Here is how to install Word Press – and a new premium theme in this case I will be covering iThemes Builder.

First of all WordPress can be installed directly to an empty domain or it can be installed as a sub directory of a domain. It does not matter if the domain is empty or not it just has to be active.

If you are new to WP it is best to install to a sub directory so you have a place to learn, experiment and play. You can always do a new install to where you actually want the site to be later.

How you name things is important for example one of my sites is yardgardenwindmills.com — That is the domain and for a very long time I actually had nothing there. Just a blank but active domain.

My Word Press blog in fact the 2nd Word Press blog I did when I knew very little about this is at yardgardenwindmills.com/blog – my WP blog is there and that is where I tell people to go. You will see this one in my emails and on my Google Profile. It is my main blog where I talk about windmills and weathervanes, after all that is what I do is sell windmills and weathervanes.

So you want to name the sub directory with something that is easy to type and remember when you install WP – also something that the Search Engines can easily find and index.

One of my new WP installs is on my domain ronaldheadley.com – there is nothing at ronaldheadley.com at all, however if you go to ronaldheadley.com/oxford you will be at a community site I did in WP and if you go to ronaldheadley.com/sandbox you will be at my site I just set up as a place to play with and demo WP

You can have as many WP sites as you want as add ons to a domain. You pay only the $10 a year to renew the domain. You could have hundreds of sites if you want on the one domain at $10 a year. (I am talking about Blue Host here – where I host all of my domains and sites – your hosting very well may be different)

So when you are first starting out, pick an active domain and decide what you want to call the add on file. Make is simple and something that is easy to remember.

Next go to your hosts control panel. Hopefully your host has CPanel – your host is where you have your domain name and present web sites. If you have no clue what I am talking about then you will need to see some ones instructions on how to get a domain name and choose a hosting service. I use and recommend highly Blue Host. Other people may recommend others. See my resource page on why I recommend Blue Host and there is a link that will take you there Geezer n Geek Resources

If you need to get hosting and or a domain name I can walk you through that. Plus I will be doing an intro to Blue Host as one the Guides here.

Note the address of the link – the address is the very top window of your browser – it is where on the internet you went to get to a site, or location on a site. In this case you will see geezerngeek.com that is my domain and in this case a full installation of Word Press is there. Next you will see /category/resources – what this means is on the Word Press install I have a category named resources. Categories are blog posts. I also have sub categories. The theme here is iThemes Flex by the way.

Now to step ONE Install Word Press- go to you hosting sites CPanel it looks like this on Blue Host

Go down to the bottom of your CPanel – you have a Word Press logo then installing WP will be amazingly easy. If not there are other ways to install WP – email me if you are not seeing this -

Click on the Word Press Link that says Install a brand new version

Next choose what WP version – actually leave this alone – you want to most resent version of WP that is Stable and that will be the default.

Choose your domain – the domains on this site will be in the drop down – if you want your WP install on the domain itself just choose it. If you want it as an extension (or add on) put that in the blank box – caution here if you already have a site on your domain and you install WP directly it will over ride you existing site. (over ride as in it can wipe out or damage your existing site. If the domain is just a blank – there is nothing there and this is where you want your new site then just go ahead.)

It is best if this is your first time with Word Press to put it in as an add on so add something to the extension IE blog or test or whatever. When you do it this way even if there is already something on the domain it will not damage it. And even if it is blank – nothing there if will give you a place to learn and experiment before you put up your actual site.

AND THIS IS IMPORTANT – Click on advanced Click the box – name your site – you can change this later – use something that is SEO friendly when on a real site. For now you could call it something like my first blog, or my test site whatever.

The really important step is the next box that has username and password. Once you enter a user name you cannot change it. DO NOT CHECK the box – IT WILL GENERATE A RANDOM ADMINISTRATOR USERNAME WHICH YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CHANGE!!!!

It is important to use something other than admin as a user name. admin is the WP default and so if you use it a potential hacker is halfway into your site. use something else such as yournameadmin remember Caps matter here.

Choose a password – you can change your password later.

Check again and make certain that you DID NOT check the check box – that creates a random user name and password.

Below is a check box to create a new data base – Make sure this is checked – you can create a data base later but it is not easy and you most certainly need one or WP will not even open.

Step 3 check the legal Information box and click on Complete

That is it – you are done – WordPress will be installed on your site and will be ready to go. The installer will tell you when it is done. There may be an activate button when it is done, or not whatever it will be obvious.

Open a new browser tab – go to you where you just put Word Press – yoursite.com/your new WP location and you will see your brand new site it will look like this.

There is something called meta and a link on the right that says site admin – open this in a new tab and you will see the WP login in screen. Or open a new tab and enter yoursitename.com/yourWPlocaton/wp-login.php

Something to learn, memorize, write down is wp-login.php – you add this to any WP site to get to your dashboard. You may not have the Meta and login on you site on the Home page once you install a theme.

Now if you forgot you new user name and or password to get to your new site – just go to the email address you have set up to get emails from your host site. Simple Scripts – the thing that just installed WP will have sent you an email – the subject is WordPress Access Information and it will have your new Word Press site location, your user name and your password

After you login you will be taken you to your WP Dashboard – this is where everything is done in WP

A good practice when working with WP is have one tab on your site and one tab on your dashboard. To see any changes you have made just click on the site and refresh it. To make more changes click on the dashboard tab.

BTW you can close your CPanel Window now – you will not need to use CPanel any more for the rest of the install and work with the themes.  Now that you have a working WordPress Install and can log into your WP Dashboard all is well and so you can leave your CPanel.

WP will have a choice to view you site when ever you save anything – it is really faster and easier to just have the site on a tab – click on the tab and refresh to see your changes.

This ends installing Word Press – it is really easy and your can do it. Here at Geezer n Geek we say “You can do this we can help”

If installing WordPress seems to be a challenge, or intimidating, or you just do not want to do it or you are really uncomfortable with CPanel (I was terrified of CPanel for several years. I found a great training course on CPanel and now I am perfectly OK there.) Remember if you need or want help with installing Word Press – I can set up a webinar in a way that I can “watch over your shoulder” as you install WP and I will be able to see what you are doing and simply walk you through it.