Installing WordPress on Shared Hosting: A Step-by-Step Guide

WordPress is the most widely used website management system in the world, and you don't need to be a server administrator to install it. A web hosting account with PHP and MySQL/MariaDB is enough. In this guide we install WordPress on shared hosting using only the browser: the file manager and the setup wizard. If you want to install it on your own server with Nginx, our article on installing WordPress on a VPS is a better fit.

What you need before you start

• A hosting account with PHP and MariaDB/MySQL. TürkiyeVPS web hosting plans come with PHP 8.3, MariaDB, phpMyAdmin, a file manager and free SSL.
• Your hosting account's database details (database name, user name, password).
• The domain your site will use. If you don't have one yet, see our guide to launching a website with a free domain and hosting.

1. Download WordPress

Download the latest version as a ZIP file from the official WordPress site (wordpress.org). Only download WordPress from the official source; packages from other sites may have malicious code added.

2. Upload the files to your hosting

1. Open the file manager from the service page in your client area.
2. Make sure you are in your site's root folder. When the account is first created, there is a sample index.html here; delete it so that the WordPress home page is shown.
3. Upload the ZIP file you downloaded. TürkiyeVPS hosting accounts let you upload files of up to 128 MB at a time; the WordPress archive is well below that.
4. Extract the uploaded ZIP file in the file manager.
5. The archive creates a folder named wordpress. For the site to open at the root of your domain, select the contents of this folder and move them one level up, then delete the empty wordpress folder and the ZIP file.

3. Get your database details ready

WordPress stores all your posts and settings in a database. On TürkiyeVPS hosting accounts, a MariaDB database and user are created for you automatically when the account is set up:

• Database name and user name: the same as your hosting account's user name.
• Password: your hosting account's password.
• Database host: localhost

You can find these details on the service page in your client area. To look at the database, you can sign in to phpMyAdmin with the same details. If you can't find them, just open a support ticket.

4. Run the setup wizard

Open your site's address in your browser. WordPress greets you with a language selection screen. Then:

1. Fill in the database name, user name, password and host (localhost). For the table prefix you can use something like ws7_ instead of the default wp_.
2. Click "Run the installation". WordPress creates the wp-config.php file itself.
3. Enter the site title, an administrator user name, a strong password and your email address. Don't use admin as the user name; it's the first one attackers try.
4. When the installation finishes, sign in to the dashboard at /wp-admin.

5. First settings

• Permalinks: under Settings → Permalinks, choose "Post name". Readable addresses instead of ?p=123 are better for visitors and search engines. The web server on our hosting is already configured for this structure; you don't need to edit any extra files.
• https: under Settings → General, check that the "WordPress Address" and "Site Address" fields start with https://. More about SSL in what is an SSL certificate.
• Time zone and language: adjust them under Settings → General.
• Sample content: delete the "Hello world!" post and the sample page.

6. Security and maintenance

• Update the WordPress core, themes and plugins regularly; outdated versions are the most common way in for attackers.
• Install only the plugins you need and delete the ones you don't use.
• Stay away from unlicensed ("nulled") themes and plugins.
• Make regular backups: download your files from the file manager and save the database with Export in phpMyAdmin.

If you'd rather skip the installation

There are also WordPress hosting plans delivered with WordPress already installed. They include NVMe storage, free SSL and email accounts on your own domain; our team does the installation. If you also want the domain for free, you can install WordPress yourself with this guide on the Hosting + Free Domain plan, which costs $15 per year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to know how to code to install WordPress?

No. Uploading the files and the setup wizard are done entirely in the browser. You only need coding skills if you want to customise your theme in depth.

I get "Error establishing a database connection". What should I do?

Re-enter the database name, user name and password without any spaces, and make sure the host field says localhost. If the problem persists, open a support ticket.

Why can't I upload a large theme or backup?

The upload limit is 128 MB per file. Split larger files into parts or compress them as ZIP before uploading.

Can I install more than one WordPress site on the same hosting account?

A hosting account is designed for a single site. If you are going to manage several sites, WordPress hosting plans that support multiple sites, or a VPS, are a better fit.