Make WordPress Hosting Easy with Plesk on Google Cloud

Host your WordPress website on Google Cloud and simplify WordPress WebOps with Plesk hosting platform

Created byPlesk University

Last updated 4/2020

English

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What you'll learn

Set up a private virtual server with the Plesk hosting platform on Google Cloud Platform.
Deploy a new WordPress website or move your existing website to your new server.
Use the Plesk WordPress Toolkit extension to secure, update, and maintain your WordPress website.

Course content

6 sections • 27 lectures • 1h 4m total length

Introduction2:10
Launch WordPress hosting with Plesk on Google Cloud by deploying a private cloud server on Compute Engine, then manage sites with the WordPress Toolkit for deployment, staging environment, and updates.
Bonus lecture: About Plesk Obsidian0:29
Discover Plesk Obsidian and its improvements, and see how the course material remains relevant and easy to use with Obsidian for WordPress hosting on Google Cloud.

Signing up with Google Cloud Platform3:15
Sign in to Google Cloud Platform, set up billing to start the free trial, and create a new project named My Website to access the dashboard.
Deploying a Google Cloud Instance with Plesk Onyx4:55
Deploy a pre-built Plesk Onyx on Google Cloud via BYOL, launch a Compute Engine VM (1 vCPU, 1–2 GB RAM, 10 GB disk), and access Plesk from deployment entry point.
Attaching a Static IP to Your Google Cloud Instance1:12
Attach a static external IP to your Google Cloud Compute Engine instance by changing the IP type from ephemeral to static and naming it plesk-byol-static for reliable DNS.

Logging in to Plesk Onyx for the First Time2:30
Log in to Plesk for the first time by using the VM IP and port 8443, and paste the password from custom metadata. Finish setup with a trial license.
Overview of the Plesk Platform3:37
Explore the Plesk interface after installation, review license status and BYOL options, and navigate Websites & Domains, extensions, and the WordPress Toolkit to create a first website and manage domains.
Pointing Your Domain Name to Your Google Cloud Instance2:56
Point your domain to your Plesk instance on Google Cloud Platform using Domain Connect if available, or adjust the A record, set a wildcard CNAME, and add MX records.
Securing Your Plesk Server3:22
Install the Let's Encrypt extension and use Advisor to apply security recommendations, then issue a domain SSL certificate and set Plesk hostname to that domain.
Connecting to the Plesk Server via SSH7:17
Connecting to the Plesk Server via Remote Desktop1:39
Connect to a Windows-based Plesk VM on Google Cloud via Remote Desktop to set the user password, download the RDP file, and log in to access Server Manager.

Introducing WordPress Toolkit2:55
Explore how the WordPress toolkit simplifies deployment, security, staging, and updates, easing WordPress management and ensuring reliable production workflows for WordPress sites hosted with Plesk on Google Cloud.
Creating a New WordPress Website1:14
Create a new WordPress website quickly with WordPress toolkit in Plesk on Google Cloud; configure domain, site title, admin credentials, install and secure WordPress, and add Jetpack and Google Analytics.
Importing Your Existing WordPress Website to Plesk1:24
Import your existing WordPress site to a Plesk on Google Cloud server using the site import extension, then rely on the WordPress toolkit to detect and import the installation.
Managing a Remote WordPress Website1:23
Connect to a remote WordPress site via the WordPress toolkit in Plesk on Google Cloud and manage multiple installations from one screen with limited remote server controls during beta.
Securing Your WordPress Websites1:22
Select WordPress instances and click the security button to run checks, apply all critical and recommended security measures, and revert changes if plugins or configurations cause issues.
Updating WordPress on Your Website2:40
Learn how to safely update WordPress, plugins, and themes with the WordPress toolkit, including smart update previews, rollback restore points, and visual split-screen comparisons before applying to production.
Setting up Automatic Updates for WordPress Websites1:06
The WordPress toolkit checks for updates every 24 hours and auto-installs minor releases. Smart updates assess safety for upgrades, guiding manual major WordPress upgrades and plugin or theme updates.
Creating a Staging Environment1:00
Clone your site to a staging subdomain with the WordPress toolkit to copy files and the database and adjust configuration. Enable password protection and debugging for safe testing of changes.
Publishing from Staging to Production1:09
Publish changes from staging to production by selecting what to copy—files, database, or both—and then rely on a restore point to roll back if needed.

Introduction0:34
Configure email settings for your WordPress site to send email from your domain with WordPress and its plugins, using the built-in server on your cloud VPS, and reduce spam risk.
Setting Up the Domain's Mail DNS Records: MX, SPF, DKIM3:04
Configure mail DNS records by creating MX, SPF, DMARC, and DKIM entries in the domain's DNS settings, and enable DKIM in Plesk to sync with the authoritative DNS.
Why You Need a Mail Relay and Signing Up with Mailjet3:21
Configure your WordPress hosting on Google Cloud to relay mail via Mailjet, bypassing blocked ports with a custom port, and authenticate your domain using DNS.
Authenticating Your Domain With Mailjet2:23
Authenticate your domain with Mailjet by adding SPF and DKIM records to your DNS, then save, refresh, and verify the green working status in Mailjet.
Reconfiguring the Postfix Mail Server4:45
Configure postfix to send email through a relay like mailjet, set relay host, enable smtp authentication, create and hash a sasl password map, and restart postfix to enable outbound mail.
Setting Up WordPress to Send Mail through Plesk's Mail Service2:27
Set up WordPress mail via Plesk mail service on Google Cloud by creating a mailbox, installing WP Mail SMTP, and configuring localhost SMTP relay with test emails.

Requirements

Basic understanding of concepts such as "website," "IP address," "firewall," "server," and "DNS".
Web browser and SSH terminal (e.g., PuTTY).

Description

Does cloud hosting sound like a better deal than a slow and limited shared hosting, but seems too overwhelming?

Do you need a fully-managed WordPress hosting, with time-consuming operations like deployments, updates, and staging taken care of?

If your answer to either of these questions is yes, then this course is for you!

In this course, we will guide you through the following actions:

Deploying a cloud server on Google Cloud Platform in just a few clicks.
Installing a new WordPress website or moving your existing website to your own new virtual server with the help of the powerful yet simple Plesk hosting platform, available as an application on Google Cloud Platform.
Pointing your website’s name to your new cloud server at your registrar, or start hosting your website’s DNS zone yourself.
Protecting connections to your website with a free SSL/TLS certificate.
Taking care of time-consuming WordPress maintenance tasks, such as security, regular updates, and creating a staging environment using the WordPress Toolkit extension to Plesk.
Making sure that email originating on your cloud server reaches its destination and doesn’t end up in the spam folder.

You don’t have to possess any special technical skills to follow along in this course. If you are already familiar with terms like “website”, “server”, and “DNS zone” - you won’t get lost. We’ll explain any additional terms as we go along.

Start hosting your WordPress website on your own Google Cloud server today!

Who this course is for:

Beginner web professionals curious about website hosting on Google Cloud Platform.
Web professionals interested in moving from a shared hosting setup to a private virtual server in the cloud.

Make WordPress Hosting Easy with Plesk on Google Cloud

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction2 lectures • 3min

Deploying a Google Cloud Instance3 lectures • 9min

Getting Started with Plesk Onyx6 lectures • 21min

Managing WordPress Websites with the WordPress Toolkit9 lectures • 14min

Using Plesk Mail Services6 lectures • 17min

Conclusion1 lecture • 1min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: