A Visual Guide to Installing WordPress for the Complete Novice

I’ve created the Visual Guide to Installing WordPress for the Complete Novice because the tutorials and guides I’ve seen just haven’t shown as much detail as I think a person new to installing WordPress would like to see. Please note that this is the method I use. There are different situations, hosts, operating systems, and personal preferences for different people, so this guide can’t possibly cover it all, but I hope it helps.

Also, this guide assumes that you are using Windows XP and are uploading your files with an FTP (file transfer protocol) program to your hosting provider. This is what I use, so that is what the photos will reflect.

Step One: Creating a Database for WordPress

Create a database for WordPress in your hosting account

Now, this may not be the best way to start a tutorial on how to install WordPress, but this first step is totally up to you, because you’re the one who’s most familiar with your hosts administration features. The good news is that most hosts make this pretty easy and most certainly have the required instructions readily available if you’re not quite sure how to set up a database. The important part are the settings you’ll need after the database is created. You’ll need the Host Name, Database Name, Username, and Password. Soon, we’ll be telling WordPress this information so the installation script can create the tables that Wordpress needs inside the database you’ve created. Here’s a screen shot from within my hosting administration area that shows me the settings I’ll need.

Continue with Step Two on the next page…