WordPress Setup Guide

A comprehensive guide to setting up a secure, performant WordPress installation.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

A domain name registered
Web hosting (recommended: SiteGround, Kinsta, or WP Engine)
SSL certificate (usually provided by host)
FTP/SFTP access credentials

Step 1: Download WordPress

Visit wordpress.org/download
Download the latest stable version
Extract the ZIP file to your local machine

Step 2: Create a Database

Most hosting providers offer one-click WordPress installation. If installing manually:

CREATE DATABASE wordpress_db;
CREATE USER 'wp_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'secure_password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON wordpress_db.* TO 'wp_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Step 3: Upload Files

Connect to your server via FTP/SFTP
Upload WordPress files to your public_html directory
Rename wp-config-sample.php to wp-config.php

Step 4: Configure wp-config.php

Edit the file with your database credentials:

define('DB_NAME', 'wordpress_db');
define('DB_USER', 'wp_user');
define('DB_PASSWORD', 'secure_password');
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');

Security Tip: Add security keys from api.wordpress.org/secret-key

Step 5: Run the Installation

Visit your domain in a browser
Follow the installation wizard
Create an admin account (use a strong password!)

Post-Installation Checklist

Change the default admin username (don’t use “admin”)
Install an SSL certificate and force HTTPS
Set up automatic backups
Install essential security plugins
Configure permalinks (Settings → Permalinks)
Delete default plugins and themes
Set the correct timezone

Recommended Plugins

Plugin	Purpose
Wordfence	Security
WP Rocket	Caching
Smush	Image optimization
UpdraftPlus	Backups
Yoast SEO	SEO optimization