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Share via E-mailThis video will guide you through the steps needed to install the WordPress content management system on your own domain or web server.
The five steps to install WordPress…
- First, we’ll download the latest version of WordPress from WordPress.org.
- Then, we’ll upload those files to our web server, using FTP.
- Third, we’ll create a MySQL database and user for WordPress.
- Then, we’ll need to configure WordPress to connect to our newly-created database,
- And lastly, complete the installation and setup our new website.
Need more detailed instructions? Check out the WordPress Codex.
Over Your Head?
If you find that the instructions in this video are still over your head, don’t worry about it! Simply head over to our good friends at Page.ly and let them handle it for you. They’ll install WordPress, take care of updates for you, and provide answers along the way. It doesn’t get any easier than this…
WP101.com is a video training website created by 
You’ve got to be kidding — this is for newbies?
Hi,
Before I sign up or even consider WordPress i need to ask one question.
Would I have to sign up with a host before creating my site or can I create my site totally on my system first offline and then find a host and upload it.
My preference would be to learn and create my site offline then get a host and upload it.
I’ve never made a site before as you can probably tell, WordPress is totally new to me so I need to know.
Regards,
Mario
Hi Donna,
I’m sorry, but yes, this is as easy as it gets. If this seems too technical over your head, then your best bet would be to contact Page.ly. They provide WordPress-specific hosting, and will install WordPress, provide automatic updates, and friendly support. Your WordPress-powered site could be set up in about 2 minutes!
But to install WordPress on your own server, the steps provided in this video are as broken down as they can be.
Hope this helps,
Shawn
Hi Mario,
It is possible to set up WordPress on your own system and then move the final site to your live web server. I create sites for my clients all the time using a local hosting environment, but you’ll need to be familiar with running MAMP, and follow these instructions, from the WordPress Codex.
When it’s time to migrate your site from your local computer to your web server, you’ll not only have to move the files themselves (including all the WordPress program files, as well as your themes, plugins, and file uploads), but also the contents of the MySQL database, which holds all your WordPress data. Again, there are detailed instructions on how to move a WordPress site on the WordPress Codex.
But if you’re just getting started with WordPress, or aren’t comfortable setting up local hosting environments with MySQL databases, it would be a much better idea to begin with an already-running installation of WordPress.
Hope this helps!
Shawn
Hi Shawn,
Thank you so much for these wonderful tutorials. They are really clear and well-paced and exactly what I’ve been looking for. They are the best I have found online!
Very much appreciated,
Rachel
Oh I’m very glad I stumbled upon this website. Thank you who ever is responsible for creating this for us. I am also a newbie, with a very short fuse! So I think these tutorials will be very helpful to me. I have just got a new website, and am about to use wordpress to create my new website etc. Currently i have my old site still running in the meantime. My web providers are so helpful and patient! I need lots of hand holding whilst i get my business out of the old and drab and into the new, wow, and dazzle! Wish me luck! I am terrified, yet confident I will be as up market as my competitors, whilst I go thru this techie up curve of learning – yikes!
Hi, looks like I’ll be using your tutorials, they seem like what I need to rely on in transitioning to WP. I have one question I can’t seem to find discussed on the WP site. I have an existing site; simple html created in an old-style WSYWYG editor. I’d like to keep some of that site as active archived material. Can I install those pages onto my web host server and create links to them from the new WP pages (and back again)? I assume it’s possible, are there problems? Thanks, and I’ll be buying your tutorial.
Eric
Hi Eric,
You should have no problems linking to/from static HTML files.
If, at some point, you want to import those static HTML files into WordPress, converting them into pages or posts, you might want to check out the “Import HTML Pages” plugin by Stephanie Leary (author of Beginning WordPress 3). It could save you a ton of time, and eliminate the need to keep those static pages around.
Hope this helps,
Shawn
It *sure does* help, thanks! (pulling out credit card… navigating to Sign Up…)
Incredible useful site, and when I say useful I mean from design to quality of videos you making. I don’t need wp tutorials myself I learn it myself quite some time ago I”m here looking for grate tutorials for friend of mine, and I’m really glad there are people like you providing HQ video tutorials for free.
I am glad I found this site, was looking for help for free but I realized I wouldn’t get much. I liked your offer and I have been jumping around a lot and not in any order and I lke what I’ve seen.
I agree with Donna… while that might be what you need to do, the screen/print is so small, the terminology so foreign that I need the step before this step.
Hi Patti,
Like I recommended to Donna, if the material in this video seems too complicated, you’re best bet will be to contact Page.ly and have them set up your WordPress site for you. If topics like FTP are throwing you for a loop, then let the folks at Page.ly handle it for you.
Since Donna posted her comment, we did create two other videos that come before this one, and cover even more basic concepts, like “What is WordPress?” and “WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org.”
If you don’t want to engage the Page.ly folks, and find it too complicated to install WordPress on your own server, even with the help of this video, then you might consider signing up for a free, hosted, WordPress.com site instead. The video I linked to above covers the differences in depth.
Last, it sounds like you may not have clicked the “full screen” button in the bottom right-hand corner of the video, which would enlarge the video to the full width of your computer monitor, making the text appear larger than it does in WordPress itself.
Hope this helps,
Shawn
Hi
I feel a bit stupid asking this question but do I need to have bought a domain name before I start installing WordPress?
Regards,
Hi Andreas,
Yes, you’ll need to have purchased a domain name, and set up web hosting for that domain name before you can begin using WordPress. If it’s took much hassle, check out Page.ly. They offer WordPress-specific hosting and management, and can get you up and running in just a couple of minutes.
Hope this helps!
Shawn
Thanks Shawn for the quick reply.
Another question I have while watching the video. It says that I use FTP programme to copy/transfer the downloade WP files from my computer to my ‘webserver’. But who/what is my webserver? Is that the same as my webhost or webbrowser?
Further is MySQL database integrated/incl. in my with my webhost?
Thanks.
So, does this have to be done for every single domain name that we have in our hosting account or does this only have to be done once? I’ve heard of people uploading WP to their hosting account and building a site with it on a domain and they had several domain names parked on their hosting account and all of them looked like the WP site. I don’t want the same issue. Thanks in advance for your response.
Hi Wes,
Yes, and no. In short, you do need to install WordPress on each individual domain. If you have multiple domains pointing to the same hosting account, then they’ll all see the same thing, whether you install WordPress on that site, or use a more traditional site. This depends entirely on your hosting setup, not WordPress.
There is also a way to install WordPress once, and then enable it to function as its own multisite network (details here). Under this configuration, you can install WordPress once, then have it power multiple WordPress sites. This eliminates the need to install WordPress over and again for multiple sites — provided you want all those sites to be running WordPress, that is.
I would recommend pointing a domain to a clean directory of its own, and then install WordPress for that single domain name. Once you’re familiar with the process, and WordPress itself, you can determine if you need to delve into WordPress Multisite or not.
Hope this helps,
Shawn
Hi, Shawn, thanks for the reply. I’m probably not interested in going the multisite route. I like the idea of pointing each domain to a clean directory and then installing WP for each domain. Does your course go into this in detail?
Hi Wes,
The instructions in the “How to Install WordPress” video above apply to this process. The only difference will be related to your particular web hosting provider’s interface, and you’ll need to reference their documentation for how to do this for your particular domain. Otherwise, the instructions above are the same.
Hope this helps,
Shawn
Hi,
I have a domain name and hosting through GoDaddy.com but I previously had my domain name connected to my blogger.com account. I went back to using the .blogspot.com publishing and followed you video but when I try to type in my site to get the wordpress prompts it just says “this site does not exist on google”. Do you have any idea why this could be? Thank you for any help!
Hi Shaylee,
I’m not sure what’s going on, honestly. If you’ve gone back to using .blogspot.com, then you’re not using WordPress — so none of my instructions would apply. Further, the notice that “this site does not exist on google” seems to be related to a search on Google.com, which would have absolutely nothing to do with WordPress whatsoever.
I’d recommend you contact GoDaddy or whomever is hosting your WordPress site, and ask them what’s going on. You need someone who can provide personalized support to get you up and running.
Hope this helps,
Shawn
Hi Shawn,
I just started looking into using WordPress to build my own site. I am using Dream Host as my host company. I don’t remember going through all the steps in your video to have WordPress enabled on my host server. If I recall correctly, I think Dream Host has it setup so that I just had to click the install button to have WordPress up and running. Am I missing something? After watching your video I’m starting to wonder if my setup is complete?
Hi Henry,
If you’ll recall, at the beginning of the video, I mentioned that many hosts provide a “one-click installer,” which enables you to install WordPress with just a single click. This video is for folks who either don’t have access to a one-click installer, or just prefer to manually install the software on their server.
I’m sure you’re fine.
Shawn