How to Install WordPress Step by Step: A Complete Beginner’s Guide

If you’re planning to build your first website, chances are you’ve already heard about WordPress. It powers more than 43% of all websites worldwide, making it the most popular content management system (CMS) in 2025. The good news is that learning how to install WordPress step by step is much easier than you might think.

In this beginner-friendly guide, I’ll walk you through the process of installing WordPress on different platforms — from hosting providers like cPanel to manual setups and even local installations for testing. Whether you’re starting a blog, eCommerce store, or business website, this tutorial has you covered.

Why WordPress Is the Best Choice for Beginners

Before diving into the installation steps, let’s quickly understand why WordPress is so popular:

• ✅ Free & Open Source – WordPress software is 100% free to use.

• ✅ Beginner-Friendly – Easy to install, even with no coding skills.

• ✅ Highly Customizable – Thousands of free and premium themes & plugins.

• ✅ SEO-Friendly – Designed to rank well in search engines.

• ✅ Scalable – From small blogs to enterprise websites, WordPress grows with you.

No matter your technical knowledge, you can learn how to install WordPress step by step and have a fully functioning website up and running in minutes.

Different Ways to Install WordPress

Depending on your hosting provider and technical setup, there are several ways to install WordPress:

1. One-Click Installation (Recommended for Beginners)

   • Provided by most hosting companies like Bluehost, Hostinger, and SiteGround.

2. Manual Installation via cPanel

   • Using File Manager and phpMyAdmin.

3. Local Installation

   • Installing WordPress on your computer for testing using XAMPP, WAMP, or Local by Flywheel.

4. Using Auto-Installers (Softaculous / Fantastico)

   • Many web hosts include these tools for easy WordPress setup.

This guide will cover each method so you can choose what’s best for you.

Prerequisites Before Installing WordPress

Before you learn how to install WordPress step by step, you need:

• A Domain Name – Example: www.yourwebsite.com

• Web Hosting Plan – WordPress hosting with cPanel or managed WordPress hosting.

• FTP Client (Optional) – Like FileZilla, for manual uploads.

• Basic Website Idea – Blog, portfolio, business site, or online store.

Once you have these ready, you can start your WordPress installation.

Method 1: One-Click WordPress Installation

This is the fastest and easiest method. Most hosting providers now offer one-click WordPress installations.

Step 1: Log into Your Hosting Account

• Go to your hosting provider’s control panel (e.g., Hostinger hPanel, Bluehost dashboard, or SiteGround Site Tools).

Step 2: Locate WordPress Installer

• Look for “WordPress” or “Auto Installer” under the Website or Softaculous Apps Installer section.

Step 3: Choose Your Domain

• Select the domain where you want to install WordPress.

Step 4: Enter Website Details

• Site Title (can be changed later).

• Username and Password (important: make it strong).

• Admin Email Address.

Step 5: Complete Installation

• Click Install.

• Within a few seconds, WordPress will be installed.

• Visit www.yourwebsite.com/wp-admin to log in.

✅ Congratulations! You just learned how to install WordPress step by step using one-click installation.

Method 2: Manual WordPress Installation on cPanel

If your host doesn’t provide one-click installation, or you want more control, you can install WordPress manually.

Step 1: Download WordPress

• Go to WordPress.org and download the latest version.

Step 2: Upload WordPress to Hosting

• Log into cPanel → Open File Manager.

• Upload the WordPress ZIP file to your domain’s root folder (public_html).

• Extract the ZIP file.

Step 3: Create a Database

• In cPanel, go to MySQL Databases.

• Create a new database, username, and password.

• Assign the user to the database with All Privileges.

Step 4: Configure wp-config.php

• Open the extracted WordPress folder.

• Locate wp-config-sample.php and rename it to wp-config.php.

• Enter your database name, username, and password.

Step 5: Run the Installer

• Go to your domain (yourwebsite.com).

• WordPress setup wizard will appear.

• Enter site title, username, password, and email.

✅ Done! You’ve successfully completed a manual WordPress installation.

Method 3: Install WordPress Locally (For Practice)

If you’re not ready to go live, you can install WordPress on your computer.

Step 1: Install Local Server Software

• Download and install XAMPP (Windows/Mac/Linux) or MAMP (Mac).

Step 2: Start Apache & MySQL

• Open the control panel and start Apache and MySQL.

Step 3: Create a Database

• Open http://localhost/phpmyadmin.

• Create a new database.

Step 4: Download & Extract WordPress

• Download WordPress from WordPress.org.

• Place it in the htdocs folder (XAMPP) or equivalent.

Step 5: Run Installation

• Visit http://localhost/wordpress.

• Complete setup like before (site title, username, password).

✅ Now you have WordPress running locally for testing and development.

Common Post-Installation Steps

After you’ve installed WordPress, here are essential things to do:

1. Log In to WordPress Dashboard

   • Visit yourwebsite.com/wp-admin.

   • Enter your credentials.

2. Choose a Theme

   • Go to Appearance → Themes → Add New.

   • Install a free or premium theme.

3. Install Essential Plugins

   • Yoast SEO / Rank Math – For SEO optimization.

   • Elementor – Drag-and-drop page builder.

   • WP Super Cache / W3 Total Cache – For speed optimization.

   • Wordfence Security – For site protection.

4. Configure General Settings

   • Set Site Title, Tagline, and Time Zone.

   • Update permalink structure to SEO-friendly URLs.

5. Create Key Pages

   • About Us, Contact, Privacy Policy, and Blog page.

Troubleshooting Common Installation Issues

Even if you follow how to install WordPress step by step, sometimes errors happen. Here’s how to fix them:

• Error Establishing Database Connection → Check database name, username, and password in wp-config.php.

• White Screen of Death → Increase PHP memory limit in hosting.

• 403/404 Errors → Reset .htaccess file or re-save permalinks.

• Upload Limit Too Small → Change upload size in php.ini or hosting settings.

FAQs About Installing WordPress

1. How long does it take to install WordPress?

• With one-click installation, less than 5 minutes.

2. Do I need coding knowledge?

• No. WordPress is beginner-friendly.

3. Can I install WordPress for free?

• Yes, but you’ll still need hosting and a domain (except for localhost setups).

4. What’s the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org?

• WordPress.com is hosted with limitations.

• WordPress.org is self-hosted and gives you full control.

Final Thoughts

Learning how to install WordPress step by step is the first step toward creating your dream website. Whether you choose the easy one-click installer, the manual cPanel method, or install it locally for testing, the process is simple and beginner-friendly.

With WordPress installed, you can start designing your website, publishing content, and optimizing for search engines. Remember: the installation is just the beginning — the real magic happens when you start customizing your site and growing your online presence.

👉 Ready to get started? Pick a hosting provider, follow the steps in this guide, and install WordPress today. Your website is just a few clicks away!