WordPress Installation

Page Contents

WordPress Installation is Extremely Simple
Create a MySQL Database
Download and Install WordPress

WordPress Installation is Extremely Simple

There are normally 3 options to install WordPress depending on your needs and desires. The first 2 options are best for companies and their website search engine optimization (SEO):

If you want to get maximum search engine benefit then you need to install WordPress onto your own (or rented server at recommended hosting companies like Hostgator or Bluehost. We recommend Hostgator) web server. This option is usually simple if your hosting company has a cPanel interface. If so, then you can install WordPress automatically by logging into your cPanel and browsing to Software/Scripts > Fantastico Deluxe or Simple Scripts, filling out the fields then clicking the install button.
You can go to WordPress.org, download WordPress then install it manually on your server. This can take only a few minutes if you are familiar with your cPanel account.
You can also have it hosted at http://www.wordpress.com. This is the most simple option. It requires less technical knowledge and it doesn’t require that you have a web server computer to install WordPress. It is not the best option for companies due to its limited capabilities like lack of allowing plugin functionality.

WordPress can be installed on a Windows server computer as long as it is capable of processing php files. Windows, however, is not the optimal hosting scenario for WordPress. WordPress will ideally be installed in a Linux hosting environment to take full advantage of all of its features.

This tutorial assumes WordPress is installed in a Linux machine, as well as on your own server. It is the best option if you are interested in boosting your company’s search engine rankings.

Most hosting companies provide the capability to install WordPress within their website control panel. Before going through the following procedure you should find out if your hosting company provides this simple installation capability. It will save you some time.

Create a MySQL Database

All of your websites WordPress content is stored in a MySQL database, and as such you need to create a MySQL database that is accessible from your website and WordPress installation. This is typically done through your websites control panel. If it isn’t obvious how to create this database then consult with your hosting company’s tech support.

Create this MySQL database and in doing so retrieve the following information:

host name (or server name)
database name
user
password

This information will be needed when you install WordPress in the next section.

Download and Install WordPress

Here is what you need to do to manually download and install WordPress:

Go to http://www.wordpress.org and download the latest version of WordPress. It’s the button just to the right of “Ready to get started?” label.
In the next screen click the “Download WordPress x.x.x” button to download the zip file with the latest stable version of WordPress.
Once it is on your local hard drive double-click the file to open the zip file. If you don’t have a program that will allow you to unzip the files then you can get a trial version of Winzip at http://www.winzip.com.
Unzip all files into a local directory using the Use Folder Names option.
Open the readme.html file and follow the instructions to configure and upload WordPress to your web server – the famous WordPress 5 minute Install.

You’re there!

Now you need to configure WordPress for performance. Read on…