WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) for building and managing blogs, websites or ecommerce stores. It is used by over 40% of websites worldwide, has thousands of plugins and themes ready to use, and has a large community of support and developers,
There are two main ways to install WordPress: using your hosting provider’s built-in tools or performing a manual installation. Here’s a quick guide to help you through both methods.
- Method 1: Installing WordPress via Softaculous or DirectAdmin
- Method 2: Manual Installation of WordPress
Method 1: Installing WordPress via Control Panel Softaculous
Log in to Your Hosting Account: Access your hosting account and navigate to your control panel. This could be DirectAdmin or cPanel.
Access Softaculous: Depending on your hosting and plan, you may or may not have Softaculous. look for the “Softaculous” link in your DirectAdmin or cPanel control panel.
Find WordPress: In Softaculous, search for WordPress in the list of available applications.
Configure Settings: Click on the WordPress icon and then select the “Install” button. You’ll be prompted to enter various settings such as your site name, admin username, password, and email address.
Start Installation: After configuring your settings, click the “Install” button. Softaculous will automatically handle the installation process.
Access WordPress: Once the installation is complete, you can access your new WordPress site through the provided URL, usually in the format yoursite.com/wp-admin.
Method 2: Manual Installation of WordPress
Download WordPress: Go to WordPress.org and download the latest version of WordPress.
Upload WordPress Files: Log in to your hosting account and open the file manager in DirectAdmin or cPanel. Upload the downloaded WordPress ZIP file to your desired directory (often the root directory).
Extract Files: In the file manager, extract the ZIP file to your web hosting directory. This will create a folder containing all WordPress files.
Create a Database: In your hosting control panel, navigate to the database management section.
Create a new SQL database and user, and note down the database name, username, and password.
Run the Installation: Go to yoursite.com in your browser. You should see the WordPress installation page. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup, including entering your site information, database credentials and admin information.
Access WordPress: After installation, you can log in to your WordPress dashboard at yoursite.com/wp-admin.
Whether you choose the automated Softaculous method or the manual installation process, setting up WordPress is straightforward and quick. The automated method is ideal for beginners who prefer an easier setup, while the manual method offers more control and understanding of the underlying components. Either way, you’ll be ready to start building and managing your WordPress site in no time.