How To Install Wordpress On Your Domain

Wordpress is famous for what it calls its “5-minute install”. But it does require a little bit of computer knowledge to handle the installation and configuration, which might intimidate some people. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you set up Wordpress on your own domain.

If you haven’t already done so, go to wordpress.org and download the latest version of Wordpress. You should also have an FTP client ready for uploading files onto your web server.

Certain hosting providers may already provide a Wordpress database for you, or may provide you with an automated way to set it up. Be sure to double-check this first before you proceed.

Most hosting providers allow you to access your mySQL databases through two formats – cPanel or phpMyadmin. You will have to create a new database, and create a new username and password for it. Make sure that under the “privileges” section, your new user account has all privileges available. Be sure to take down your new username, password, and database name. You will need all three for the next section.

Unzip the Wordpress package you downloaded. Using a text editor, open up the file named wp-config-sample.php. You will have to edit a few lines in it.

define('DB_NAME', 'putyourdbnamehere'); // The name of the database

define('DB_USER', 'usernamehere'); // Your MySQL username

define('DB_PASSWORD', 'yourpasswordhere'); // ...and password

define('DB_HOST', 'localhost'); // 99% chance you won't need to change this value

Input the information you took down when you created your database into the sections in bold. Save the file, and rename it to wp-config.php.

Next, using your FTP client, you will have to upload the Wordpress files to where you want to install it. You could upload the files to the root directory of your site, so that when people enter your domain name, your Wordpress blog will be the first thing that comes up. Another option is to upload the files to a subdirectory, like “blog”. If you choose to do this, you will first need to create a folder called “blog”, and install the files in there. When you do this, visitors to your site will need to go to www.yourdomainname.com/blog in order to see your Wordpress blog.

Once all of the files are uploaded, you need to go to /wp-admin/install.php. If you installed Wordpress in your root directory, the address would be: www.yourdomainname.com/wp-admin/install.php. If you installed it into a subdirectory called “blog”, the address would be: www.yourdomainname.com/blog/wp-admin/install.php.

The Wordpress installation page should come up, and once you click on “First Step”, you will be allowed to set up your blog title, and enter your e-mail address. In the last part of the installation process, you will be provided with a username and a temporary password, which you should take down because you will need it to log on. Once logged on, you can click on the “Users” tab, and change your username and password information. Now you're ready to start blogging!