How to install WordPress on your hosting

1. Log in to your Hosting Control Panel: You should have the access information for your hosting control panel. Try logging into your hosting account..

2. Locate Softaculous: Once you reach your hosting control panel, simply look out for something named "Softaculous" or "Softaculous Apps Installer." It could be elsewhere based on your hosting service, but you can generally find it under the "Software" category.

3. Find WordPress: Softaculous has plenty of popular website applications. You just need to look for the WordPress logo or enter "WordPress" in the search box.

4. Start the Installation: Click on the WordPress icon or name, and you'll be taken to the WordPress installation page within Softaculous.

5. Install options: You should now see an installation form for your WordPress. Here's what you need to fill out:

   • Choose a Protocol: Use "http://" if you don't have an SSL certificate for your website, or "https://" if you do.
   • Choose Domain: So go ahead and select the domain where you wanna install WordPress. If you have multiple domains, simply choose the one you want to use.
   • In Directory: Leave this field empty if you want to install WordPress in the root directory (e.g., "public_html"). If case you want to install it in a subdirectory, enter the directory name (e.g., "/blog").
   • Site Name: Enter the name of your website.
   • Site Description: Add a short description of your website.
   • Admin Username: Choose a username for the WordPress administrator.
   • Admin Password: Choose a secure password for the admin.
   • Admin Email: Enter your email addres, this email address will be used for administrator account.
   • Select Language: Choose the language for your WordPress site.
   • Choose a Theme: You can choose a default theme for your site if you want.

6. Advanced Options (Optional): You can expand the "Advanced Options" section if you want to change the database name, table prefix, and other settings. However, it's usually not necessary to modify these options.

7. Install WordPress: You've entered all required information, now just go ahead and click that "Install" or "Submit" button. Softaculous will begin the installation process.

8. Completion and Access Details: After a short time, you'll receive a confirmation message that WordPress has been successfully installed. It will also provide you with the login URL, your website URL, and your admin area URL.

9. Log In to WordPress: Visit the admin login URL, which is usually something like yourdomain.com/wp-admin. Log in using the username and password you set during the installation.

That is it. You have installed WordPress using Softaculous, and you can now start building your website.

Manual installation

Manual installation does not come easily or simply. To install WordPress on your local or remote hosting, you'll have to do a bit of work in comparison to using an auto-installer like Softaculous. Here is the process.

Prerequisites:

Before you begin, make sure you have the following:

1. Web Hosting: You need a web hosting account with a domain name. You should have access to your hosting control panel, such as cPanel.

2. FTP Client: An FTP (File Transfer Protocol) client to upload WordPress files to your server. You can use software like FileZilla or a built-in file manager in your hosting control panel.

3. Text Editor: A text editor for making necessary configurations. You can use Notepad (for Windows) or TextEdit (for Mac).

4. Database: Create a MySQL database and a user with all privileges. You can usually do this in your hosting control panel (cPanel).

Now, let's proceed with the manual installation:

1. Download WordPress: Go to the official WordPress website (https://wordpress.org) and download the latest version of WordPress. Extract the downloaded ZIP file to a folder on your computer.

2. Create a Database: Log in to your hosting control panel and navigate to the MySQL Databases section. Create a new database and a user with full privileges. Remember the database name, username, and password; you'll need them during the installation.

3. Rename the Configuration File: In the WordPress folder you extracted, find a file named wp-config-sample.php. Rename it to wp-config.php.

4. Edit the wp-config.php File: Open wp-config.php in a text editor and make the following changes:

   • Find the database name, username, and password settings and replace them with the values you created in step 2.
   • Set your authentication unique keys and salts. You can generate them by visiting the WordPress Secret Key Generator.

5. Upload WordPress Files: Use your FTP client to connect to your web server. Navigate to the root directory of your website (often named "public_html" or "www"). Upload the entire WordPress folder (the one you extracted in step 1) to this directory.

6. Install WordPress: Visit your website's URL in a web browser (e.g., http://yourdomain.com). You will see the WordPress installation screen. Follow the on-screen instructions to set your site title, create an admin account, and set up your website.

7. Log In and Customize: After installation, you will be able to log in to your WordPress admin panel with the created admin account. You can now start customizing your website, installing themes, and adding content.

Manual installation method gives you total control of your installation and is very useful if your hosting package does not support an auto-installer like Softaculous.