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WHC is now an ICANN Accredited Domain Registrar

In December 2020, Web Hosting Canada (WHC) achieved an important milestone in its drive to become Canada’s leading online solutions provider by becoming accredited with ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.

What is ICANN?

Formed in 1998, ICANN is a not-for-profit organization that helps establish policies and coordinates the efforts to make domain names — and to a greater extent, the Internet — work.

ICANN oversees the management of the root nameservers that power the Domain Name System (DNS), the various registries that operate Top-Level Domains (TLDs) such as .com, .net and .quebec, and the registrars such as WHC that provide these domain names to end users like you.

What is ICANN Accreditation?

ICANN accreditation is a certification a company can receive that enables them to sell domain name registration services directly to businesses and individuals. Once accredited, a company becomes a registrar and can establish direct relationships with domain registries.

ICANN’s accreditation process thoroughly verifies that the company has:

  • Solid finances to sustain its activities in the long run
  • The staff and expertise to handle a domain name’s management throughout its entire lifecycle and provide assistance to clients throughout this process
  • Redundant and secure systems to ensure maximum availability and adequately protect confidential client information
  • The expert know-how to intervene when legal disputes or abuse incidents arise

This certification needs to be maintained and renewed annually.

Without this accreditation, a provider can still offer domain name registration services but will do so as a reseller, relying on another ICANN-accredited company to ultimately fulfill their orders.

What does this mean for you?

Here’s what our ICANN accreditation ultimately delivers:

  • More trust and accountability
  • You now have external assurances that your domain names are registered and renewed by a provider that has been thoroughly vetted and is equipped to safely and securely manage your domains for you.

  • Better pricing and promotions
  • By cutting out the middleman, WHC can now work directly with the registries to deliver better promotions and pricing to you.

  • Improved access to premium and aftermarket domains
  • You’ll soon have access to special domain names that were previously unavailable, gain the ability to resell domain names you’ve already registered, and secure expired domain names before they become available on the open market.

  • Faster time-to-market for new TLDs
  • You will have faster access to pertinent new domain types as they are made available by the registries, allowing you to secure that great new domain name... faster.

  • Added control for a more integrated experience
  • You can expect better tools in your Client Area for simplified domain management, including parked domains, forwarding and bulk changes.

  • Domain name reselling
  • Resellers and domainers will soon be able to leverage our registry partnerships to resell domains directly through WHC rather than use third party suppliers.

ICANN Accreditation: Paving the way forward

WHC has become the 18th ICANN-accredited registrar in Canada and one of the only ICANN and CIRA-accredited providers whose primary focus is the Canadian market. This makes WHC a more resilient partner and a go-to provider for all Canadians’ domain name needs, both local and international.

This achievement paves the way for WHC’s future growth and development, but keep in mind that some of its impact may only be felt in the months and years ahead.

Thanks to a team obsessed with delivering value through automation and focused on building Canada’s online platform of the future, we’re incredibly excited about the potential this will ultimately unlock. We’re already working furiously towards delivering the next set of features and improvements that will help realize your next online project.

Stay tuned for more to come!

Happy Holidays from WHC!

The year is coming to an end and we didn’t want it to pass without expressing our gratitude for your continued business and support. It’s been a tough time for many business owners in Canada and around the world, but we are proud of the work we’ve done to help companies move their businesses online. As the new year approaches, we wish you great success in following your dreams and bringing your ideas to life! WHC Team

cPanel Price Adjustments

cPanel, the company behind the control panel used by Web Hosting Canada’s hosting services, has announced another price increase. We wanted to take the time to communicate how this change will impact your service pricing.
These price adjustments will only impact Reseller Hosting, Cloud Server, and Dedicated Server clients. While existing Web Hosting and Managed WordPress Hosting plans may be impacted at a later time, they will not be impacted right now.

How are prices changing?

cPanel has changed its pricing for its license partners (like WHC), which in turn forces us to pass along the increase to our own clients. Depending on the service you use, here is how your pricing will be affected, starting now:
Service Price Increase
Reseller Starter +$1/m
Reseller Pro +$2.50/m
Reseller Enterprise +$5/m
Additional accounts @ $0.30/account/month
Service New Pricing for cPanel Accounts
Cloud Servers
(all Managed Linux)
1 cPanel account: FREE
2-5 cPanel accounts: $6.99/m
6-30 cPanel accounts: $14.49/m
31-50 cPanel accounts: $23.99/m
51-100 cPanel accounts: $31.99/m
101-150 cPanel accounts: $46.99/m
151-200 cPanel accounts: $61.99/m
201-250 cPanel accounts: $76.99

Bundle up to 50 additional accounts @ $15/month
Dedicated Servers
(all Managed Linux)
1 cPanel account: FREE
2-100 cPanel accounts: $31.99/m
101-150 cPanel accounts: $46.99/m
151-200 cPanel accounts: $61.99/m
201-250 cPanel accounts: $76.99/m
251-300 cPanel accounts: $91.99/m
301-350 cPanel accounts: $106.99/m
351-400 cPanel accounts: $121.99/m
401-450 cPanel accounts$136.99/m
451-500 cPanel accounts: $151.99/m
501-550 cPanel accounts: $166.99/m
551-600 cPanel accounts: $181.99/m
601-650 cPanel accounts: $196.99/m
651-700 cPanel accounts: $211.99/m
701-750 cPanel accounts: $226.99/m
751-800 cPanel accounts: $241.99/m
801-850 cPanel accounts: $256.99/m
851-900 cPanel accounts: $271.99/m
901-950 cPanel accounts: $286.99/m
951-1000 cPanel accounts: $301.99/m
1451-1500 cPanel accounts: $451.99/m

Bundle up to 50 additional accounts @ $15/month

When does this price change take effect?

These price changes are taking effect immediately for all new services and any renewals. WHC will absorb any price increases for any remaining time on all affected prepaid service.

How can I see how many cPanel accounts I am using?

The easiest way to see how many cPanel accounts you are currently using is by connecting to your Administrator control panel called the Web Host Manager (or WHM for short), available in your Client Area, and clicking on List Accounts. This will list all the accounts on your server, along with a total count.

Why is this pricing change happening?

cPanel has put out the following statement justifying its increase: “Over the past 12 months, we've delivered on many substantial features and capabilities. These include optimized updates, a reduced memory footprint, DNSSEC improvements, and enhanced NGINX support. We will continue investing in improvements to your overall cPanel experience, just as we know you will continue to build, develop, and grow your businesses.”

How to Reduce the Impact of cPanel’s Price Increase

While we can’t stop the price increase, here are some things you can do to minimize its impact if you use either Reseller Hosting, Cloud Servers or Dedicated Servers:

Immediately terminate Any Unused or Dormant cPanel Accounts

Given that cPanel's pricing change results in a monthly charge based on the number of unique accounts; unused and test accounts should be deleted.

Terminate Suspended Accounts

Delete any suspended accounts, if you don’t need them. A suspended account will be billed the same as an active account would.
Consider performing a backup first, just in case your client changes his mind!

Use Addon Domains

“Addon” domains within the same cPanel do not get counted as separate cPanel accounts, so consider removing smaller standalone cPanel accounts and instead hosting them into addon domains in another one of your accounts. Keep in mind that the process of moving a separate cPanel account into an addon is relatively complex and can have serious security and performance implications. Use only in specific cases and always proceed with care! If you have any questions, please reach out to our support team for guidance.

Consider an Alternative Control Panel

You may want to consider switching your service to another platform called DirectAdmin. DirectAdmin is a lightweight commercial control panel that offers most of the same features available in cPanel, but at a lower cost. Switching control panels involves spinning up a new server, configuring it, migrating all your accounts and (usually) updating their DNS. This is no trivial task, nor is it one we necessarily recommend. However, if you decide to go this route, WHC can and will assist you with the steps required to undertake such a migration. All you need to do is reach out to our support team for assistance.

Web Hosting Canada’s Take on the cPanel Price Increases

While we understand the need to adapt pricing to better reflect the usage and increased features, we’re disappointed to see this increase happen for a second year in a row, and will continue to negotiate with all our partners and evaluate all our options to ensure that we continuously deliver exceptional value to you. Should you have any questions or concerns about how the cPanel price changes may affect you, please contact your WHC account representative. As always, we’ll do our best to assist! Happy hosting, WHC Team

How (and why) to Create and Install a Facebook Pixel on Your Website

If you’re using Facebook ads to promote your business, there is one essential tool you should consider: The Facebook Pixel. It gives you the ability to maximize the efficiency of your promotions, target highly specific audiences, and get the most out of your ad budget. Let’s take a look at how it works!

What is a Facebook Pixel?

The Facebook Pixel is a piece of code that you place on your website. It collects data that allows you to monitor conversions from Facebook ads, track the effectiveness of your ads, build targeted audiences for future ads, and even target people who have previously interacted with your website. It works by installing a tracking cookie that collects data about your website visitors so you can reach out to them later via retargeting. Additionally, you can track their behavior when they return to your site, which helps you to determine which ads are the most effective. It also allows you to target the most relevant audiences, who are most likely to convert!

What Does a Pixel Track?

You can use a Facebook pixel to track data events. An “event” is simply a specified action that a visitor takes on your website, such as making a purchase. Facebook has predefined a set of 17 standard events, as follows: Add payment info: A visitor enters their payment information during a checkout process Add to cart: A visitor adds a product to their shopping cart on your site Add to wishlist: A visitor adds items to a wishlist on your site Complete registration: A visitor completes a registration form on your site, such as a subscription form Contact: A visitor contacts your business; for example, via an email, telephone, SMS, chat or other type of contact on your site Customise product: A visitor selects a specific version of product, such as choosing a certain size Donate: A visitor donates funds to your organisation or cause Find location: A visitor finds your business location via the web Initiate checkout: The start of a checkout process; for example, clicking a “Buy now” button Lead: A visitor signs up for a trial or submits a form that identifies them as a lead Purchase: A visitor makes a purchase on your website; for example, landing on a ‘Thank You’ or confirmation page Schedule: Someone books an appointment to visit your business location Search: A visitor performed a search on your website Start trial: Someone signs up for a free trial of a product or service you offer Submit application: A visitor submits an application for a product, service or programme that you offer, such as a job application Subscribe: A visitor subscribes to a paid product or service that you offer View content: A visitor arrives on a specific page on your website, such as a product or landing page You can also set up custom events yourself, to get even more specific about the kind of data you require. Custom events use rules based on specific URLs, we’ll see this in action in the following section!

How to Create a Facebook Pixel

Now that you know what data you can track, it’s time to create your first pixel!

Step 1: Create Your Pixel

  1. Go to your Events Manager
  2. Click Connect data sources
    Connect data sources
  3. Select Web and click Get Started Web data source
  4. Select Facebook pixel and click Connect. Connection method
  5. Add your pixel name, and enter your website URL (optional: to check for easy setup options), then click Continue Add details

Step 2: Add the Facebook Pixel to Your Website

You now need to install some code on your web pages, so your pixel can start to gather information! There are a few different methods to do this, depending on your website platform. Install Facebook Pixel
  • If you use a platform like WordPress or Squarespace, you can install your pixel without having to edit your website code directly, via the Use a Partner button. See the complete list of partner integrations.
  • If a developer handles your website code, you can send them everything they need to set up your pixel via the Email Instructions link.
  • If neither of these options apply, you will need to insert the pixel code directly into your web pages yourself. To do this, follow the procedure below!
  1. Select Install Code Manually
  2. Select Copy code Connect Facebook Pixel
  3. Locate the header of your website; it may be a header template file in your CMS or web platform
  4. Paste the base code at the end of your header section, above the closing tag
  5. You’ll need to paste it into the ‹head› tag on every single page, or into the ‹head› tag of your template, if you’re using one.
  6. Click Continue
  7. Optional: Choose whether to use automatic advanced matching, to verify the customer information that you want to send and improve your reach; see about advanced matching to learn how this works Automatic advanced matching
  8. Click Continue

Step 3: Setup Pixel Events

Once your pixel base code has been added to your website, you’ll be able to set up events to start measuring user actions. This can be done by manually installing the code or by using the Facebook Event setup tool:
  1. Click Open Event Setup Tool Event Setup Tool
  2. Enter your website URL and click Open Website Set Up Event
At this point, your pixel code setup will be checked. If you receive a notification stating that a problem was found, your code was likely added incorrectly, see Best practices for Facebook pixel setup to troubleshoot any issues.

Step 4: Select the Events you want to Track

  1. Select which events you’d like to track using the toggle buttons. You can also set parameters for some events. For example, maybe you want to track purchases over a specific dollar value. Add events
  2. Optional: You can create completely custom events with custom conversions.
    1. Open Facebook Events Manager
    2. Select Create
    3. Choose Create Custom Conversion Create Custom conversion
For example, you may have a page on your site that redirects to a specific URL after a visitor signs up to your newsletter e.g. www.mysite.com/thanks-for-subscribing. You can track your subscribers (anyone who visits this page) by setting a rule as follows:
  1. Click the Select your own category link Select own category
  2. Select Complete registration, from the event dropdown menu
  3. Under the ‘Rules’ section, ensure URL and contains are both selected
  4. Enter ‘thanks-for-subscribing’ as the URL to track Standard event
  5. Click Next and type in a name for your Custom Conversion
  6. Click Create! You can continue the same process to track your visitors in an endless number of ways, so you can optimize for highly specific actions to target with your Facebook ads.

Step 5: Check your Facebook Pixel is Working

To ensure your Facebook pixel is tracking data flawlessly, you can test it with Facebook Pixel Helper.
  1. Add the Facebook Pixel Helper extension to your Google Chrome browser. Facebook Pixel Helper
    This tool is only available in Chrome.
  2. Now visit your website to test the installation. If the extension finds a pixel, the ‹/› extension icon will change to blue, and a popup will tell you the number of pixels it finds on the page. The popup also tells you whether or not your pixel is working correctly! If not, it will give the error information so you can fix the problem. Facebook Pixel Helper Result

Step 6: Add a Pixel Notice to Your Privacy Policy

To comply with Facebook’s legal terms, you need to make sure visitors to your website are aware that you’re collecting their data. You can do this by editing your website privacy policy. Be sure to clearly state that you are using a Facebook pixel and that their information may be collected through cookies. You should also let them know how to opt-out of Facebook Ad data collection.

How does Facebook Pixel Add Value to my Campaigns?

A Facebook Pixel will make advertising on Facebook much more effective for your business. You’ll learn more about your audience, see exactly who you’re advertising to, and you’ll also have a greater number of ways to gauge the effectiveness of your campaigns. Let’s see a few ways in which a Facebook Pixel can help improve your Facebook marketing results.

Retarget Your Site Visitors

You can use pixel data to show targeted ads to people who have already visited your site. You can choose to get specific, for example, you can target users with the exact product that they’ve already viewed on your website, or even previously added to a wishlist.

Optimize Your Ads for Conversions

Facebook tracking data can be used to optimize your Facebook ads for highly specific conversion events on your website. If you don’t use a pixel, the only conversion you can measure are link clicks. A Facebook pixel allows you to optimize for a whole range of conversions, such as purchases and new subscribers.

Create Ads to Target the Big Spenders

A Facebook pixel lets you see who buys from your website and how much they spend. With this knowledge, you can automatically show your ads to the people who are most likely to make purchases.

Create Lookalike Audiences

The data provided by a Facebook pixel can help you build a “lookalike audience” of people who have similar likes, interests, and demographics to your regular website visitors. This can help expand your reach and potential customer base.

Access Exclusive Facebook Ad Tools & Metrics

A Facebook pixel lets you use tools such as web conversion campaigns, custom audiences, and dynamic ads. You also need the pixel to track metrics such as cost per lead or cost per conversion.

Are You Ready to Convert More Customers?

By helping you to better understand the behavior of your website visitors, a Facebook pixel is an invaluable tool for refining your advertising strategy. To reach your full potential when advertising on Facebook, a pixel is the way to go! Want to learn more about Facebook? This article continues Web Hosting Canada’s ongoing series on Facebook marketing, strategy, and tactics. Follow us on Facebook to get updated when we post our next guide: How to Advertise on Facebook.

WHC is now certified as a Great Place To Work!

Web Hosting Canada is now a certified Great Place to Work! Following a thorough and independent analysis conducted by Great Place to Work® Institute Canada. This certification is based on direct feedback from employees, provided as part of an extensive and anonymous survey about the workplace experience. Emil Falcon, Web Hosting Canada's CEO commented, “We’ve invested a lot of energy to create a work environment that our employees feel great being a part of. We've set out to hire a competent, driven and cohesive team, which has definitely contributed to the overall success and ambience here at WHC. We’re proud and honoured to have received this certification and look forward to building on this success!”

What is it Like to Work at WHC?

At WHC, we’re committed to establishing an open, inclusive, and engaged workplace culture where great work is both recognized and rewarded. We prioritize the well-being of our employees and provide several perks for our team.
Work form anywhere

Work Remotely From Anywhere

Want to skip winter and work from a sunny beach? WHC employees can work from nearly anywhere! If they have reliable internet access, a private space, and can work during the Eastern Standard Time Zone, we’re thrilled to support them wherever they are.
Home work

Remote Work Allowance

For our remote employees, we offer up a financial allowance for ergonomics and equipment to ensure they have both a comfortable & secure space to work from. If they need an ergonomic chair or a new headset with a microphone, we’ll take care of it.
Mordern office

‘Modern Tech’ Office Design

For employees who want to work from a dedicated office space, our newly redesigned space in the vibrant heart of Montreal's tech sector embraces an open layout, to encourage creativity, collaboration, and fun, while also providing closed rooms for deep concentration. All staff can benefit from our quiet working pods, collaborative work lounges, free coffee, and even our fun room with foosball, ping pong, and video games.
Personal Spending Account

Well-being Spending Account

As part of our benefits package, we offer our employees a well-being personal spending account. This money can be put towards items such as health & wellness, child care, fitness and sports activities or equipment, alternative health therapies, green living or personal development, to name just a few.
Group chat

Weekly Coffee Chat Games

We realize that the solitary nature of remote work can feel lonesome at times. So, we’ve started a new initiative called ‘Coffee Talk’: a fun 30-minute video chat where Canadian employees participate in laugh-inducing interactive activities. Jeopardy anyone?
Referral fee

Talent Referral Bonus

We want to keep our fantastic culture of teamwork and collaboration alive and thriving! We encourage our employees to make referrals; we'll reward your referrals with a generous bonus.

Join the WHC team today!

Are you looking for a great place to work? We're growing and always searching for the perfect candidates to join the WHC family. Check out our Careers page to see which positions are currently available.

About Great Place to Work®

Great Place to Work® is the global authority on high-trust, high-performance workplace cultures. Through proprietary assessment tools, advisory services, and certification programs, Great Place to Work® recognizes the Best Workplaces™ across the world in a series of national lists including those published by Fortune magazine (USA) and The Globe & Mail (Canada). Great Place to Work® provides the benchmarks, framework, and expertise needed to create, sustain, and recognize outstanding workplace cultures.