WordPress Theme Gallery

Wordpress can be installed on most hosting accounts with just a few clicks of your mouse. If you haven’t already got a hosting account, then one that is highly favored and has all the requirements needed is Hostgator.com.

The thing to look for when choosing a hosting account, is that it must come with cPanel and has Fantastico built into it. Most hosting accounts will have this already but you should always check before making a decision. I know Hostgator.com has them.

Fantastico allows you to add many scripts/programs to your website, just by clicking a few buttons. Wordpress, Forums, Message Boards, Picture Galleries, all can be installed without you needing any knowledge of them whatsoever.

OK, so now lets assume you have your hosting account and are ready to install Wordpress. First you need to login to your cPanel of your domain. This is normally http://www.YourDomain.com/cpanel but your host will give you this information. Once logged in, you’ll be presented with the following screen:

Normally at the bottom of the page, you’ll see an icon which says “Fantastico De Luxe” or just “Fantastico”.

Click this link and you’ll be taken to the page of scripts that you can install on your website. It looks like this:

As you can see, on the left of the page are all the scripts you can install. Under the “Blogs” section, you’ll see a link for Wordpress. Click on this link and you’ll see the following screen:

This will list any current installations of Wordpress that you already have. As this is probably your first installation, it should like like the page above with none listed. So to continue, click the “New Installation” link and you’ll be presented with the following page:

The boxes have been numbered so we can go through them step-by-step. Here we go:

1. This drop down box will contain a list of domain names or sub-domains that you have on the account. If this is a brand new site, then you’ll just have the one domain name in the list and will not need to change it.

1. This is where you choose where you want your Wordpress blog installing. If you’d like it in the root of your domain (http://www.YourDomain.com) then leave it blank. If on the other hand, you want it installing in a separate folder (http://www.YourDomain.com/blog) then type in the name of the folder into this box. You do not need to manually create this folder; the installation will do it for you.

1. This will be the username you will use to access the Wordpress Admin section. Choose one you will remember.

1. This is the password for your Wordpress Admin section. Again, use something that you will easily remember.

1. The Admin nickname is what is used when you are posting to your blog. For instance, when you post and view the blog, you’ll see that it says “posted by …” this is what will be displayed. You could use “Admin”, “Owner”, or simply “Your Name”.

1. This is the email address that will receive emails when new comments are posted on your blog. This will probably be already filled in for you. You can alternatively use another address.

1. This is the name of the site and on most Wordpress Themes, will be displayed in the top and bottom sections of your blog. Just choose something approprite here, you can always change this in the Admin section at a later date.

1. This is simply a brief description of your blog. This is sometimes displayed on the sidebar of certain themes.

1. – 10. – 11. – 12. These settings control the “Blog by email” section. Boxes 9. 11. and 12. will probably be already filled in. You should just have to fill in the password of your chosen email address. In most cases, these details aren’t important, as you will be manually posting to your blogs.

Once you have filled in these details, click on “Install Wordpress” and you’ll see the screen below:

This will just give you a quick rundown of your details. Check they are correct and then click on “Finish Installation”.

You’ll then see the following screen:

This will again give you the details of where you have installed Wordpress. Take a note of these details for your records.

Congratulations! You’ve just installed Wordpress!

Although these steps may seem complicated at first, once you do it once, it will literally take you about 30 seconds to setup your next one.