How to Set Up WordPress: Step-by-Step Installation

WordPress runs on 39.5% of all websites, according to W3Techs’ November 2026 figures, and installing it has rarely been easier. WordPress’s own documentation says that “under most circumstances” installation “takes less than five minutes”, and most hosts automate it entirely. The part beginners tend to skip is the configuration afterward, which decides whether the site is tidy, findable and reasonably secure.

This guide covers both installation methods and the setup steps to finish before launch. Menu names and requirements were checked against WordPress.org documentation and the hosts’ own help pages in November 2026.

WordPress.org vs WordPress.com

This guide is about self-hosted WordPress: the free software from WordPress.org, installed on hosting you rent. You get full control over themes, plugins and data, and you’re responsible for updates and backups.

WordPress.com is a separate hosted service, run by Automattic, that uses the same software. It has a free plan (which shows WordPress.com ads to visitors) and paid plans, and it installs and maintains WordPress for you, so most of the steps below don’t apply. If you aren’t sure which route suits you, our WordPress vs Squarespace vs Wix comparison and How to Build a Website in 2026 guide cover the choice.

Before You Start: What You Need

A hosting account that meets WordPress’s requirements. WordPress.org recommends PHP 8.3 or greater, MySQL 8.0 or greater (or MariaDB 10.11 or greater), and HTTPS support. It says WordPress still works with PHP 7.4+ and MySQL 5.5.5+, but those versions have reached end of life. Mainstream hosts meet the recommended versions; see our Best Web Hosting 2026 comparison.
A domain name. Your site’s address (yoursite.com). Many hosts include one free for the first year. Hostinger, for example, includes one with all plans except Single when bought for a year or more.
Some uninterrupted time. The installer itself is quick. The configuration steps afterward take longer, and they matter more.

Method 1: One-Click Installation (Recommended)

Most beginners should use their host’s installer. It creates the database, copies the files and runs the WordPress install for you.

Choose a plan and register or connect your domain during signup. As of November 2026, Hostinger’s Premium plan is $2.49 a month on a 48-month term (renewing at $10.99 a month), and SiteGround’s StartUp plan is $2.99 a month for the first year (renewing at $17.99 a month). SiteGround notes that StartUp is limited to one website.

Step 2: Find the Installer

The label varies by host. Here is where the two hosts above put it, according to their own documentation:

Hostinger: In hPanel, go to Websites → Add website and choose Install WordPress. For an existing website, open its dashboard and click Auto Installer under Website in the sidebar. Hostinger says WordPress is “installed and running within seconds.”
SiteGround: For a new site, go to Websites > New Website and select WordPress in step 2. For an existing site, go to Websites > Site Tools > Devs > App Installer and select WordPress from the Application menu.
Other hosts: Look for “WordPress”, “Auto Installer”, “App Installer” or “Softaculous” in the control panel.

Step 3: Run the Installer

Fill in the required fields:

Site name: Your website’s title (you can change it later)
Admin username: Pick something other than an obvious name like “admin”
Admin password: Use a long, unique password. WordPress shows a strength meter when you set one
Admin email: Used for password resets and notifications
Domain or install path: Normally the root of your domain

Step 4: Log In

Go to yourdomain.com/wp-admin and sign in with the credentials you created. You are now in the WordPress dashboard.

Method 2: Manual Installation

Use this if your host has no installer or you want to understand the process. WordPress’s installation guide describes five steps:

Download and unzip the WordPress package from wordpress.org/download.
Create a database and a MySQL (or MariaDB) user who has all privileges on it, usually through your host’s control panel or phpMyAdmin. WordPress notes that most shared hosts require database names to begin with your account username and an underscore.
(Optional) Set up wp-config.php by renaming wp-config-sample.php and adding your database details. If you skip this, the install script will create the file for you.
Upload the files to your web server’s root directory (or a subdirectory such as /blog/) with an FTP client such as FileZilla.
Run the install script by visiting your site’s URL in a browser, then enter the site title, admin username, password and email.

The manual route requires some comfort with FTP and databases. For most people the one-click method is faster and gives the same result.

Essential Post-Installation Configuration

These steps turn a default installation into a properly configured site. Don’t skip them.

Set the Permalink Structure

Go to Settings > Permalinks and select “Post name.” WordPress’s documentation shows the difference: the default “Plain” structure produces addresses like sample.com/?p=123, while “Post name” produces sample.com/sample-post, which is clearer for visitors and search engines. Click “Save Changes.” Do this before you publish, because changing it later changes your URLs.

Delete the Sample Content

A fresh install includes a “Hello world!” post, a sample comment on it from “A WordPress Commenter” and a “Sample Page.” Delete all three from Posts, Comments and Pages. WordPress also creates a draft “Privacy Policy” page. Keep it and edit it rather than deleting it.

Install a Theme

Go to Appearance > Themes and click Add New. WordPress.org’s free directory has more than 15,000 themes.

Popular lightweight starting points:

Astra: A fast, flexible theme that works well with page builders
GeneratePress: A performance-focused theme suited to blogs and business sites

Click “Install,” then “Activate.” How you customize depends on the theme type. Classic themes such as Astra and GeneratePress use Appearance > Customize. Block themes, including WordPress’s default themes, use the Site Editor at Appearance > Editor. If you plan to use a page builder, see our WordPress page builders compared guide.

Install Essential Plugins

WordPress’s documentation says to go to Plugins > Add New, search for a plugin and click Install Now, then Activate. A typical starter set:

Plugin	Purpose	Free version?
Rank Math SEO or Yoast SEO	Titles, descriptions, sitemaps	Yes (paid tiers available)
UpdraftPlus	Scheduled backups	Yes (Premium available)
Wordfence Security	Firewall, malware scanning, two-factor login	Yes (Premium available)
WPForms Lite	Contact forms	Yes (Pro available)
WP Super Cache or LiteSpeed Cache	Page caching	Yes

LiteSpeed Cache’s exclusive caching features require a LiteSpeed-powered host or its QUIC.cloud service, so check what your host runs before choosing it. Run each plugin’s setup wizard after activating it. Keep the list short. WordPress’s hardening guide advises keeping plugins updated and deleting any you don’t use.

Confirm HTTPS

Most hosts install a free SSL certificate automatically. Check that your site loads with the padlock icon, then go to Settings > General and make sure both “WordPress Address” and “Site Address” start with https://.

Set Up a Coming Soon Page (Optional)

If you aren’t ready to launch, a plugin such as SeedProd can show visitors and search engines a placeholder page while you build. Remember to switch it off at launch.

Create Your Essential Pages

Every WordPress site needs these pages at minimum:

Home page: Under Settings > Reading, set “Your homepage displays” to “A static page” and choose it
About page: Who you are and what the site offers
Contact page: Build a form with WPForms (or similar) and add an address if you have one
Privacy Policy page: Edit the draft WordPress created, using the guidance under Settings > Privacy
Blog page (optional): Choose it as the “Posts page” under Settings > Reading if you plan to publish articles

Security Hardening Checklist

Before launch:

A strong, unique admin password
Two-factor authentication turned on (Wordfence’s free version includes TOTP-based 2FA)
Login attempts limited (Wordfence’s brute-force protection does this)
Dashboard file editing disabled by adding define( 'DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT', true ); to wp-config.php. WordPress notes that this “will not prevent an attacker from uploading malicious files to your site, but might stop some attacks”
Automatic backups scheduled, with copies stored off the server (UpdraftPlus can send them to cloud storage)
Sample content deleted, and unused plugins and themes removed
An admin username that isn’t “admin”

Post-Setup: What to Do Next

With WordPress installed and configured:

Add content. Write your home, about and service pages, then your first posts.
Connect Google Search Console. Verify your site and, optionally, submit the sitemap your SEO plugin generates. Our SEO for Beginners Guide explains the basics.
Set up analytics if you want visitor statistics.
Check speed. Run Google PageSpeed Insights on your main pages and fix any serious problems; our Core Web Vitals guide explains the metrics.
Launch. Turn off any coming soon page and go live. Our Website Launch Checklist covers the final checks.

Key Takeaways

Most hosts install WordPress in one click; WordPress itself says a standard install takes less than five minutes
Check hosting against WordPress’s requirements: PHP 8.3+, MySQL 8.0+ or MariaDB 10.11+, and HTTPS
Set permalinks to “Post name” before publishing, and delete the sample post, comment and page
Keep plugins few, updated and limited to what you use: SEO, backups, security, forms and caching cover most sites
Turn on two-factor authentication and backups before you launch

Sources

WordPress Developer Resources — How to install WordPress — accessed November 1, 2026
WordPress.org — Requirements — accessed November 1, 2026
WordPress Developer Resources — Hardening WordPress — accessed November 1, 2026
WordPress.org Documentation — Manage plugins — accessed November 1, 2026
WordPress.org Documentation — Settings Permalinks screen — accessed November 1, 2026
WordPress.org Documentation — Site Editor — accessed November 1, 2026
WordPress core source — default content created at install — accessed November 1, 2026
W3Techs — Usage statistics and market share of WordPress — accessed November 1, 2026
WordPress.com — Pricing — accessed November 1, 2026
Hostinger Documentation — Installing WordPress and Auto Installer — accessed November 1, 2026
SiteGround KB — How to install WordPress or another application — accessed November 1, 2026
Wordfence Security — WordPress.org plugin page — accessed November 1, 2026
WordPress.org — Theme directory — accessed November 1, 2026
Hostinger — Web hosting plans and SiteGround — Web hosting plans — accessed November 1, 2026