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WordPress Beginning to End

By Carmen Proctor

The Manual Install Process for WordPress

In this section, we’ll go through the steps to install WordPress from scratch.

Danger Will Robinson!

I would like to tell you right now that this process is much more time consuming than the 5-minute install,

with the same results. We highly recommend that you use the quick install if at all available. If your

hosting provider does not have this functionality, then you will want to use these steps.

Log Into your Hosting Provider

1. Install and set up FTP software on your computer. We use FileZilla.

https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?type=client

2. Find your hosting provider’s login information and instructions to log into FileZilla.

3. First, you will create a new MySQL database using the Hosting services from your hosting

provider. You will go to your hosting provider’s website and log in.

Because we use 1and1.com, I will show you the screens for this process from this hosting

provider.

4. You will want to select the package where you have your website domain.

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Create Your Website Database

5. Find the hosting section and go to MySQL

6. Click on MySQL database

7. Provide information for the database.

You will need to choose the description of the new database, and select a password. You can

name it whatever you like. We will use Database – yourdomainname.com. Also, select a

password and type it in both fields to make sure the spelling is correct. Please make note of

this password in a secure location, since you will not be able to retrieve it later from the

system.

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After this, the system will show you the database information assigned to this database. It will

look like this:

8. Take a screenshot, and save this information in a secure location, as you will need it when you

configure your WordPress site manually in the remaining steps.

9. Click on Go to Overview.

While this information is available to you immediately, it could take about 10 minutes to process

the creation of your actual database.

10. After you click on Go to Overview, you will be able to check on the status of your database:

Database – yourdomainname.com

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11. When the database is ready, you will see that in the status:

Now we’re ready to move on to the WordPress files setup.

Install the WordPress Software

12. Download and Save the latest version of WordPress from https://wordpress.org/download/

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13. Double click the zip file downloaded to open that folder, then Extract the files.

14. Select a destination to extract the files

15. Wait for the files to extract

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16. View the new WordPress folder with the uncompressed files.

17. Upload the folder to the root of your webspace via FTP to a folder for your website.

There should be a folder there already created called “yourdomainname_com”, with a

subfolder called “www”. Enter. We usually use the following standard for naming our site

folders: yourdomainname_com. That way, if you also launch a “.net” site in the future, you

can differentiate it by using a yourdomainname_net folder.

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Make sure you have chosen your folder with the unzipped WordPress files in your local site,

and then also choose the destination folder (in our case: virtoss_com/www) in the remote site.

Select all the files in your WordPress unzipped files by doing a “select all” command where it

says Filename. All the files should show highlighted in blue.

Right-click on the local site folder where you have the unzipped WordPress files, and click on

Upload.

Your FTP software will then upload all the WordPress files to the website folder. This could

take 15-25 minutes, depending on your Internet speed. When it is done, you will see your

WordPress files in the remote site folder:

Edit Destination of Your Website

18. Point the domain to this folder where your WordPress files are now loaded.

Log into the hosting provider panel and change the destination folder for the domain to the

folder you just uploaded. This may look different for every hosting provider, but the general

steps should be the same. I will run you through the 1and1.com hosting screens to complete this

step:

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Log into https://account.1and1.com (or whatever your hosting provider login is)

Find a “Manage Domains” area, and click on the link to get to that section of the site:

19. On the list of domains that you own, find the down arrow to display the options.

In other providers that are not 1and1.com, it could be in the domain details or something

similar. Click on that link:

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20. Click on Edit Destination

21. Then go to the Webspace section of the screen, and navigate to the directory that you

already setup using FTP: yourdomainname_com/www. Select it and click Save.

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When you are done entering the new destination, you should see the following confirmation message:

Note that these changes could take 10-15 minutes to take effect. Until that time, if you go to your

website, you will just get an error page.

Continue the Website Configuration

After you’ve waited 10-15 minutes, you should be able to go to your website page and continue the

configuration.

22. Go to your website domain: www.virtoss.com

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a. You will see a website page informing you that there is no configuration file. Click on

“Create a Configuration File”

23. When the configuration file is created, you will see a page with a list of items to get ready

before proceeding. This is where you will use the information you received when you created

your database. When you have this information handy, click on “Let’s Go”.

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24. On your database connection page, copy and paste the information from your database, and

click submit.

25. If you entered the information correctly, you will receive the screen that WordPress is ready

for installation. Click on “Run the Install”.

26. This will get you to the screen where you enter your site title, which is usually your business

name or website name, then the username and password you want for the main administrator,

and your email address.

Unless this website is for private use with friends and family only, we suggest you keep your

Privacy set so that your site can be located by search engines.

27. When you’ve entered this information, click on “Install WordPress”.

Please make sure you make a note of your username and password for the site, and keep it in

a secure location.

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28. When the install finishes, you will see a screen indicating that it’s done, and a Log In button to

get to your site. To get to the admin pages for your website, you will always go to:

www.yourwebsitename.com/wp-admin

Your Website Name

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To log in, enter the username and password you set up during step 27.