How to Install Wordpress

I’ve get asked time and time again how to install Wordpress. I haven’t really found a great step by step guide that shows you how to install wordpress, so I thought I’d put together my own.

Before you begin, there are a couple of things you will need:

1. A domain. I’f you’re installing Wordpress I am assuming you have your own domain, and you’re not using the wordpress.com service.

2. You’ll need a MySQL Database. This is where Wordpress stores all it’s data.

3. You’ll need your FTP details. This you can get from your Webhost.

4. You’ll need an FTP Client. I use fetch on my Mac, but there are a number of good FTP clients for Windows, you’ll just have to Google it.

5. You’ll need a cup of coffee / tea or whatever you drink.

In this guide I’ll show you how to install wordpress for randomstuff.co.za

Step 1: Downloading Wordpress.

The first thing you need to do is download the latest version of Wordpress. If you go to www.wordpress.org follow the download links. Save the file to your hard drive. If you’re on Windows you might want to download the .zip version.

Extract the download file onto your computer. It should extract into a directory called Wordpress.

Step 2: Upload the files to your server.

Using your FTP client, fetch in my case, enter the FTP details you received from your webhost. Once you’ve connected to the server you’ll see a list of directories. If you have Linux hosting you’ll have a directory called ‘httpdocs’. Double click that directory and then upload the contents from the ‘Wordpress’ folder you extracted in step one.

Depending on the speed of your Internet connection, and the location of your hosting this could take a little while.

So while the files are uploading we’ll move into step 3.

Step 3: Setup the database.

For Wordpress to work it will need a database connection. If you have hosting of some kind, you’ll be able to create a database in the control panel. I use Plesk, and will explain how to do it in Plesk. Other webhost control panels should be similar.

You’ll need to create a new database. Make the database name something you can easily remember.

Once you’ve created a database you’ll need to create a user for the database. The user is the account that will have access to the database. Make sure this info doesn’t get out, because then someone can cause damage.

Keep a note of these details because you’ll need them in the next step.

Step 4: Install Wordpress

Now that you have uploaded the files, and you’ve created the database it’s time to do the installation.

Open up your domain in a browser, for example, mine is www.randomstuff.co.za

You’ll see the following on the screen:

Click ‘Create a Configuration File’

Click ‘Let’s go!’

Fill in all the details you setup and created in Step 2, and click ’submit’

Click the ‘Run the install’ button.

Your blog is now installed. You need to give it a title and put in your email address so that it can email you your password.

Once the installation steps are complete, you’ll be able to login with the username and password it displays.

One of the first things I always do is change the password as soon as I login.

Now head over to your site and you should see the following:

And that’s how to install wordpress.

The next step is the Wordpress configuration. I’ll do a follow up post on that soon, so make sure you subscribe to the RSS feed if you don’t want to miss it.

Tagged as: Step by Step, Wordpress