WordPress install

Modified on September 25, 2020

In this tutorial I will teach you how to manually install WordPress. I am assuming you have access to FTP (to upload files) and the ability to create a database at your server. If your server has “1-click install” for WordPress, you may prefer to use that method, in which case you should contact your web host and ask how to access their 1-click install.

Before watching this video…

  1. Purchase web hosting (see below)
  2. Create a database at your server. Save the database name, username, and password.
  3. Set up FTP access at your server for your domain.

Web Hosting

  • Find a reliable web host. My favorite is KnownHost due to their uptime, excellent hardware, great customer support, and reasonable pricing. BuddyBoss is hosted there (SSD-2 option) and we’ve been very happy with them.
  • You can start with cheap shared hosting if you’re on a budget, but BuddyPress queries the database constantly and your site will be slow. You’re much better off with a fast SSD (solid state drive) and a ton of RAM (memory) on your own dedicated virtual server (no other sites sharing resources). It makes an enormous speed impact.

1. Upload WordPress to your server (0:28)

  1. Download the latest version of WordPress from wordpress.org/download.
  2. Unzip the folder.
  3. Upload all files to the root directory of your domain on your server, often /public_html/ or /httpdocs/.

2. Edit your wp-config file (2:03)

  1. Duplicate wp-config-sample.php and rename it to wp-config.php.
  2. Open wp-config.php using your favorite text editor.
  3. Add your database name next to DB_NAME.
  4. Add your database username next to DB_USER.
  5. Add your database password next to DB_PASSWORD.
  6. Add your server hostname next to DB_HOST. On most servers this will retain the default of localhost. Check with your hosting provider to be sure.

3. Install WordPress (3:45)

  1. Go to your domain in a web browser (like Chrome or Firefox) and refresh the page.
  2. Add your site title.
  3. Create a unique username (avoid “admin” for security purposes).
  4. Create a unique and strong password. You can generate a strong password here. Why you should use unique passwords.
  5. Add your email. This will be used for admin notifications by default.
  6. Check if you want search engines (like Google) to be able to index and display results for your website (can be changed later).
  7. Click “Install WordPress” and then log in using the username/password you just set up.