WordPress has become the most popular CMS with 31.5% of the market share. Installing WordPress takes less than 5 minutes. Though there are many ways to actually install WordPress, in this article we will be talking about installing WordPress in cPanel.
Let’s start with the basics first…
What is cPanel?
In simple words, cPanel is a web-based control panel. It is provided by many hosting companies. Website owners use this to manage their website from a web-based interface. The tools used in cPanel are made to simplify running and controlling a website. Different hosting providers use some sort of auto-installer like Softaculous, SimpleScripts, Fantastico etc dedicated to CMS like WordPress. If you aren’t technically-equipped or wish to save your time, I would rather suggest you go for a managed WordPress hosting. It provides pre-installed WordPress at a minimum cost.
How to Install WordPress in cPanel?
Method 1: Using One-Click Installer
Method 2: Manually using cPanel
1. Using One-Click Installer
This is the fastest way to install WordPress on your website. As mentioned above, there are different auto-installers used by different hosting providers. We will be using the example of Softaculous, as it is one of the most common auto-installers.
Just follow the simple steps given below to install WordPress using Softaculous in cPanel:
1. Login to your cPanel account, find the Softaculous icon and click it.
2. Click on WordPress icon, you will see Softaculous WordPress installation window.
3. Click on install now.
4. Complete the WordPress setup information.
- Protocol– Choose protocol for your WordPress site. If you have an SSL certificate, which is highly recommended select HTTPS otherwise select HTTP.
- Domain– Choose the domain in which you would like to install WordPress.
- In Directory– You have to leave this blank. WordPress will automatically install on the root domain name.
- Site name– Enter the name of your WordPress site.
- Site description– Enter a small description of your website.
- Multisite– Enable multisite if you want to create multiple WordPress sites using the same WordPress installation.
- Admin username– Choose a username for your account
- Password– Chose a password for your account
- Email– Enter a valid email address as notifications and password reset links will be sent to this email.
- Select language– Choose your language here.
5. Press the install button and Softaculous will start installing WordPress. The installation will take 1-2 minutes.
6. After completing the installation it will show your login credentials and dashboard URL.
7. Enter the URL in the web browser. You will be redirected to the login page of your website dashboard.
2. Installing WordPress Manually Using cPanel
2.1. Download the latest version of WordPress
Go to WordPress.org and download the latest version of WordPress. You will get these files compressed in a .zip archive. Extract these files and store them in a new folder. You can name this folder WordPress for your convenience.
2.2. Upload files to your hosting account
Now you have to upload the files you extracted to your web host directory. File transfer protocol(FTP) is what most webmasters use to manually upload their files to the internet.
To connect to your website server via FTP, you will need to install FTP client(we recommend Filezilla)to your computer. You will also need your hosting account FTP login credentials which you will receive in an email after you purchase your hosting plan.
1. Install and open FileZilla and go to file and select Site Manager.
2. In Site Manager click on new site and enter your domain name and your FTP details
- Enter the host given by your web hosting, it is typically your IP address.
- Leave the port option blank if you don’t have a specific FTP port.
- Choose “FTP” as your protocol and Choose “use explicit FTP over TLS” in encryption. For logon select normal. Now enter Your FTP username and password and click connect.
- Make sure all the FTP details are correct. After connecting successfully you will see root folder of your hosting account. It is usually called “public_html”.
3. Now go back to the WordPress folder you created in step 1. Select all the files and drop them in your site’s root directory. All your files will be successfully uploaded.
2.3. Create the MySQL Database
Once all your files are uploaded to your host it’s time to create a database.
1. Login to your Cpanel account and locate “MySQL database” under “Database”. Your database will save all your website data.
2. Once inside MySQL database enter a new name for your database and click create. Your database name will be prefixed with your username.
3. After creating a database name, fill in your username and password and click on create a user.
4. Now under “add a user to database” choose the user and database you just created and click the “Add” button.
2.4. Run WordPress Installation
1. To start the installation, enter your website URL in web browser. Firstly you will be asked to choose your preferred language.
2. You will see all the information to install WordPress and since you’ve created a database just click let’s go.
3. You will be asked to enter your database information name, database user, password, and the host. Fill all the information carefully and click submit.
4. WordPress will set up a communication with your database and you will see a confirmation message. Click “run the install”
5. Now you will be asked for some information about your site. Fill in your site name, username, password and your email address and click install.
6. You have successfully installed WordPress. You will see a success message with a login form.
Install WordPress on cPanel tutorial (Manually)
Things To Do After Installing WordPress
Once you have installed WordPress, there are quite a few things you need to get started on.
1. Themes
Themes control the visual appearance of your website. They are like pre-made templates. You can find themes option under appearance in the sidebar. Just click on add new and you will get thousands of free themes to choose from according to your website content. As a beginner, if you get a little confused with so many options check our list of 10 “free” best themes for WordPress.
2. Plugins
Plugins directory offered by WordPress is the largest directory of free and open source plugin. They allow you to extend your site by adding new features. You can just install a plugin from plugin option in the sidebar of your WordPress dashboard. After installing a plugin you will have to activate it to make it work. You will get activate plugin link once installation is complete. Some plugins like contact form plugins, SEO plugins etc should always be installed in your WordPress site for added functionality.
3. WordPress Security
Even though WordPress is the most popular CMS, it is always going to be susceptible to attack. Before you even begin to add content to your site, learn about all the security measures you can take to protect your site from a hacker. Install a security plugin. Always keep your themes and plugins updated. WordPress hacks can be very brutal and can result in loss of sensitive information.
As a beginner, you may be overwhelmed with such information especially if you’re less technical. Choosing the right host could be a daunting task. Therefore, it is always preferred to go for a managed hosting provider that will take care of all your website needs for a few bucks.
Conclusion
WordPress has a very easy installation process. The above steps to install WordPress in Cpanel takes hardly 5 to 10 minutes. If you still want to skip these steps and want to concentrate on other important aspects of your website go with our managed WordPress hosting.
Facing problems installing WordPress in cPanel? Let us know in the comment section.
