How to Install WordPress on Any Hosting Provider (3 Methods Compared)

WordPress powers over 40% of all websites worldwide, and for good reason: it is free, incredibly flexible, and supported by an enormous community. But before you can start building your site, you need to get WordPress installed on your hosting server. There are three main ways to do this, and each has its advantages depending on your technical skill level and hosting setup.

In this tutorial, we will cover all three methods in detail so you can choose the one that works best for you. Whether you are a complete beginner who wants a point-and-click solution or a developer who prefers the command line, we have got you covered.

Before You Begin: Prerequisites

Regardless of which installation method you choose, you will need:

• A web hosting account with PHP 8.0+ and MySQL 8.0+ (or MariaDB 10.5+). All Serverlys hosting plans meet these requirements.
• A registered domain name pointed to your hosting server.
• Access to your hosting control panel (cPanel, Plesk, or similar).
• An FTP client (only needed for Method 2). FileZilla is free and works on all platforms.
• SSH access (only needed for Method 3). Available on most cloud and VPS hosting plans.

Method Comparison at a Glance

Method 1: One-Click Installation via Softaculous (Recommended)

This is the easiest and fastest way to install WordPress. Most cPanel-based hosting providers include Softaculous, an auto-installer that handles everything for you: downloading WordPress, creating the database, and configuring the connection.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Log in to cPanel. You can access it at yourdomain.com/cpanel or through the direct link in your hosting welcome email.
2. Find Softaculous. Scroll down to the "Software" section and click on Softaculous Apps Installer. Some hosts label it as "WordPress Manager by Softaculous."
3. Select WordPress. Click the WordPress icon or search for it in the search bar. Then click Install Now.
4. Configure the installation:
   • Choose Protocol: Select https:// if you have SSL set up (see our SSL tutorial). Otherwise, use http://.
   • Choose Domain: Select the domain you want to install WordPress on.
   • In Directory: Leave this blank to install on the root domain (e.g., yourdomain.com). Enter a folder name like blog to install at yourdomain.com/blog.
   • Site Name: Enter your website's name. You can change this later.
   • Site Description: Enter a short tagline. You can change this later too.
   • Admin Username: Create a unique username. Never use "admin" — it is the first thing attackers try.
   • Admin Password: Use a strong, unique password with at least 16 characters. Click the key icon to generate one.
   • Admin Email: Enter the email address for your admin account.
   • Language: Select your preferred language.
5. Advanced Options (optional):
   • Database Name: Softaculous auto-generates this. You can customize it if you want.
   • Auto Upgrade: Enable this to automatically update WordPress when new versions are released.
   • Auto Upgrade Plugins: Recommended for security. Keeps your plugins patched.
6. Click Install. Softaculous will download WordPress, create the database, and configure everything. This takes 30–60 seconds.
7. Access your site. Visit yourdomain.com/wp-admin and log in with the credentials you just set.

Method 2: Manual Installation via FTP

If your hosting provider does not offer Softaculous or another auto-installer, you can install WordPress manually. This method gives you more control over the process and helps you understand how WordPress connects to your database.

Step 1: Download WordPress

1. Go to wordpress.org/download and click Download WordPress.
2. Save the ZIP file to your computer.
3. Extract the ZIP file. You will see a folder called wordpress containing all the WordPress files.

Step 2: Create a MySQL Database

WordPress needs a database to store your content. Follow our MySQL database guide for detailed steps, or use this quick version:

1. In cPanel, go to MySQL Databases.
2. Under "Create New Database," enter a name (e.g., wp_mysite) and click Create Database.
3. Under "MySQL Users," create a new user with a strong password.
4. Under "Add User To Database," select the user and database you just created, then click Add.
5. On the privileges page, check ALL PRIVILEGES and click Make Changes.

Write down the database name, username, and password — you will need these in Step 4.

Step 3: Upload WordPress Files via FTP

1. Open FileZilla (or your preferred FTP client).
2. Connect to your server using these credentials:
   • Host: yourdomain.com or your server's IP address
   • Username: Your cPanel username
   • Password: Your cPanel password
   • Port: 21 (FTP) or 22 (SFTP, recommended)
3. Navigate to public_html on the server (right panel).
4. On your local computer (left panel), navigate to the extracted wordpress folder.
5. Select all files inside the wordpress folder and drag them to public_html.
6. Wait for the upload to complete. This takes 5–10 minutes depending on your internet speed.

Step 4: Run the WordPress Installer

1. Open your browser and go to yourdomain.com. The WordPress installation wizard will appear.
2. Select your language and click Continue.
3. Click Let's go! on the information screen.
4. Enter your database details:
   • Database Name: The name you created in Step 2.
   • Username: The database user you created.
   • Password: The database user's password.
   • Database Host: Usually localhost. Some hosts use a different address.
   • Table Prefix: Change from wp_ to something unique (e.g., site1_) for security.
5. Click Submit, then Run the installation.
6. Fill in your site title, admin username, password, and email.
7. Click Install WordPress.

Method 3: Installation via WP-CLI (Command Line)

WP-CLI is the official command-line tool for WordPress. It is the fastest method for developers and anyone comfortable with SSH. It is also ideal for scripting and automating WordPress installations across multiple sites.

Step 1: Connect via SSH

ssh username@yourdomain.com -p 22

Replace username with your cPanel or server username. Enter your password when prompted.

Step 2: Navigate to Your Web Root

cd ~/public_html

Step 3: Download WordPress

wp core download

This downloads the latest version of WordPress to the current directory.

Step 4: Create the Configuration File

wp config create \
  --dbname=wp_mysite \
  --dbuser=myuser \
  --dbpass=mypassword \
  --dbhost=localhost \
  --dbprefix=site1_

Replace the database credentials with the ones you created earlier.

Step 5: Create the Database (if not already created)

wp db create

Step 6: Run the Installation

wp core install \
  --url="https://yourdomain.com" \
  --title="My Website" \
  --admin_user="myadmin" \
  --admin_password="SecurePassword123!" \
  --admin_email="you@yourdomain.com"

Step 7: Verify the Installation

wp core version
wp option get siteurl

If both commands return expected values, your installation is complete.

Post-Installation Steps (All Methods)

Regardless of which method you used, complete these steps after installing WordPress:

1. Set up permalinks. Go to Settings → Permalinks and select "Post name" for clean, SEO-friendly URLs.
2. Delete default content. Remove the "Hello World" post, the sample page, and the default comment.
3. Install a security plugin. Wordfence or Sucuri Security will protect against brute-force attacks and malware.
4. Set up SSL. If you have not already, install a free SSL certificate and update your WordPress URLs to use HTTPS.
5. Install a caching plugin. LiteSpeed Cache (if your host uses LiteSpeed) or WP Super Cache will significantly improve page load times.
6. Configure automatic backups. Install UpdraftPlus and schedule daily backups to cloud storage. Read our backup tutorial for details.
7. Remove unused themes and plugins. WordPress ships with several default themes and the Akismet and Hello Dolly plugins. Delete anything you are not using.

Troubleshooting Common Installation Issues

Error establishing a database connection

This means WordPress cannot connect to your MySQL database. Double-check the database name, username, password, and host in your wp-config.php file. The database host is usually localhost, but some providers use a different hostname.

White screen of death

A blank white screen usually means a PHP error. Enable debugging by adding this to wp-config.php:

define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', true);

This will display the error message so you can diagnose the issue. Remember to set these back to false on a live site.

404 errors on pages

Go to Settings → Permalinks and click Save Changes (even without changing anything). This regenerates the .htaccess file. If the problem persists, see our .htaccess guide.

File permission errors

WordPress needs specific file permissions to function correctly. Directories should be set to 755 and files to 644. You can fix this via SSH:

find ~/public_html -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;
find ~/public_html -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;

Frequently Asked Questions

Which installation method should I use?

If your hosting provider offers Softaculous or a similar one-click installer, use that. It is the fastest and least error-prone method. Use the manual FTP method only if your host does not have an auto-installer. Use WP-CLI if you are comfortable with the command line or need to install WordPress on multiple sites quickly.

Can I install WordPress on a subdomain?

Yes. Create the subdomain in cPanel first (e.g., blog.yourdomain.com), then install WordPress on it using any of the three methods. In Softaculous, simply select the subdomain from the domain dropdown.

Can I install multiple WordPress sites on one hosting account?

Yes, if your hosting plan supports addon domains. Each WordPress installation needs its own database and its own directory. You can install as many WordPress sites as your hosting plan's resources allow.

Is WordPress free?

Yes. The WordPress software itself is 100% free and open source. You only pay for hosting and a domain name. Premium themes and plugins are optional and typically cost $30–$200.

How do I update WordPress after installation?

WordPress shows update notifications in your dashboard. Go to Dashboard → Updates and click "Update Now." Always create a backup before updating. If you enabled auto-updates during Softaculous installation, updates happen automatically.