Here are the basic steps needed to install WordPress and get a blog up and running in a short time.
The installation of a WordPress site is really quite simple. It just takes a download from WordPress, a few setup choices with a blog hosting service, a couple configuration settings in one file, an upload of the software to a web hosting service, and an activation. Here’s how it’s done.
Download the Latest Version
WordPress is a simple download from wordpress.org, where the latest version is always available. It arrives as a .zip file which needs to be unzipped. A folder called “wordpress” is the final result.
Get the Hosting and Database Set Up
Whether the hosting is set up by the user or by the hosting company, the following items will be needed to configure WordPress:
- PHP availability
- A MySQL database, set up with a username, database name, and password
- Database location or address
- The user’s email address
If all these items are set up and ready to use, then it’s time to get WordPress configured and uploaded.
Configure the Files
One file needs to be configured. It’s “wp-config-sample.php”. IMPORTANT: Open it up in a text editor and save it as “wp-config.php”. This new file is the one you will configure, add to the files, and upload to the server.
Near the top of the file is a series of lines of code starting with the word “define”. The first four sets will use the information from your hosting.
- where it says ‘putyourdbnamehere’, enter the database name in between the tick (‘) marks
- on the next few lines replace ‘usernamehere’ with the username, ‘yourpasswordhere’ with the password, and ‘localhost’ with the the database’s hosting location or address.
Save the file. Now it’s time to upload.
Upload WordPress to the Hosting Server and Activate It
Upload everything in the “wordpress” folder (but not the “wordpress” folder itself) to the blog’s main root folder on the hosting server.
Now it’s time to activate WordPress. In a web browser, enter the name of the blog URL (e.g. http://www.myblogsite.com) and then enter “/wp-admin/install.php” immediately after it. Click Enter on the keyboard and WordPress will configure the database, ask for the name for the blog and an email address, and announce a successful setup.
Then, WordPress will supply a username and password for the “dashboard” (that’s the control panel on WordPress) which are to be used to log in and get started!
There’s always the chance that an installation might not work. It’s rare, but it happens. If so, consult the support forums at wordpress.org. There’s a huge community of users able to give a hand in determining why a problem may have occurred.
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