How to Install WordPress on a Self-Hosted Website

One lesson I learnt the hard way when I finally got my self-hosted website is the best way to install WordPress on a brand new site.

Here is my story of how I sweated before I learnt how to safely and easily install WordPress on my self-hosted WordPress.org blog.

I decided to learn by doing.

You know, I’m not the kind of person you will easily describe as tech-savvy. Not even by the wildest stretch of imagination. In fact, by the time I graduated university, only a couple of “privileged” folks had personal computers.

I cannot remember seeing anyone with a mobile phone on campus till the day I left.

I can vividly recall the day my roommate came running to me with a piece of “good news”. The good news? Some “computer people” had started organizing computer classes on campus so we should join. Well, I couldn’t for reasons I may tell you later.

So I started this blogging thing with my old-fashioned attitude of making sure I succeed in learning any new skill I fancy.

This is what has kept me going. During the first few months inside my blogging career, I researched, learnt, practiced, got frustrated, bounced back and acquired a sizeable amount of knowledge about the technical side of blogging.

I nearly succeeded in installing WordPress without a hitch

Then it was time for me to install the beloved WordPress software on my brand-new self-hosted website. Oh, I was excited!

I decided not to ask my hosting company guys anything. Those guys at InTek Multimedia are such wonderful guys when it comes to supporting technologically handicapped chaps like me.

But as for this one, I must do it all by myself. That’s the best way to learn – I mean trial and error.

All I did was google the keyphrase “how to install WordPress”. I went ahead to learn as much as I could from the search results.

Then I went to work.

I’m proud to say I did most of the things right.

Here was my dashboard shining before me. But a number of things were not showing or working. Plugins, for example.

Plugins!

I had heard so much about plugins and how wonderful they were. That was when I would once in a while try to see if I could install a plugin on my FREE WordPress.com site. Ha ha. It wouldn’t work so don’t ever be a dummy like me.

Now the time had finally come for me to get these plugins. Whatever they are! I looked around. I mean the length and breadth of my dashboard. No sign.

It was now time for some help. I must WhatsApp my hosting service provider. Ignorance is actually a disease.

The quick tips they gave me were all I needed.

After that, it took just about ten minutes for me to get my dashboard and the whole brand-new website in top shape. Fully functioning and ready to go.

SEE ALSO:

How to Write a Great Online Article

How to Declutter Your Home Office and Life

You can easily install WordPress on your new site

I don’t want you to go through similar trouble as you try to install WordPress on your self-hosted site. This is the only reason I am publishing this article to show you how to safely install WordPress on your website.

I love going straight to the point. Please do not expect me to talk tech jargon. I don’t have any, to be honest with you. But I now know how to get things done on a blog. Lots. I’ll never stop learning to discover more.

That’s why you need to make this site your permanent reference library in all matters relating to how to blog and make your traffic give you consistent passive income.

It is for anyone who wishes to learn without having to suffer the pain of being bombarded with terms like html, CSS, code, and what have you.

All we want is functionality, right? Others can do the rest. Fair enough.

How to install WordPress on a Self-Hosted Site

You do not need anyone to install WordPress on your site for you and charge you the whole earth. No. Spare yourself that trouble by following the below simple and easy steps.

You will see that my language here is the layman’s language for my layman audience. It’s more than enough for us to help us succeed at blogging.

First, log in to your CPanel.

Look for the WordPress software logo and click on it.

By the saving grace of something they call Softaculous, you will land on the WordPress OVERVIEW screen.

Click on INSTALL

Now you’re making sweet progress. Quick and fast. Keep going. But please, don’t just click on anything without thinking more than twice. Folks like us, out of excitement, are always in too much of a hurry with these things. That is why we keep making costly mistakes.

Exercise self-discipline to install WordPress.org

Relax. Be patient. What I mean is discipline your fingers.

You will now have to complete what looks like a form. Yes, you must fill in some fields.

Choose LATEST WORDPRESS VERSION

You will now see PROTOCOL. Please choose https://www. That is if you’re sure your hosting service providers have given you an SSL Certificate – either Free or Paid For.

Next. DOMAIN. Choose the domain to install the software. They mean your WEBSITE ADDRESS of which you have now become a proud owner. Type it in there.

Let’s move on.

IN DIRECTORY. Now wait. Make sure you delete that wp you see staring at you. Just delete it if you want to make things simple for yourself. Leave that space BLANK.

Next

SITE SETTINGS

SITE NAME. I think you know your site’s name, right? Yes, your darling site name. Mine on this blog is BloggingtotheMax!. Type in yours and leave mine alone, please!

Then comes SITE DESCRIPTION. Just find something meaningful to say here about what the main topic of your site is. Don’t compose a long essay, though. Thank you.

Let’s continue to install WordPress on your site.

ENABLE MULTISITE. Uncheck this box, please. Do it without blinking.

I keep telling you this blog is for love to do more with blogging as a profession or a hobby. Many of us are blogging dummies but we also love to live simply and with a good dose of self-discipline. Others may choose to check that box, but you should not. At least, not now.

If one day it becomes necessary for you to check that box, you can still uninstall WordPress and reinstall with this feature.

So uncheck and allow us to move forward.

ADMIN ACCOUNT.

ADMIN USERNAME. Simply delete “admin” and write your preferred username there instead.

Next.

ADMIN PASSWORD. Avoid choosing those birthday and mobile phone number passwords. Mix up letters, figures and other characters on your keyboard really well. Make it a bitter cocktail whose formula no other person can figure out. Remember to mix up upper case and lower case letters as well.

Don’t forget to note down your password and other useful details.

While you’re at it, make sure you note down your password in particular in the old-fashioned way somewhere secure but accessible to you.

ADMIN EMAIL. I believe you have a reliable email address. Type it in there. You may change it later if you wish.

SELECT LANGUAGE. Mine is English. Type in or select yours. English (US) or any other language applicable to you.

LIMIT LOGIN ATTEMPTS. LOGINIZER. Check this box without blinking, please. It’s all about the safety of your account. You don’t want internet burglars paying you unwanted visits in broad daylight.

Yes, it’s true! So check LOGINIZER.

CLASSIC EDITOR. They say this one will stick around till the year 2022. You can check it while you take steps to switch over to the new block editor in due course.

ADVANCE OPTIONS. You can leave this alone for now. I mean skip it and move on.

SELECT THEME. You may skip this one too. The default WordPress theme will be yours for as long as you wish.

Remember all we are interested in now is a simple, direct way of installing the WordPress software on your site. We don’t want any confusion from any fancy theme. There is enough confusion to come later. So let’s avoid it for now.

However, the choice here is entirely yours.

Next.

EMAIL INSTALLATION DETAILS. This is the email address to which the success message (and other correspondence relating to this installation) will be sent as soon as you get everything right. Choose your most reliable email address.

And finally …

INSTALL. Click on this button and see the most refreshing message that will greet you right there almost instantly.

You have successfully installed WordPress on your site.

That’s it.