Okay, so you’ve downloaded WordPress, chosen the hosting for your blog, along with a domain name. Next up is installing WordPress. There are a couple things you need to have and do.
Firstly, you’re going to need some software and access to your site and its directory. You’ll be needing FTP access to your web server, where your site is hosted. You also need a text editor. Notepad for Windows or TextEdit for Mac OS X will do the trick. Next you will need an FTP client, or you can use your hosting provider’s control panel. FileZilla is a popular option for Windows, while Mac users can use Cyberduck. Both are actually cross-platform applications and both are free. Lastly, you’ll need your favourite web browser.
If you followed the steps in my previous blog post, your hosting provider has the minimum requirements to run WordPress and you’ve downloaded the latest version of WordPress from WordPress.org. Unzip the downloaded zip file in a folder on your computer’s hard drive.
Next, you’re going to need to login to your site’s control panel via your hosting provider. It should be powered by cPanel, which is a hosting control panel. It has become very popular and is used by most hosting providers. Once logged in, scroll to the Database section and click the MySQL Database Wizard.
MySQL Database Wizard in cPanel
In Step 1. Create a Database, enter a name for your database and proceed to the next step.
Create a Database
In Step 2. Create Database Users, enter a username that does not exceed seven characters and enter a password, and verify it. Once you’re done, click the Create User button.
Create Database User
In Step 3. Add User to the Database, click the checkbox at ALL PRIVILEGES. Note the user and password that is presented to you, and proceed to the next step.
Add User to the Database
In the final step, Step 4. Complete the task, note your database name and you’re done.
Next, you’re going to need to upload the unzipped files to your site. However, you need to choose where on your domain your WordPress blog is going to be located. It can either be located in your root directory (http://www.yourdomain.com) or in a sub-directory (http://www.yourdomain.com/blog). Whichever location you prefer, simply upload it with your FTP program.
Next, you need to run the installation script and you’re ready to go. Point your browser to the relevant domain, http://www.yourdomain.com or http://www.yourdomain.com/blog and add /install.php to the end of the URL to start the installation. You will be prompted for your user name, your password and your database name.
Once you click Install, a WordPress confirmation screen appears with your username and password. Note the password and point your browser to either http://www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin or http://www.yourdomain.com/blog/wp-admin to start setting up your WordPress blog.