How to Set Up a WordPress Site
In just 12 easy steps, you too can have a WordPress site set up and ready to use in less than an hour. If you have any questions or find any issues with the steps below, please contact me.
1. Register Domain
Select a web host and register your domain. Make sure the format is http://www.[domain].com. Once you’ve registered a domain, your web host will send you information on how to access the server via FTP.
2. Select an FTP Client
There are many FTP clients to choose from. For the Mac, I recommend Transmit. For PC, I recommend the Firefox add-on FireFTP. Once you’ve selected and installed an FTP client, enter the FTP information provided by your web hosting service. Test out the FTP connection to make sure it works.
3. Download Latest WordPress Files
Download the latest WordPress installation files from the official WordPress site. Unzip and save to your desktop. You can delete these files from your desktop after you’re finished with the installation.
4. Copy Files to Root Folder on Server
Using the FTP client, locate the public root directory for your site. Most web hosting services call this public_html. Please note, however, that this name will vary from host to host. Upload all of the contents of the local WordPress folder to the server’s public_html folder. This will take a few minutes.
5. Create htaccess.txt File
Create a new .txt file by opening TextEdit on your Mac or opening Notepad on your PC. Name this file htaccess.txt. Paste the following contents into this .txt file and be sure to insert a hard return where shown. Save the file to the server’s public_html folder.
# BEGIN WordPress
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
</IfModule>
# END WordPress
6. Save File As .htaccess
In order to secure the file, you will need to rename from htaccess.txt to .htaccess. This will make the file invisible.
7. Configure WordPress
Now open a new browser tab and type in your domain (http://www.[domain].com). You should see a WordPress welcome/configuration page. Follow the steps listed on that page.
8. Create WordPress Database via Web Host Control Panel
Navigate to the control panel provided by your web host. The URL for this is usually contained within the welcome email they send to you when you first registered your domain. Locate the icon to create a MySQL database, complete the fields indicated, and make careful note of all usernames and passwords. I generally write these down in a safe place. It will be difficult to recover lost username and password for this part. You will also need to create a user and add this user to the database. Be sure to give this user all read/write privileges.
9. Configure WordPress Admin > Settings > General
Navigate to the WordPress Admin panel for your site (http://www.[domain].com/wp-admin). In the left nav, click Settings > General and complete all information.
10. Configure WordPress Admin > Settings > Permalinks
In the left nav, click Settings > Permalinks and enter the following custom structure for permalinks: /%category%/%postname%/. This is the optimal structure from both a usability point of view and SEO point of view.
11. Configure WordPress Admin > Appearance
Do a Google search for WordPress themes (there are literally hundreds to choose from). Download themes that you like to your desktop and then use your FTP client to place themes in the public_html/wp-content/themes folder. Make sure you upload the correct folder structure of the theme, otherwise it won’t work (nested folders are often the biggest problem). In the WordPress admin panel, click Appearance and select one of the themes you’ve installed. You can change the look and feel of your site that quickly! Any fine-tuning to the theme will need to be done directly in the .css file or various supporting files. Tinker with these files only if you know what you’re doing!
12. Start Posting!
Start creating pages and posts on your new WordPress site!