How to Install Wordpress
Wordpress is often described as content management software in that it provides an administrative interface for managing content. It is also described more frequently as blogging software that can be used to update a private "journal". However, blogging has become so popular and the software has developed into such a robost collection of useful tools, blogging is no longer just for private use. Many business sites today are powered by blogging software, and most typically by Wordpress. The popularity of Wordpress is due to its ease of installation, simple content management, and a large inventory of easy to install templates. Wordpress makes it easy for anyone to instantly setup their own website and start adding content.
Wordpress is used for creating and managing websites that in the past would have taken weeks or months to create. There is no need to hire a programmer or website designer, which can save you thousands of dollars. However, Wordpress does require a MySQL database and therefore your wordpress hosting account must provide at least 1 MySQL database as part of your hosting package.
There are basically two different ways to install Wordpress, i.e., automatically using a site manager tool or manually. This article assumes that your hosting package gives you access to a site manager and at least 1 MySQL database in order to automatically install the software.
Step 1: Login to your Site Manager using the username and password provided by your hosting service. In the left hand sidebar you'll find the "Site Applications" category and the "Install & Manager" link. Follow the link to the "Install & Manage Applications" main page. In the "Community" group, you'll find the link to install Wordpress.
Step 2: Click the install Wordpress link. You must agree to the terms of the license first and then click the "Next" button.
Step 3. Configure Wordpress by providing an administrative Email address, administrative username and password, and enter a basic blog title (which can be changed later if you want). Click the "Finish" button to install Wordpress.
Step 4. The successful install screen will give you immediate access to Wordpress Help documentation, a link to login as the administrator and a link to the default blog that you've just installed.
By default, Wordpress installs into a "wordpress" folder on your hosting account. You can access your blog through a browser by entering the following URL: http://www.mydomainname.com/wordpress, and the backend administration system by entering http://www.mydomainname.com/wordpress/wp-admin.
To learn how to install a new Wordpress theme, see the article How to Upload a Theme to Wordpress.