Support

The URL to the new site must be the full base URL of the new site. If your original site is https://www.example.net and the subfolder you will be using is test the base URL is https://www.example.net/test.

Also remember when setting up the (S)FTP information that you need to provide the connection information necessary to write into the subfolder. When you are testing the connection, Akeeba Backup uploads a small, randomly named file using this information and tries to access it over the web using the URL to the new site defined above. If the file cannot be uploaded, or cannot be downloaded, it comes up with the error message you reported.

This feature is there to ensure that a. you didn't mess up (which could potentially lead to your entire site getting overwritten by a backup, which might be problematic to say the least) ; b. the connection information works reliably; and c. the new site location is accessible over the web. You fell at the first hurdle, so you already know how easy it is to get it wrong, and why we need to do this check :) The other two, believe me when I say they are far more common than you'd think. Essentially, this feature is a safety belt, and is beneficial to users of all experience levels. I will admit I have messed up with DNS settings in the past, or mistyped a URL. We are all human. The way I see it, the machines' job is to help us identify and rectify our human mistakes.

The directory must be what you need to put there to write to the test folder of your site. If you are unsure, ask the host for help. What goes in there is server-specific.