How to Install WordPress on Your Hosting Account

Introduction

WordPress is the world's most popular content management system (CMS), powering over 40% of all websites. This guide will walk you through installing WordPress on your WordPress hosting account.

Method 1: One-Click Installation via Control Panel (Recommended)

Step 1: Access Your Control Panel

1. Log into your client area
2. Navigate to Services > My Services
3. Click on your WordPress hosting service
4. Click "Login to Control Panel"

Step 2: Install WordPress

1. Click on the "WordPress" or "Applications" section
2. Click "Install WordPress" or "Add New WordPress Site"
3. Enter your desired site information:
   • Site Title
   • Admin Username (avoid "admin" for security)
   • Admin Password (use a strong password)
   • Admin Email
4. Choose your domain or subdomain
5. Click "Install" or "Create"

Step 3: Access Your WordPress Site

After installation completes (usually 1-2 minutes):

• Visit your site: https://yourdomain.com
• Access admin panel: https://yourdomain.com/wp-admin

Method 2: Manual Installation via cPanel

Step 1: Download WordPress

1. Visit wordpress.org/download
2. Download the latest version

Step 2: Create a Database

1. Log into cPanel
2. Navigate to MySQL Databases
3. Create a new database, user, and assign the user to the database with ALL PRIVILEGES
4. Note down the database name, username, and password

Step 3: Upload WordPress Files

1. In cPanel File Manager, navigate to public_html
2. Upload the WordPress ZIP file
3. Extract the ZIP file
4. Move all files from the wordpress folder to public_html

Step 4: Run WordPress Installation

1. Visit your domain in a web browser
2. Click "Let's go!" to begin setup
3. Enter your database information:
   • Database Name
   • Username
   • Password
   • Database Host: localhost
   • Table Prefix: wp_ (or customize for security)
4. Click "Submit" then "Run the installation"
5. Enter your site information and create an admin account
6. Click "Install WordPress"

Post-Installation Steps

Essential Settings

1. Permalinks: Go to Settings > Permalinks and choose "Post name" for SEO-friendly URLs
2. SSL Certificate: Ensure your site uses HTTPS (install SSL certificate if not already done)
3. Security: Delete unused themes and plugins, change default admin username if you used "admin"

Recommended First Plugins

• Security: Wordfence or Sucuri Security
• Backup: UpdraftPlus or BackupBuddy
• SEO: Yoast SEO or Rank Math
• Performance: WP Rocket or W3 Total Cache
• Contact Forms: Contact Form 7 or WPForms

Next Steps

• Choose and install a theme
• Create your first pages and posts
• Configure your menu structure
• Set up regular backups

Troubleshooting

White screen after installation: Check file permissions (files: 644, folders: 755) and increase PHP memory limit.

Cannot access wp-admin: Clear browser cache, check .htaccess file, verify database connection.