three-layer defense.

Yes — a free SSL certificate is included with all hosting plans (Website Builder, Managed WordPress, and cPanel). This covers your primary domain with standard DV encryption. If you need to cover additional domains, subdomains, or require EV SSL for higher trust display, additional SSL certificates are available on our Security page.

A Web Application Firewall monitors and filters incoming web traffic, blocking known attack patterns — SQL injection, cross-site scripting, brute force attempts, and more — before they reach your site. If your site has a login page, handles form submissions, or processes any user input, a WAF is a meaningful layer of protection. It's included in Website Security Advanced, Deluxe, and Premium plans.

The backup service automatically creates a complete copy of your website (files and database) every day and stores it securely in the cloud. If something goes wrong, log into your backup dashboard, select a restore point, and click Restore. Your site rolls back to that saved state without manually recovering files. Restore points are retained for 30 days.

Yes — Managed WordPress plans include daily automated backups. If you're on Managed WordPress, you likely already have backup coverage. The standalone Website Backup plans add extended restore history, offsite storage, and priority restoration support — useful for businesses that need additional assurance or longer restore point history than what's included in hosting.

The backup dashboard allows you to restore your full site from a selected restore point. Granular file-level restore depends on the specific plan. For complex restore scenarios — like recovering specific database entries after a bad update — our Services team can assist.

Backups are stored securely in the cloud at an offsite location separate from your hosting server. This is important — a backup stored on the same server as your site can be compromised or lost if that server is affected. Offsite backup storage ensures your restore option is independent of whatever happens to the hosting environment.

Yes — hosting products and professional services are separate purchases. You purchase a hosting plan and then book the setup or build service on top. The service fee covers our labor to configure and launch everything correctly.

Starter sites typically take 5–7 business days. WordPress Starter builds run 7–10 days. WordPress Business and Custom builds are scoped per project — typically 2–4 weeks. Timeline is confirmed during the consultation before any work begins.

At minimum: your logo, brand colors if you have them, content for each page, and any images you want to use. The more you provide upfront, the faster the build moves. We'll walk you through a content intake process at the start of every project.

Yes — all care plans are month-to-month with no long-term contract. Cancel anytime with 30 days notice. There are no cancellation fees or penalties.

Edit hours can be used for content updates, minor layout changes, adding new pages, updating images, form changes, or other small modifications to your existing site. They are not intended for new feature development or major redesigns — those are scoped separately. Standard and Priority care plan customers can request edits via email each month.

Contact us immediately via the Contact page. Emergency cleanup requests are treated as priority — we aim to begin assessment within a few hours of engagement. Speed matters when a site is actively serving malware or has been blacklisted by Google.

Yes — our M365 Onboarding service ($179) covers domain verification, MX record configuration, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup, mailbox creation, and migration from your current email provider. It's one of the most impactful setup services we offer because misconfigured email records cause deliverability issues that are frustrating to diagnose after the fact.

Yes — WordPress Business builds include 30 days of post-launch support. After that, our care plans ($49–$199/mo) provide ongoing maintenance, updates, backup monitoring, and edit hours. Even without a care plan, we're available via the Contact page for any questions about your setup.

Most products offer both monthly and annual billing — you choose at checkout. Annual plans typically offer better rates. Renewals are managed through your account dashboard, where you can enable auto-renewal, update payment methods, and view upcoming renewal dates. You'll receive reminder emails in advance.

Most products include a 30-day money-back guarantee for first-time purchases. Domain registrations and certain add-ons are excluded from refund eligibility per standard industry policy. Contact us within 30 days of purchase to request a refund. Refunds are applied to your original payment method.

Payment methods are managed in your account dashboard under Billing or Payment Methods. Log in, navigate to your billing settings, and update your card or payment information. Updated payment methods apply to all future renewals. If you're having trouble, contact our support team.

Yes — order confirmation emails are sent automatically after every purchase and renewal. Detailed invoices and billing history are available in your account dashboard under Billing. If you need a specific invoice format for accounting purposes, contact us and we'll assist.

If a renewal payment fails, you'll receive an email notification. Your account dashboard will show the failed payment and prompt you to update your payment method. Services are not immediately suspended on a failed payment — there is typically a grace period during which you can resolve the issue. For domain renewals specifically, act quickly — expired domains can be difficult to recover.

Yes. Transferring your domain consolidates your domain, hosting, and email under one account. To initiate: unlock your domain at your current registrar, request an EPP/authorization code, then start the transfer on our Domains page. Transfers typically take 5–7 days and include 1 year of free registration renewal. Your site stays live throughout with no downtime.