In this post we’re going to show you how to install WordPress on your host in just a few minutes. Part of what makes installing WordPress so quick and easy is its popularity. WordPress is far and away the most popular content management system in the world and because of this most hosts have created what’s called a “one-click” WordPress installation feature. I’ll show you this method first and then what is known as the manual method of installing WordPress via FTP (file transfer protocol) second.
Using Your Host’s “One-Click” WordPress Installation Feature
Each hosting service is going to have a slightly different looking interface, but the process remains the same.
1. Find the One-Click Install Section
This is sometimes a sub-section such as “goodies” that houses other offerings such as analytics, adwords, etc. Other times it is its own section.
2. Choose WordPress
When you click on the WordPress options you will be asked which domain to install WordPress on. Select the appropriate domain (which much be fully hosted to appear, not simply registered). Unless you choose to create a custom database one will be created for you.
3. Click Install
After clicking it takes between five and ten minutes for the installation to complete and an email will be sent to you with a few simple instructions that you can follow in order to access the admin section of your new WordPress website!
Installing WordPress via FTP
It has become increasingly rare for a hosting service not to have a simplified WordPress installation process. However, you may have your own server or simply desire to manage the installation manually for a number of different reasons. In any of these cases, the FTP WordPress installation instructions below will have you up and running in as few as five minutes.
1. Download & Unzip the WordPress Package
First, download the WordPress package from WordPress.org. To accomplish this simply click on the link that reads “Download WordPress 4.0” (or the latest version of WordPress).
Next…
For Windows: click save file then left click on the file name in the “Downloads” pop up window and choose the “open containing folder” option to open the folder with your download. Now left click on the zip archive entitled “wordpress-4.0” or the most recent version title and choose “Extract”. In the extract pop up, click the “Browse” button and select “Desktop” to extract the archive to your desktop.
For Mac: navigate to your downloads folder and find the new zipped WordPress file. Then, double-click the zipped file and it will unzip into a folder. You can then drag the WordPress folder to your desktop for easy access.
2. Create a Database & MySQL User on Server
From within your hosting account, navigate to PHPMyadmin and create a table for WordPress. The table name is up to you, but we suggest simply naming it “wordpress” if you only plan to have one installation. Otherwise something like “wordpress_1” would be good for multiple installations.
3. Rename wp-config-sample.php to wp-config.php & Edit
Back on your desktop, open the new folder named “wordpress”. Locate the file named “wp-config-sample.php” and rename it to “wp-config.php”. Open the config.php file in notepad or textedit (for Windows and Mac respectively) and fill in your own database details where they are required. You will clearly see where they go as the file is well notated for this purpose.
4. Upload WordPress Files to Server
Now create a directory on your server for your blog. If you want your blog to be in the root directory, like example.com, then upload all the files in your WordPress installation to the root folder, but do not include the folder itself, just the files. If you want a separate directory for your blog, make a new directory for your blog, like example.com/blog. Use your favorite FTP client such as FileZilla or Transmit to upload the files.
5. Run the WordPress Installation Script
This is done by accessing the wp-admin/install.php file from a web browser. You would go to example.com/wp-admin/install.php or example.com/blog/wp-admin/install.php depending on how you uploaded it in the previous step.
After installing WordPress
After completing either of the two WordPress installation methods above you now have a brand new WordPress website, on your very own domain, to do with what you will. Those of you newer to WordPress and perhaps unfamiliar with how to configure the initial settings might want to continue on to our overview of the WordPress admin. Others of you may want to learn how to install and configure themes or plugins. While still others may wish to continue learning about the basic infrastructure of WordPress itself.
If you’re already familiar with all of that information and would instead like to experiment with WordPress customizations, themes, plugins, and more then you may enjoy our tutorial on how to create a copy of your WordPress website on your local machine; which provides a risk-free environment for experimentation.
Whatever your next step, we’ve got you covered. Happy pressing!
