It’s never too late to learn how to install a WordPress website, especially now. It really is essential to know the ins and outs of this because you will need it in this day and age.
The advances in the online world make it necessary to have this specific set of skills. Whether you are a complete beginner or have some general knowledge, you have come to the right place.
I am going to talk in detail about the entire process of installing WordPress. I will also give you tips along the way, to make your work that much easier. WordPress is the most used platform in the world where it comes to building websites, and it has really powerful tools as well.
More than 30% of the websites on the entire internet are built and maintained by WordPress. A significant factor in this high percentage is because it’s simple to use and really intuitive. Honestly, even a beginner can get done with a website installation in a matter of minutes.
Some of the largest hosting providers in the world like HostGator, Cloudways, and BlueHost all make it really easy to install WordPress with one click. It’s this kind of collaboration and implementation that has made websites built with WordPress skyrocket in these years.
This how-to article is going to help you all in the process of installing a WordPress site on any hosting platform. It’s a beginner-friendly piece, but even some more advanced users can learn a thing or two, so make sure to follow the article closely.
Preparing To Use WordPress
Being prepared before committing to using WordPress for your website is a step I think everyone who is serious about it should consider. When I say preparation, I mean trying to use its free version.
And from there, try to get accustomed to how the tools work with each other, like the post editor, theme editor, the plugin management, and a lot more. Why should this preparation matter? When you transition to using WordPress in a more professional setting, this experience will help.
It’s really important that you also choose a hosting provider that you know is good and one that you can rely on. I’m going to show how you can set up your WordPress website from different providers that I feel are the best.
You can look at the different options and choose the one works best for you and your needs.
How to Install WordPress on Cpanel Using Quickinstall
Before you do anything else, you obviously need to log in to your HostGator account. Check the ‘Dashboard,’ find the ‘QuickInstall’ button. This is located under the ‘Software’ section. Click on it and then go to the next step.
After you have done that, another page will load, and you will have to select ‘WordPress.’ This is found under the ‘Site Builders & CMS’ section.
This next step is a little finicky, so pay good attention to what I’m saying. You will be able to select the domain name and the location as to where you want to install it.
Enter a directory path and press ‘Next’ to continue. If you are a beginner, we recommend that you leave it as blank because it will install it in the root of the domain.
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You are getting close to the finish. After pressing the button, the installer will ask for your WordPress site details. It’s important that you provide correct information, especially the email because you will get the WordPress password reset if you forget it or need to change it.
The information required is the site title, the admin username, admin email address, and first and last name. These really are general requirements for almost every hosting provider.
After you are done entering the required information, you will need to press the ‘Install’ button and let the installation process work in the background. It should take only a couple of minutes for the whole process to run its course.
You should see an Installation Complete message after everything is done, and you will be provided the login credentials to your WordPress site. If you see the above image, then everything is done correctly, and you are finished with the installation of WordPress to the HostGator platform.
Click the ‘Login’ button and enter the credentials so that you can view the admin dashboard.
How to Install WordPress on Cloudways?
Cloudways is an excellent hosting company that is really affordable and offers great reliability. It’s not as popular as the aforementioned hosting company, but still, it’s a great choice. However, it doesn’t have a domain registration or even a business email.
Still, it’s a great choice and really simple to install WordPress on this platform. Follow the instructions below, and at the end you will be able to understand the process a lot more than before. Let’s get started on how to install a new website WordPress website.
First, you need to log in to the cloudways website. After you have logged in to the dashboard, select the ‘Applications’ tab.
Now press the ‘Add Application’ Button and select the server with the hosting option that you have enabled in your account, this is what will become the WordPress website.
After doing this, you will now be able to see the new application in the list below. You will be redirected to a new page in which you can install the latest version of WordPress.
As you can see in the picture above, you will be prompted to add the application name, which is the name of your site. Using the dropdown menu you now need to select the latest version.
Now press ‘Add Application’ and the installation process should start automatically. After some minutes, you will be redirected to the homepage, and you will see the website on the list. However, it is missing the domain name.
Adding the Domain
To add the domain, you should select the application and go to settings, from there go to the Domain Management section and click it. You will see the primary domain area box empty, and there is where you should insert the domain for your website.
Press the ‘Save Changes’ button, and you are done with this step.
Also Read: How to Install WordPress on Godaddy – A Beginner’s Guide
Now, after you have successfully installed the domain as well, you will need to access your new website. To get the credentials, you have to navigate to the ‘Access Detail’ tab, which is under ‘Application Management.’
There you will see the admin panel information from the URL to login, Username, and Password. You are all set now to use your freshly new WordPress website. Hopefully, the information that I provided above helped any of you reading to set up the website.
How to install WordPress on Cpanel?
Cpanel is a software that is used by hosting providers around the world. It offers an interface for managing your hosting account, and it generally makes your life easier dealing with hosting platforms.
You have everything that you would need to set up a website grouped in one place, such as auto-installers, site utilities, and different scripts with a variety of functions.
The hosting companies use these scripts in the Cpanel to make it easier for the user to be able to install WordPress, for example, or even e-commerce.
Let’s look at how Hostinger has implemented this auto-installing script and how easy it is to install WordPress from there. As you can already guess by now, you should log in to your Hostinger account.
From there, go to the ‘Hosting’ tab and press the ‘Manage’ button on the domain that you want to install WordPress.
Afterwards, scroll down to find the ‘Website’ section. From here, select the ‘Auto Installer’ option.
As soon as you click the button, you will see a large variety of different scripts that install different things. You will find anything from phpBB, PrestaShop, and the most popular WordPress installer. Click on it, and you’ll notice that a window will appear.
From there, you will need to add a bunch of information for your websites such as the Admin Username, Admin Email, the website title, and the installation directory. Once all the required information is given, you should press the ‘Install’ button.
Now all you have to do is to wait a couple of minutes until the script takes care of installing your brand new WordPress website. And that’s it! You can now log in to your administrator dashboard.
For this you need to select WordPress on the Actions field. This part is listed under the ‘Installed Applications.’
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How to install WordPress on cPanel Manually?
Installing WordPress on cPanel manually is a fairly simple process. First of you will need to download WordPress from their official website. You should always make sure it is the latest version. You’ll naturally receive an archive file. You will need to extract it to a folder.
You will need to go to your cPanel account and log in. From here, you will need to find the ‘File Manager’. After opening this you will need to find the desired folder where you want to install WordPress and select it. Press the ‘Upload’ button and select the WordPress folder that you extracted earlier.
In order to complete the installation process, you need to run the script. If you have uploaded the WordPress folder on your website’s root directory then use this link: http://your_domain_name.com/wp-admin/install.php
After the script runs it will require you to enter some other details such as the database name, username, password etc. From now it’s a straightforward process and once you add all the information press the ‘Install WordPress’ button at the end of the last page and you are done.
How to Create a Database in cPanel?
To complete this task is not as complicated as it sounds. Also it’s crucial to do this next part after you have just installed WordPress manually as well. You can create a database in cPanel easily by using the ‘MySQL Database Wizard’, located under the ‘Databases’ section.
You have to give a name to your database so it can be created. This will not take long and is very straight simple. Just clicking on the ‘Next Step’ button is sufficient. The next thing the wizard is going to ask you is to create a database user, enter the information that is required and press the ‘Next Step’ button again.
After you have done this step you are done with the creation of the database.
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How to Install WordPress Locally?
In case you don’t already know, you could also install WordPress locally on your machine to try it out before you go live with it. However, I don’t recommend this step if you are a beginner because it’s a bit more complicated as a process.
The reasons why you should install the WordPress locally first are to test out the themes and plugins. Alongside with the functionality of the site and compatibility of different elements. Experienced users use it locally when they are trying something new and don’t want to risk the website crashing or causing a fatal error.
Even doing that is not the end of the world because you can roll back at any time if you have backups in place. But it is generally best practice to perform tests in an offline environment before committing to live.
How to install WordPress with XAMPP
If you want to install WordPress with XAMP the first thing that you need to do is to download the XAMP software. Once you have done that you will need to install it on your machine, it won’t take long and it’s a straightforward process.
One thing to note is that you need to select WordPress and phpMyAdmin from the components part of the installation.
You will need to start two modules before continuing with the installation of WordPress with XAMP, those are the Apache module and the MySQL one. You can start those modules from the XAMP control panel.
If you have installed WordPress manually before with a FTP then the next part will seem really familiar to you. Even if it seems familiar, you might encounter some bumps along the way and so I will explain in detail. Just like before, you will need to download the latest version of WordPress.
After this, go to the folder where you have installed XAMP. There search for another folder called htdocs. Inside of the htdocs folder create a new one for your website, remember that the name you put is going to be the subname used to access your site.
To make sure you have not missed any important details, go to this link: http://localhost/website
Once you have checked that you can access that site, extract the WordPress archive in the new folder you created. Now you will need to create a database for your WordPress installation so you can do that from the phpMyAdmin. On the XAMP control panel, now you have to click on the Admin button.
When you visit your site with the link that I provided above you can begin the on screen WordPress installation. This step is straightforward and there are only general things required for your website. That’s it after you finish that you have now installed WordPress with XAMP.
This next step of the process is fairly simple, click on the ‘Databases’ on the top of the window. Then enter the database name and press the ‘Create’ button.
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How to Install WordPress Manually?
As I see it, manually installing WordPress is something that beginners should not attempt. However, it’s a really powerful tool for the other, more experienced users. You should remember to download some additional content before you even start on the installation.
Download an FTP or File Transfer Protocol application because you will need it. Again, let me remind you that you should install the latest version. It comes in a .zip file, and inside, you will find the necessary files to upload to your web hosting server.
Depending on which FTP application you choose to install, the next steps might slightly change, but the general idea should be the same. First, you will need to connect the FTP client with your hosting server.
Once that is done, you are able to install and modify files on your serves from the client. That means that you now have the ability to upload your website that is locally stored on the server.
If you haven’t installed WordPress on the hosting server, then don’t worry you can do that from the FTP client as well. You just have to select the root folder or another one like /blog, for example, and install the WordPress from the downloaded .zip archive file.
Once the uploading is completed, you must create a database using the hosting control panel. Like I mentioned before, most hosting providers have a variety of scripts installed.
Depending on the hosting provider that you choose for your site you can have different databases available for installation.
How to install WordPress with WAMP?
Installing WordPress with WAMP is the best and easiest way for developers because they can make adjustments and changes before migrating to an online environment.
It’s important that you test things out locally rather than online because something may go wrong, and it could be bad for business, also it’s best practice this way.
WAMP is a tool that combines Apache web server, MYSQL, and PHP in one place. All those items can be installed individually as they are freeware, but it’s really difficult even for experienced users. This bundle makes it really simple to install.
First, you need to visit the WAMP official website and from there, download the installer according to your system architecture. This application offers support for both 32 and 64-bit system architectures, so pick the one that fits you. Once downloaded, install the application following the instructions provided on the installer.
After launching WAMP, you will need to create a MySQL database. This will be blank. To do that, you have to click on the WAMP icon located in the taskbar menu and select the phpMyAdmin option from the menu that pops up.
This action will cause a new browser window to open. This will have a login form waiting for you to complete. You should simply set the username as ‘root’. Leaving the password field blank is also a good idea.
Press the ‘Go’ button, and you will log in. The dashboard will have the ‘Database’ option. Use it to make a new database for your WordPress. It will require you to name it, and after you have done that, press the ‘Create’ button. Now, there’s your brand new database.
Now the next step is to install WordPress, but first, you need to download the latest version from the official website. As we explained earlier, it will come in an archive file, and you need to extract it to a folder. Copy that folder and paste it where you have installed WAMP under the www folder.
After you have done that, open your browser and go to http://localhost/wordpress/. A page will open that will require you to enter the information from your database.
These are fairly standard information e.g. password, username, database name etc. When you are done with providing all this information, click on the ‘Run the installation’ button.
It will take some time to finish that process, but it will open a new window requiring you to enter WordPress information such as the username, site title, and more after it’s done.
Press the ‘Install WordPress’ button from there and give it a moment to work. You will get the credentials after it has finished. That’s it you have now installed WordPress using WAMP.
Closing Thoughts
I hope this article helped you learn how to install WordPress on a hosting provider of your choosing or even on your local system. It’s important to have such knowledge in this advancing technological era. New websites are being created daily, and you can start yours right away. With enough willpower and dedication, you can learn anything that you desire.
