WordPress installation tips for different hosting providers

In this blog post I am going to tell you about the different methods of installing the WordPress software on your website on different hosting platforms.

WordPress, as we all know, is one of the most popular platforms when it comes to blogging.

And even though this particular topic has been talked about by many people in the past, yet I always get enquiries from my blog visitors about the method to be used for the varied number of hosting platforms.

Different hosting providers have different interfaces – so it might be a little perplexing at first if you’ve seen tutorials for just one type of service provider interface.

A single web hosting will equip you with the method of installing WordPress on only their particular platform and it is not necessarily a universal method.

I will now go to on elucidate on the varieties and hope that you can relate with the web hosting site interface that you are using to the ones I talk about in this post/video.

Installing WordPress on shared hosting

Siteground’s shared Hosting is one of the most popular interfaces and we are going to demonstrate their method of WordPress installation first (watch video for the walkthrough).

• To install WordPress on your website you have to first go to the control panel (cPanel).
• In order to access the control panel you will have to rely on your web hosting service.
• When you purchase the services of a web host you receive a welcome email from the web host where you will have the URL for accessing your control panel along with your username and password.
• You have to click on the URL which will lead you to the control panel.
• Once you go to the control panel, installing WordPress is just a click away.
• When you open the control panel you will see several lists and you should look for the one titled auto installers or WordPress or app installers.
• Popularly you will find a software named Softaculus, which is used by most web hosting services. This is a one click software installer for WordPress and the like. You have to choose this software installer unless your control panel provides you with a direct, one click WordPress installer.
• After that the WordPress install window will open and you will need to click on install.

So this was for Siteground’s shared hosting interface.

Bluehost

Some of you might have availed services of Bluehost, whose interface is a little different from Siteground’s shared hosting.

Here too you’ve to access the control panel via the URL sent to you and log in using your user name and password.

Here too in the control panel you will have to search for script installer or software installer. If you are lucky you will find the software installer Softaculus and you know how to go about installation from there now.

Using VPS or something similar

If you’re using VPS and the like instead of Shared Hosting, the method is quite different (watch video for the walkthrough).

• Instead of a control panel, you will have a WHM access.
• This too has to be accessed via URL provided by your hosting provider in the welcome email. This will look quite different from the popular SharedHosting interface that most tutorials demonstrate about.
• In the WHM portal, assuming you have multiple accounts, you’ve to click on the Account Information tab.
• Then you have to click on List Accounts and a window with the accounts list and domains will be displayed on your screen.
• Choose the domain on which you wish to install WordPress and then consequently its control panel will also come up on the screen.
• When you have accessed the control panel of the account you want to install WordPress in, you will see that the control panel is quite similar to the ones of Shared Hosting.
• Again look for an installer. Basically no matter what interface comes up, just search for the software or app installers and you will surely find WordPress there.
• Okay now after you have found Softaculus or a direct WordPress installer, click install and your job is done.

WordPress installation process

A few things need to be done before you install the WordPress – some fine tuning you can call it.

• Once you have clicked on the Softaculus or WordPress installer, the installation window will be displayed.
• Here you have to choose from a drop down list the domain, for example https// or http/ and the like. Choose the one you want.
• Also you have the option of choosing a directory for the domain in case you don’t wish to have WordPress installed on your root directory.
• So on the box named Directory you have to choose make a folder, say blog, where WordPress will be installed. If you keep this space blank then WordPress will be by default installed in the root directory. If you want that then you have to leave this box blank.
• You can yourself give a Name and Description to your website – in the boxes site name and site description.
• Then you can tick the box Enable Multiple WMUs, if you want that.
• You will be then, given an admin name and admin password which is not the same as the default “admin” login you have on WordPress. This is better because “admin” names can be hacked relatively easily. Using this admin name adds some extra security.
• You also have to choose a name and password in order to create an email for the WordPress that you are installing.
• You could install plugins from right there – if you see an option called Limit Login will also be there listed at the bottom, it is recommended you click on this to ensure further safety. The advanced options could be left intact.
• Finally click on the install button and WordPress will be installed.

The process is pretty simple once you learn what to look for.

Irrespective of the control panel interface, once you find the software installer tab, the procedure is similar for all web hosts.

I sincerely hope that the step-by-step tutorial will be of much help while you install WordPress to your site.

Happy blogging!