The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Installing WordPress (2026)

Installing WordPress is the first step to building your own website. Whether you want to start a blog, create a business site, or launch an online store, WordPress powers over 43% of all websites on the internet — and getting it set up is easier than you might think.

This guide walks you through every method of installing WordPress, from one-click installers (the easiest way) to manual installation via FTP. No coding knowledge required.

What You Need Before Installing WordPress

Before you install WordPress, you need two things:

1. A domain name — Your website address (like yoursite.com). Costs about $10-15 per year.
2. Web hosting — A server where your website files live. Costs $3-30 per month depending on the provider.

Most hosting providers sell domains too, so you can get both in one place. Some even include a free domain for the first year when you sign up for hosting.

Choosing a Hosting Provider

For beginners, look for hosting that offers:

• One-click WordPress installation — Saves you from manual setup
• Free SSL certificate — Makes your site secure (https://)
• 24/7 support — Help when you get stuck
• Automatic backups — Protection against data loss

Popular beginner-friendly hosts include Bluehost, SiteGround, Hostinger, and Cloudways. All of them support WordPress and offer simple installation tools. If you’re not sure which type of hosting is right for you, check out our comparison of hosting vs WordPress.com vs self-hosted options.

Method 1: One-Click WordPress Installation (Recommended)

This is the easiest and fastest way to install WordPress. Most hosting providers include a one-click installer in their control panel. The entire process takes about 5 minutes.

Step-by-Step: Bluehost

1. Log in to your Bluehost account
2. Click My Sites in the left sidebar
3. Click Add Site then Create New Site
4. Enter your site name and tagline
5. Select your domain from the dropdown
6. Click Create Site
7. Bluehost installs WordPress automatically — you’ll see your login credentials when it’s done

Step-by-Step: SiteGround

1. Log in to your SiteGround dashboard
2. Go to Websites tab
3. Click New Website
4. Choose your domain (existing or new)
5. Select Start New Website and choose WordPress
6. Enter your admin email and password
7. Click Finish — SiteGround handles the rest

Step-by-Step: Hostinger

1. Log in to Hostinger’s hPanel
2. Click Auto Installer under the Website section
3. Select WordPress
4. Fill in your site title, admin username, and password
5. Click Install
6. Wait about 2 minutes for the installation to complete

Step-by-Step: cPanel (Works with Most Hosts)

If your hosting provider uses cPanel (most shared hosting does), you can use Softaculous to install WordPress:

1. Log in to cPanel
2. Scroll to the Software section
3. Click Softaculous Apps Installer
4. Find WordPress and click Install
5. Choose your domain and leave the directory field empty (installs on your main domain)
6. Set your site name, admin username, password, and email
7. Click Install at the bottom

After installation, you can access your WordPress dashboard at yourdomain.com/wp-admin.

Method 2: Manual WordPress Installation via FTP

If your hosting provider doesn’t offer a one-click installer, or if you prefer full control over the process, you can install WordPress manually. This takes about 15-20 minutes.

Step 1: Download WordPress

Go to wordpress.org/download and download the latest version. You’ll get a .zip file (about 25MB).

Step 2: Create a Database

WordPress stores all your content in a MySQL database. You need to create one before installing:

1. Log in to cPanel
2. Click MySQL Databases
3. Enter a database name and click Create Database
4. Create a new MySQL user with a strong password
5. Add the user to the database with All Privileges
6. Write down the database name, username, and password — you’ll need these during installation

Step 3: Upload WordPress Files via FTP

1. Download and install an FTP client like FileZilla (free)
2. Connect to your server using your FTP credentials (your host provides these)
3. Unzip the WordPress download on your computer
4. Upload all files from the wordpress folder to your server’s public_html directory
5. Wait for all files to upload (this can take 5-10 minutes)

Step 4: Configure wp-config.php

After uploading, you need to connect WordPress to your database:

1. In your FTP client, find the file wp-config-sample.php
2. Rename it to wp-config.php
3. Edit the file and replace these lines with your database details:

define( 'DB_NAME', 'your_database_name' );
define( 'DB_USER', 'your_database_username' );
define( 'DB_PASSWORD', 'your_database_password' );
define( 'DB_HOST', 'localhost' );

Also update the security keys section. Visit api.wordpress.org/secret-key/1.1/salt/ to generate unique keys and paste them into your wp-config.php file.

Step 5: Run the Installation

1. Open your browser and go to yourdomain.com
2. The WordPress installation wizard appears
3. Choose your language
4. Enter your site title, admin username, password, and email
5. Click Install WordPress
6. You’ll see a success message — click Log In to access your dashboard

What to Do After Installing WordPress

Once WordPress is installed, complete these essential setup steps before building your site. For a deeper walkthrough, see our full guide on how to set up WordPress after installation.

1. Set Your Permalinks

Go to Settings → Permalinks and select Post name. This creates clean, SEO-friendly URLs like yoursite.com/my-first-post instead of yoursite.com/?p=123.

2. Install a Theme

Go to Appearance → Themes → Add New. Browse free themes or upload a premium theme. Not sure which one to pick? Read our guide on how to choose and install a WordPress theme without breaking your site.

3. Install Essential Plugins

Go to Plugins → Add New and install these starter plugins:

• Rank Math or Yoast SEO — Search engine optimization
• UpdraftPlus — Automatic backups
• WP Super Cache or W3 Total Cache — Speed optimization
• Wordfence — Security protection

4. Set Up SSL

Most hosts activate SSL automatically. Verify your site loads with https://. If not, check your hosting control panel for a free SSL option (usually Let’s Encrypt). Then go to Settings → General and make sure both the WordPress Address and Site Address start with https://.

5. Delete Default Content

WordPress comes with a sample post (“Hello World!”), a sample page, and a sample comment. Delete these before adding your own content:

• Go to Posts → delete “Hello World!”
• Go to Pages → delete “Sample Page”
• Go to Comments → delete the default comment

Common Installation Problems and Fixes

“Error Establishing a Database Connection”

This means your wp-config.php has wrong database credentials. Double-check the database name, username, password, and host. The host is usually localhost but some providers use a different address.

White Screen After Installation

Usually caused by a PHP memory limit. Add this line to your wp-config.php:

define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M' );

“Installation Already Exists”

If you see this message, WordPress is already installed. Try going directly to yourdomain.com/wp-admin to access the dashboard. If you want a fresh install, delete all files in your public_html folder and drop the database, then start over.

Can’t Access wp-admin After Installation

Clear your browser cache and cookies. If that doesn’t work, try a different browser. If you forgot your password, click Lost your password? on the login page to reset it via email.

Managed WordPress Hosting vs Shared Hosting

You’ll see two main types of hosting when shopping around:

Shared hosting ($3-10/month) puts your site on a server with hundreds of other websites. It’s cheap and works fine for new sites with low traffic. Bluehost, Hostinger, and SiteGround offer shared hosting.

Managed WordPress hosting ($15-50/month) gives you a server optimized specifically for WordPress. Faster speeds, automatic updates, daily backups, and expert WordPress support. Cloudways, Kinsta, and WP Engine are popular managed hosts.

For beginners, shared hosting is the right starting point. You can always upgrade to managed hosting later as your site grows.

Next Steps

Now that WordPress is installed, you’re ready to start building. Here’s what to focus on next:

• Choose and customize your theme — Pick a design that matches your site’s purpose
• Create your essential pages — Home, About, Contact, and Privacy Policy
• Write your first blog post — Start creating content for your audience
• Set up Google Analytics — Track your visitors from day one
• Submit your sitemap to Google — Help search engines find your site

WordPress is the most flexible website platform available. Whether you’re building a personal blog, a business website, or an online store, you now have the foundation to create anything you want.

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Last modified: February 16, 2026