In the past decade WordPress has witnessed a phenomenal growth in its use on the web. It began as a blogging platform and currently stands as a complete CMS platform. As of January 2015, 23.3% of the top ten million websites currently use WordPress as their CMS.

This vouches for the stability of WordPress, especially for content specific websites. This article is a simple guide to installing WordPress on your server.

Things you will require before you begin WordPress installation:

The two primary things that you require are a domain name and a reliable web hosting company. For the purpose of this tutorial we will be using the HostGator web hosting service and its cPanel in order to install WordPress.

Different Ways to Install WordPress:

The different types of WordPress installations that we will cover in this article are:

• Method 1: Using “Quick Install” option in the cPanel
• Method 2: Using File Manager in the cPanel
• Method 3: Using FTP
• Method 4: Installing WordPress on a local server

 

Method 1: Using “Quick Install” Option on the cPanel:

The Quick Install feature on HostGator is an in-house automated install option. You can access this option in the “Software/Services” section of cPanel.

Once you click on Quick Install you are led to a page that looks like this:

 

Under the blog section, you will see the WordPress Icon that will take you to the page where you can carry forward your WordPress installation.  Once you click on this link you will see a page that looks like this:

 

Simply click on “Continue” in order to quickly install WordPress. Once you click on the page you will be taken to a page that looks like this:

Simply add in the main details for your WordPress Admin account and choose the domain that you want to install WordPress on from the dropdown menu, and click on the “Install Now” on the bottom left side.

Before we show you what happens after clicking on install now, you can have a look at the steps that you need to take in order to add WordPress to a subdomain instead of the main domain.

Adding WordPress with “Quick Install” to a subdomain:

For those of you who plan to add WordPress to a subdomain on your site, you need to first create a subdomain through your cPanel. To do that you need to go on the Domains section of your cPanel as shown below and click on the “Subdomains” option.

Once you click on this option you are taken to section like this:

For the purposes of this tutorial, we wish to create a subdomain to the main domain called www.logiixx.com. In order to create a subdomain which is “www.test.logiixx.com”, we will type in “test” as shown in the box highlighted above.

Once that is done, simply click on the document root box and cPanel will automatically generate a file for this subdomain.

Now, click on “Create” and you have successfully created the subdomain “www.test.logiixx.com”.

Once you have done this you can easily follow the same steps that were mentioned above to install WordPress, and instead of typing the name of the main domain, choose the name of the subdomain which in this case is”test.logiixx.com” from the drop down menu. This option will automatically come in your drop down menu because you had previously created it.

Once you have chosen the subdomain and entered the entire details click on “Install now”, cPanel will give you the details of your WordPress account as given below.

The image above gives you the main account details which are

1. Admin Area Link
2. Username
3. Password

Simply click on the Admin Area link and you will be taken to a page that looks like this:

Simply add the username and password that was assigned to you and you will get complete access to your newly installed WordPress CMS which looks like this:

 

Method 2: Installing WordPress Using File Manager:

To show you how to install a file using file manager you need to first log in to your cPanel. In this tutorial we are using the HostGator cPanel.

For the purposes of this article we have created a subdomain called “www.test3.logiixx.com“. In this tutorial we will install WordPress within this subdomain.

Step 1: Create a database

To create a database you need to go to the “Databases” section of cPanel and click on “MySQL database”.

Once you do that in the “Create Databases” section type in the name of the database

We have created a database named “Logiixx_test3”

After creating the database add new user to it and save the details of the database name and password.

You will be led to a page that looks like the page above. Simply tick “ALL PRIVILEGES” and click on “Make Changes”.

Your database is now successfully created. Make note of the database name and password at the end of the creation.

Step 2: Create a Subdomain

Create a subdomain you want to install WordPress. The steps of creating a subdomain have already been covered. In this tutorial we are installing WordPress in the subdomain “www.test3.logiixx.com”.

Step 3: Upload WordPress in File Manager

In the cPanel of HostGator in the “Files” section click on “File Manager”.

Once you click on this option you will be lead to a page that looks like this:

Under “public_html/test3” file, we need to upload the WordPress zip file that we have downloaded from www.wordpress.org.

Once the file is uploaded we need to extract it in the folder “public_html/test3/wordpress” as shown in the extraction picture shown below.

Once the file is extracted we need to select all the files in the location “public_html/test3/wordpress”, move them to “public_html/test3”.

Step 4: Change the name of the “wp-config-sample.php” to “wp-config.php”

On the right hand side of the file manager where you can see all your files of WordPress, locate the file called “wp-config-sample.php” as shown below.

Once you have located this file, rename it to “wp-config.php” as shown below:

Step 5: Edit the code and enter the database details:

Once you have renamed the file right click on it and choose the option “Code Edit”.

Locate the code as shown in the picture below:

 

 

 

 

 

And replace the code ‘database_name_here’, ‘username_here’ and ‘password_here’ with the details of the database as you had saved before as shown below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 6: Enter the name of the site in the browser

Once, the changes have been made to the code you need to enter the following address in your browser:

“www.test3.logiixx.com/wp-admin/install.php”

For this you simply need to type in “www.yourdomainname.com/wp-admin/install.php”, where “yourdomainname” is the name of your website.

 

 Step 7: Fill in the details on the page:

If your installation is successful you will see a page like this:

 Simple fill in all the details and you will install WordPress successfully on your server.

 

Method 3: Install WordPress Using FTP:

Now, we are going to cover one final way to install WordPress on a web server which is through FTP. Most people prefer installing WordPress on their server using File Manager in their cPanel.

File Manager: Faster But Not Ideal for Heavy Sites

For heavier sites the ideal way to install WordPress is through FTP, because in case of heavier files, File Manager is not able to successfully upload the files as the upload process fails the second connection with internet fails.

FTP upload on the other hand although a longer process is not dependant on the internet connection, so it is easier for heavier files to be uploaded using FileZilla.

For the purpose of this tutorial we will be using FileZilla. It is a free and cross platform FTP application software.

Step 1: Download and install FileZilla

You can easily download FileZilla in your computer by using this link https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?type=client.

Step 2: Create a database through cPanel

The steps of creating a database have already been discussed in this document so we shall not go over them again.

The database in this case is logiixx_test4.

Step 3: Connect FileZilla to your cPanel

In order to connect Filezilla enter the following details in the columns as written below:

Host: Your domain name (in our case logiixx.com)

Username: The Username that is of your cPanel

Password: The password of your cPanel

For the purpose of this tutorial we have created a subdomain by the name of “www.test4.logiixx.com” in which we will install WordPress using FileZilla. Users who want to add WordPress directly to their main domain can simply copy and extract the WordPress files in the “public_html” folder on the right hand side of FileZilla.

In our case we will open the public_html/test4 file.

Step 3: Extract the WordPress zip file into a different folder

Step 4: Copy the contents of the extracted WordPress file into the location by simple uploading them in “public_html/test4”

Step 5: Enter the web address in the browser as given below:

As we had done in the File Manager transfer steps similarly enter the address “www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin/install.php”

You will reach a page that looks like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once you click on the “Create a Configuration File”. You will be led to a page that looks like this:

 

 

Click on “Let’s go” and enter all the database details:

Step 6: Enter the database details of the database you had created before 

In our case:

• The Database name in this case is: logiixx_test4
• And the user name is: logixx_test4
• And the password is the one that we had created when we created the database.

Simply submit the details and you will reach the next step of WordPress installation all of which have been covered in the File Manager WordPress installation. 

 

Method 4: How to install WordPress on a Local Server:

Most beginners ask if they should install WordPress on their computer first. Well, the answer is yes. But the question is, do they need to install it on a local server?

If you plan to run a blogging website, then installing it on a local server doesn’t do you much good as you want instant exposure for your site.

However, installing WordPress on a local server is an extremely good option for developers who:

• Are practicing to develop websites on local servers
• Want to create plugins and other functionalities faster
• Need to test websites and plugins and fix bugs in them before taking them live

In this article we will give you a step by step guide on how to install WordPress on a local server.

For the purpose of this article we will be using the Xampp.

Step 1: Installing Xampp

Xampp is a free open source cross platform web server solution package that consists of MySQL database, Apache HTTP server and even interpreters for scripts that have been written in PHP and Perl.

Simply download it through this link https://www.apachefriends.org/download.html  and install it on your pc.

After installation when you run Xampp on your computer it looks like this:

Simply click on Start for Apache and MySQL and a local server environment is set for your PC.

The Skype Error:

A common error that is found in the running of Apache Server in Xampp is when you have Skype installed on your website. This happens because by default, Skype uses port 80 and port 443 for its functioning.

To avoid this error you can do two things:

1. Close Skype while using Xampp
2. Change the “Advanced Settings” on Skype, click on “Connections” and then uncheck the box that mentions “Use port 80 and 443 as alternatives for incoming connections.” Save options and then you can restart Skype.

The second option is a more permanent solution and hence a more advisable solution to get rid of this error for the future.

Once this error is taken care of, Xampp will run smoothly on your local server.

 

Step 2: Download WordPress zip file from www.wordpress.org

Once Xampp is successfully running on your computer, visit www.wordpress.org and click on “Download WordPress 4.1.1” as shown below:

You can download the zip file by clicking on “Download WordPress 4.1.1” or whatever current version they have posted for the purposes of downloading.

 

Step 3: Extract the Zip file to Xampp

Once you have successfully downloaded the zip file you need to go to the downloaded zip file and extract it to htdocs as shown below:

 Step 4: Get access to phpMyAdmin:

Xampp comes also with phpMyAdmin, which is a web-based application that manages MySQL databases.

To get access to phpMyAdmin type in “localhost/phpmyadmin” on your web browser and you will land on a page that looks like this:

Simply click on the “wordpress” database as it has been marked in the screen shot.

On the create database page section type “wordpress” and click on “Create”.

Your WordPress database has successfully been created.

Step 5: Access the WordPress installation on your local server

To access the WordPress installation on your local server open a web browser and type in “http://localhost/wordpress” and you will see a page that looks like this:

 

Continue with the language you want your site to be in.  For our purposes we have chosen “English (United States)”. You will then be led to a page that looks like this:

Click on “Let’s go!” at the bottom left corner. You will be led to a page that looks like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To establish a connection you need to type in the User Name as “root”. And leave the password area blank.

Click on “Run the Install” on the next page and you are good to go.

 

 Step 5: Fill in the Admin details

You need to then fill in the admin details as you see fit in the options as shown below:

Click on “Install WordPress” after filling in the details and once it is successful you can easily type in your Username and password details to access your WordPress site on your local server whenever you want.

So, these were the different methods of WordPress installation. Depending on your needs as well as ease, you can use them begin working with WordPress.

At Phoeniixx Designs we create WordPress based websites on a daily basis. If you need our assistance in website creation, then simply contact us and we are always happy to help you.