How To Install WordPress

Table Of Contents

• Prerequisites
• Uploading the files
• Installing the software
• Setting up the database

Why WordPress?

WordPress is a free, open source, and widely popular blogging software. Chances are that some of your favorite blogs are run by using WordPress, and I can guarantee you have visited a WordPress site before. Do to the fact that WordPress is open source and so easy to use, it has started to evolve past blogging software and now many companies are using it as Content Management System (CMS) for their sites.

What do I need to know?

I am writing this tutorial to help everyday people who want to easily set up a blog or website for personal or professional use. I do not expect you to be outrageously tech savvy, but I do expect you to know your way around a computer. This tutorial will not delve in to creating your own themes or styles for the blog because that is more advanced than I am covering. We are going to focus on getting WordPress installed and running.

What do I need?

In order to run a WordPress site you will need a hosting service and a domain name. Websites are stored on servers. When someone enters an address in a computer's browser (e.g. www.wordpress.org), the browser then follows that address or domain to a server that is hosting all the files for that particular site.  In order to run WordPress you will need to rent a server (hosting service) and buy a domain name that will link to that server. These tasks can often be done in one step.

Your server will need to meet the following requirements: PHP 5.2.4 or higher & MySQL 5.0 or higher. PHP is the coding language that WordPress is written in and MySQL is the database type being used. If we look at http://wordpress.org/hosting/ we will see a list of recommended hosting providers. I have personally used both Bluehost and DreamHost and highly recommend Bluehost, which I will be using for this tutorial. Both providers will allow you to register a domain name at the same time you buy your hosting package.

I have my Hosting and Domain Name let get started

Once you have your hosting service and domain name, head over to http://wordpress.org/download/ and download the latest version of WordPress.

Step 1: Upload The Files
Once you have downloaded the .zip file containing WordPress, you need to upload it on to your server. There are several ways to do this, but the most simple way is to use a file manager. If you are a bit more technologically advanced, I would use an FTP program. And if you have no idea what a FTP program is, proceed with the file manager.

When you purchased your hosting you should have received a username and password to the control panel of your server. Log in to the control panel and find your file manager. For Bluehost the icon looks like this:

There are 2 ways to proceed from here.

Your first option is to:

1. Extract the .zip archive
2. Login to your server using your username and password.
3. Locate the file manager and click on it.
4. Upload all the files and folders contained in the .zip archive.

Or, if your file manager has an extraction feature:

1. Login to your server using your username and password.
2. Locate the file manager and click on it.
3. Upload the .zip archive.
4. Click on the archive in the file manager and click extract.

Once you have all your files uploaded, your file manager should look something like this:

Step 2: Install The Software
With your files uploaded we can now proceed with the installation process of WordPress.

To get to the installation page, open up your website by entering your chosen domain name into the web browser. You should be brought to a page asking you to create a configuration file that looks like this:

Click the  “Create a Configuration File” Button and your configuration file will be created.

At this point you should see a welcome page like this:

Click “Let’s Go!”

Step 3: Set Up Your Database
You should be seeing a screen like this:

Because blogs are not static, and allow us to create new posts whenever we want, we need somewhere to store the data. That is where a MySQL database comes in. We need to create a database to store your blog posts in.

1. From your control panel find a MySQL Database wizard and click on it. For bluehost, the Icon looks like this:
   
2. Follow the Installation Wizard to create your database. If prompted, the user you create should have “All Privileges”.
   
3. Now that your Database is created, go back to the wizard and fill in the database information on the screen.
4. Click “Submit”.

If everything was entered correctly, WordPress should be able to connect to your database and will show you a screen like this:

Step 4: Run the Install

All right Sparky! Click the “Run the install” button and WordPress will take you through the rest of the "Famous five minute WordPress installation process!”
The installation is simple and helps you set up your site exactly the way you want it.

Step 5: Start Blogging
Once the quick installation has completed you should be logged in to your WordPress dashboard. From here you can do everything you want, from creating posts to changing the settings of your blog. Enjoy Blogging on your new website!