WordPress is installed when the domain points at hosting, the files are in the document root, and the database connection succeeds. Use Softaculous, or create the database and upload the files yourself. Open /wp-admin and a private window on the public address to confirm it.
What do you need before you install WordPress?
You install the WordPress.org software on hosting you control. WordPress.com is a hosted product with its own limits, not this install. You need a domain, a hosting account with cPanel, a browser, and an email you can open. Register the name with domain registration, then put the site on WordPress hosting so Softaculous can place the files in the document root.
The domain must already resolve to that account before you test the public URL. WordPress Unlimited is ₹400 a month and WordPress Unlimited+ is ₹500 a month, both before 18% GST. A copy on your laptop is practice. It is not the site visitors see.
- A domain aimed at the host before you open the public URL.
- cPanel with Softaculous, and an admin email you can open.
- A browser. Add an FTP client only if you skip the one-click installer.
- The zip from WordPress.org, not a WordPress.com signup.
How do you install WordPress with Softaculous?
In cPanel, open Softaculous Apps Installer, choose WordPress, and click Install. Leave Directory empty so the files land in the document root. Set the site title, a username that is not admin, a long password, and an email you can open. Choose https when the certificate is already on the account.
If Softaculous shows an error, email that message to support@webji.services and do not start a second copy in another folder. Two installs on one domain are why the public URL and wp-admin disagree.
- Protocol https, the right domain, and a blank directory.
- An admin username other than admin, plus a password you can store.
- After Install, open the domain with /wp-admin. The dashboard is the check that it worked.
Which database values does the installer ask for?
Softaculous creates the database for you. The manual installer asks you to type five fields. The name, username, and password are the ones you create under MySQL Databases, including any prefix cPanel adds. Database host is localhost on WebJi shared and WordPress plans. Leave the table prefix as wp_ unless that prefix is already used in the same database.
If a field does not match, the next screen is a database connection error. Email support@webji.services when the welcome mail names a host other than localhost. Do not guess a host name.
- Database name, user, and password from MySQL Databases.
- Database host: localhost, unless the welcome email says otherwise.
- Table prefix: wp_, unless that prefix is already in use.
How do you install WordPress by hand?
Use the manual path when Softaculous is not on the account. Download the current zip from WordPress.org, unzip it, and upload the contents of the wordpress folder into public_html. Uploading the folder itself puts the site at /wordpress/, which is the wrong address for the domain.
Create the database in cPanel under MySQL Databases before you open the site. Add a user, give that user all privileges on that database only, and keep the database name, username, and password. SSH and WP-CLI are for a server you already manage from the shell. On this hosting, use Softaculous or the browser installer.
- In cPanel, open MySQL Databases, create a database and a user, and add the user to that database with all privileges.
- Upload the unzipped WordPress files into public_html with File Manager or SFTP on port 22. Plain FTP on port 21 sends the password in the clear.
- Open the domain in a browser, choose the language, and enter the database name, user, password, and host. Submit, then run the installation.
- Set the site title, an admin username that is not admin, a long password, and your email. Log in. The dashboard means the install finished.
How do you know the install worked?
Open a private window and load the domain. You should see the default theme, not the hosting placeholder and not a list of files. Then open /wp-admin and log in with the admin user you just set.
Delete the sample post and the unused themes after you are in. Under Settings, then Permalinks, choose Post name and save. If the public URL is still a subfolder, the files are not in the document root. Move them before you add pages. Core and plugin updates come later, in how to update WordPress.
What do you do when the install fails?
Read the sentence on the screen before you click Install again. A database connection error means the name, user, password, or host does not match the database you created. If wp-config.php is already in public_html, those four values are in that file. Change them there, or delete that file and run the installer once more.
A blank directory that you filled by accident installs WordPress in a subfolder, so the domain still shows the host placeholder. Move the files to public_html, or remove that copy, before you run Softaculous again. If the screen says WordPress is already installed, do not create a second database. Use the lost-password link on wp-login.php.
Email support@webji.services if cPanel will not open. The mailbox is staffed 24/7 in Hindi and English, and the average first reply is under 60 minutes. The office phone is not a support line.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I install WordPress on cPanel?
On a WebJi WordPress or Linux plan, open cPanel, then Softaculous, then WordPress, and install with the directory blank. Log in at /wp-admin. The dashboard means it worked.
Can I install WordPress without Softaculous?
Yes. Create a MySQL database and user, upload the WordPress.org files to public_html, then run the browser installer. Enter the database name, user, password, and localhost.
How long does a WordPress installation take?
Softaculous usually finishes in a few minutes once the domain points at the host. A manual upload takes longer only because the files have to transfer. The dashboard is the finish line, not a fixed clock time.
What do I enter for the database host?
Use localhost on WebJi shared and WordPress plans, unless the welcome email names another host. The database name, user, and password are the ones you created in MySQL Databases, including any cPanel prefix.
Is a localhost install the same as a live site?
No. A localhost copy runs on your computer for practice. Visitors cannot open it. The live site is the install on hosting, checked in a private window on the public domain.
What if WordPress cannot connect to the database?
The database name, user, password, or host does not match. Correct those values and try again. If wp-config.php already exists, the same four values are in that file.
Should I use WordPress.com or WordPress.org?
Use WordPress.org on hosting you control when you want your own domain and plugins. WordPress.com is a separate hosted service. This guide is the self-hosted install.