WordPress Installation - Step by step
Let’s say you just bought your domain name from Godaddy and you just created your hosting account with Hostgator. ( More details about getting a domain name and creating a hosting account here: Website Creation ) Now, you need to set correctly your nameservers and install WordPress platform to your domain in order to start posting content to your website.
In this example, I will use the domain “puppyshotschedule.net”
Set your nameservers correctly
The first thing you need to do is to inform Godaddy that this domain is being hosted in Hostgator. So how you will do this?
Inside the e-mail you receive from Hostgator as you create your account, you will find something like this:
1st Nameserver: ns1234.hostgator.com
2nd Nameserver: ns4567.hostgator.com
[If you are planning to use Hostgator for Hosting, don't forget to use this discount coupon code: "ergasiaon24" to gain a 25% discount of your first purchase !]
These are the names of the servers that the files of your website will be hosted. You need to give these names to Godaddy. So how you will do this ?
Just sign in your Godaddy account and you click to Domains —> Domain Management
Then you will be redirected to the screen below :
Then you check your domain and you click to ” Set Nameservers” located on the ” Forward” submenu as seen in the picture above.
By clicking to “Set nameservers” you are redirected to this screen. . .
After selecting the “I have specific nameservers . . . ” , you just put in the first two fields the nameservers you got from Hostgator.
The nameservser will be in this format:
1st Nameserver: ns1234.hostgator.com
2nd Nameserver: ns4567.hostgator.com
Then you click “OK” and you are done. You now have to wait a little bit for this change to take effect. ( 2 hours to 48 hours – usually 2 hours)
Install WordPress to your domain
Since you did all this process, you are done as far as Godaddy, you can sign out from Godaddy and sign in Hostgator to make the rest of the process.So, in order to sign in your Hostgator account, you will use the link and the login details that have been sent to you from Hostgator.
After signing in, you are redirected to your personal Hostgator Control Panel.
You can do many many things through Hostgator Cpanel. In this section we will focus on installing WordPress software in your domain in order to be able to create your website using WordPress.
So, a small icon named “Fantastico deluxe” is located in the bottom of your Cpanel
You just click to this icon and you are redirected to this screen:
As seen in the screenshot above, you just have to click to WordPress.
Then you are redirected to this screen:
After clicking “WordPress:, you have to fill in the fileds you see above.
Install on domain : check the domain you want to install WordPress
Install in Directory: Leave it blank
Username: Choose a username for your website
Password: Choose a password for your website
Admin nickname: Choose a nickname
Admin e-mail adress: Your e-mail
Site name: The name of your website ( you can change it whenever you want)
Description: A short description of your website ( two sentences are OK)
Then click: ” Install WordPress”
Then you will be redirected to this screen :
In this step you just click: ” Finish installation”
Then you will see this screen :
In this step, just fill in your e-mail in order to have all these info mailed to you. Then click “send e-mail”
Now, if you visit your domain you will see something like this :
This is a random WordPress theme (design) that of course you can easily change.
From now on, you need to visit your wordpress Dashboard in order to do all the necessary changes you want to your website ( adding content, posting articles, uploading photos etc) So, in order to have access to your WordPress Dashboard you should visit your domain by adding the ending /wp-admin. For example, if your domain is puppyshotschedule.net, you should visit htpp://www.puppyshotschedule.net/wp-admin
If you visit this link you are redirected to the screen where you should put your login details:
Here you put your login details you just set while installing WordPress through Fantastico. Remember that these login details are the username and the password that you just set through Fanstastico installation. They have nothing to do with the login details to your Hostgator Control panel.
So, after filling your login details here, you access your WordPress Dashboard:
From now on, you will visit your WordPress Dashboard to make all the changes to your website. You will use WordPress Dashboard to add a post, or a page to your website, to add plugins, to do all the on-site Search Engine Optimization process. Since you create your website with WordPress, you need to get familiar with your WordPress Dashboard.
VIDEO 1: Creating your hosting account and setting nameservers
VIDEO 2: Installing WordPress in your domain
In a first glance it may look difficult to learn but if you spend a few hours you will see that it is not at all difficult as it may look to you now.
Creating a WordPress website is the perfect choice you can do. There is no other platform that offer you so many features as WordPress software!
Finally, a simple and easy to understand guide! Thanks a lot!
Very helpful post. The screenshots and the videos you provide make it very easy to create a website. Many thanks!