WordPress itself is free. Installing it takes less than 10 minutes on any modern hosting account. This guide covers both the one-click method (used by 99% of people) and the manual method for those on hosts without an installer.
What you need before you start
- —A domain name — registered and pointing to your hosting nameservers (allow up to 48 hours for DNS to fully propagate)
- —A hosting account — shared hosting (Hostinger, Bluehost, SiteGround) or managed WordPress hosting (WP Engine, Kinsta)
- —Your hosting login credentials — the cPanel username/password or dashboard URL emailed to you when you signed up
- —A strong admin password — use a password manager to generate one. Never use “admin” as your username
⚡ Already on managed hosting?
Kinsta, WP Engine, and SiteGround all offer WordPress pre-installed on new accounts. If you signed up for a managed WordPress host, WordPress may already be waiting for you — check your hosting dashboard before following this guide.
Method 1 — One-click installer (recommended)
Every major shared hosting provider includes Softaculous or a similar one-click installer. This is the method you should use unless you specifically need manual installation.
1
Log in to your hosting control panelGo to your host’s website and log in. Shared hosts use cPanel (accessible at yourdomain.com/cpanel or via a link in your welcome email). Managed hosts have their own custom dashboards.
2
Find the WordPress installerIn cPanel, scroll to the ‘Softaculous Apps Installer’ section and click WordPress. On Hostinger, look for ‘Auto Installer’ in the Websites section. On SiteGround, it’s in the WordPress section of Site Tools.
3
Fill in your installation detailsChoose your domain from the dropdown. Set your site name and description. Set your admin username (never use ‘admin’) and create a strong password. Enter your admin email address — this is where WordPress sends notifications.
4
Choose your installation directoryLeave the ‘In Directory’ field empty to install WordPress at your root domain (yourdomain.com). Only add a subdirectory if you want WordPress at yourdomain.com/blog.
5
Click InstallSoftaculous takes 30–90 seconds to create your database, download WordPress, configure the settings, and complete the installation. You will see a success screen with your site URL and login URL.
6
Log in to WordPressClick the admin URL (yourdomain.com/wp-admin) or visit it directly. Enter your username and password. You are now inside your WordPress dashboard.
Method 2 — Manual installation
Manual installation is for users whose hosts don’t offer a one-click installer, or for developers who want full control over the installation process.
1
Download WordPress from WordPress.orgGo to wordpress.org/download and download the latest version as a .zip file. Extract the zip on your computer — you will get a folder called ‘wordpress’.
2
Create a MySQL databaseIn cPanel, go to MySQL Databases. Create a new database, create a new user with a strong password, and grant the user ALL PRIVILEGES on the new database. Note the database name, username, and password.
3
Upload WordPress files via FTPConnect to your server using FileZilla or another FTP client (use the FTP credentials from your hosting control panel). Upload the contents of the wordpress folder to your public_html directory.
4
Create wp-config.phpIn your browser, go to yourdomain.com. WordPress will show a setup screen. Click ‘Let’s go!’ and enter your database name, database username, password, and database host (usually ‘localhost’). Click Submit.
5
Run the installation wizardWordPress will confirm the database connection and show a form for your site title, admin username, password, and email. Fill it in and click ‘Install WordPress’. Done.
First login and essential configuration
After logging in for the first time, complete these five configuration steps before anything else:
1
Set your permalink structureGo to Settings → Permalinks. Select ‘Post name’ as your structure. Click Save Changes. This gives you clean URLs like /wordpress-guide/ instead of /?p=123. Do this before publishing any content.
2
Set your timezoneGo to Settings → General → Timezone. Set it to your local timezone. This affects post scheduling, comment timestamps, and analytics.
3
Delete default contentDelete the default ‘Hello World’ post (Posts → All Posts), the default ‘Sample Page’ (Pages → All Pages), and the default comment. Start with a clean slate.
4
Update WordPress and pluginsGo to Dashboard → Updates. Apply any available updates for WordPress core and the default plugins (Akismet, Hello Dolly). Hello Dolly can simply be deleted.
5
Install a security pluginBefore you start building your site, install Wordfence Security (free). Go to Plugins → Add New, search ‘Wordfence’, install and activate. Run the setup wizard.
What to do immediately after installation
- —Install your chosen theme (Appearance → Themes → Add New)
- —Install essential plugins: Yoast SEO, UpdraftPlus, WPForms, Smush
- —Delete unused themes — keep only your active theme and one default theme as a fallback
- —Create your site’s key pages: Home, About, Services, Contact
- —Connect Google Search Console and submit your sitemap
- —Set up your SSL certificate (most hosts offer free Let’s Encrypt SSL via cPanel)
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