Install WordPress

Install WordPress through Softaculous in cPanel, or upload and configure it manually. The manual method gives you control over the installation files and database setup.

Option 1: One-click install via Softaculous

1. Log into cPanel.
2. Scroll to the Software section and click WordPress Manager by Softaculous (or Softaculous Apps Installer → WordPress).
3. Click Install Now.
4. Set the install URL: choose HTTPS and your domain. Leave the In Directory field empty to install at the root.
5. Site name and description. Fill or leave as defaults; you can change them later.
6. Admin credentials: pick a username (not 'admin') and a strong password.
7. Administrator email: use an address you can access for WordPress notices and account recovery.
8. Leave everything else default and click Install.
9. When installation finishes, open the administrator URL shown on the confirmation screen.

Option 2: Manual install

Use a manual installation when you need to control the WordPress files or integrate them with an existing deployment process.

Step 1: Create a database

1. In cPanel, open MySQL Databases.
2. Create a new database. Call it something like wpsite. It will be prefixed with your cPanel username: cpuser_wpsite.
3. Create a new MySQL user with a strong password (generate one, store in password manager).
4. Add the user to the database with All Privileges.
5. Note the final database name, username, and password.

Step 2: Upload WordPress

# Via SSH
ssh [email protected]
cd public_html
wget https://wordpress.org/latest.tar.gz
tar -xzf latest.tar.gz --strip-components=1
rm latest.tar.gz

# Or via File Manager: upload wordpress.tar.gz, extract, move contents up one level

Step 3: Configure wp-config.php

cp wp-config-sample.php wp-config.php
nano wp-config.php

Update these lines:

define('DB_NAME',     'cpuser_wpsite');
define('DB_USER',     'cpuser_wpuser');
define('DB_PASSWORD', 'YourLongGeneratedPassword');
define('DB_HOST',     'localhost');
define('DB_CHARSET',  'utf8mb4');
define('DB_COLLATE',  '');

// Replace salts : generate fresh at https://api.wordpress.org/secret-key/1.1/salt/
define('AUTH_KEY',         '...');
define('SECURE_AUTH_KEY',  '...');
// ... and six more

// Non-default prefix makes SQL injection attacks a little harder
$table_prefix = 'wp9x_';

Step 4: Run the installer

Visit yourdomain.com in a browser. WordPress detects the empty database and launches the installer. Fill in the site title, admin username (not 'admin'), strong password, and admin email. Click Install WordPress. Log in.

Install via WP-CLI

ssh [email protected]
cd public_html

# Core download
wp core download --locale=en_US

# Config
wp config create \
  --dbname=cpuser_wpsite \
  --dbuser=cpuser_wpuser \
  --dbpass='YourPassword' \
  --dbhost=localhost \
  --dbprefix=wp9x_

# Install
wp core install \
  --url=https://yourdomain.com \
  --title="My Site" \
  --admin_user=janedoe \
  --admin_password='YourAdminPassword' \
  [email protected]

# Add security plugin immediately
wp plugin install wordfence --activate

Post-install checklist

• Change the permalink structure to Post name under Settings → Permalinks.
• Install a caching plugin (LiteSpeed Cache if available, WP Rocket otherwise).
• Enable AutoSSL in cPanel and force HTTPS via .htaccess.
• Delete Hello Dolly and the default Akismet plugin unless you're using them.
• Delete unused default themes, keeping the current default as a fallback.
• Set up automated backups.

Common issues

• Administrator credentials. Use a unique username and a strong password.
• Using a weak or reused password. Force a generated one and store it in a manager.
• Permalink settings. Choose the URL structure under Settings → Permalinks before publishing content.
• Installing into /blog when you meant root. Softaculous has an 'In Directory' field; leave it empty for root installation.

Contact support

Email [email protected] with the exact error and which installation path you chose.