"How to start an SMM panel: a step by step setup guide"

Knowing how to start an SMM panel is not as technical as it used to be. The real work is making the decisions that turn the panel into a business that sells, in the right order. This guide walks through every step, from the moment you pick a domain to the moment you get your first order.

1. Define your audience and position

Before you start the setup, answer one question: who will you sell to? Individuals who want to grow a social media account, agencies, or resellers who sell to their own customers? The answer decides your prices, your service catalog, your language and your payment methods.

2. Choose a domain name

Choose a domain that is short, memorable and easy to type. If you will sell to Turkey, make sure it has no Turkish characters. We cover what to watch for in detail in our domain name article.

3. Choose the infrastructure

There are three routes:

• Buy a script and install it on your own server. Full control, but the server, security and updates are on you.
• A rented panel. A fast start, but features and data ownership vary by provider.
• Ready-made infrastructure (panel as a service). The code, server and maintenance sit with the infrastructure provider, and you focus on the business.

You can find a comparison of all three in this article. When you decide, look not only at the first month's price but at the total cost of the first year and the time you will spend.

4. Connect the domain and check SSL

Connect your domain to your infrastructure. On ready-made infrastructure this is usually done by changing nameservers, and the SSL certificate is issued automatically. On your own server you have to set up the certificate and its renewal yourself. Do not start selling until your site opens with "https".

5. Connect a provider

The panel works by passing orders to a provider. Enter the provider's API address and key in the panel. Working with more than one provider keeps your business running when one of them has a problem. We explain what to look for in our provider selection guide.

6. Import and organize your services

Instead of adding the provider's services one by one, import them in bulk. Then simplify the catalog: categories where customers quickly find what they want, clear names and descriptions. Hundreds of similar services leave customers unable to decide. Our service catalog article helps with this step.

7. Set your prices

For each service, set the gap between cost and sale price on purpose. Different margins by service type often work better than one fixed margin. You can find the method in our pricing and profit margin article.

8. Add payment methods

If your customer cannot pay, the rest of the panel does not matter. For Turkey, consider cards and bank transfer. For other countries, consider international cards and crypto. To accept card payments, payment companies require certain pages on your site.

9. Publish the legal pages

Terms of use, a privacy policy, contact details, delivery and refund terms and a distance sales agreement are needed both for your payment company application and for customer trust. See our legal and tax article for details.

10. Test and go live

Top up a small balance on your own account, place an order and watch it go to the provider and complete. Open a support ticket and check that email notifications arrive. If everything works, the panel is live.

How long does SMM panel setup take?

Route	Estimated time
Script on your own server	A few days to a few weeks
Rented panel	A few hours to a few days
Ready-made infrastructure	Minutes, or one day including content preparation

We cover what to focus on in the first weeks after setup in our first 30 days guide.

Setting up with FollowerHQ

On FollowerHQ, steps 3 and 4 take minutes: when you connect your domain, DNS and SSL are prepared automatically. Provider connections, a service import wizard, 19 payment gateways and ready legal pages in every language come with the panel. If you are coming from Perfect Panel, you can bring in your users, services and orders with export files.