How to install WordPress on web hosting with Softaculous

How to install WordPress on web hosting with Softaculous

You can install WordPress through your hosting control panel by opening Softaculous, choosing your domain, completing the installation form and clicking Install. For a website at https://example.com, leave the In Directory field empty. Entering wp puts the installation at https://example.com/wp.

This guide is for a new website on a hosting account that provides Softaculous. If your account uses a different WordPress installer, its screens will differ. If you already have a website at the destination, back up its files and database and arrange a migration before installing anything there.

Before you open the installer

Have your hosting login, domain name and an email address you can access ready. Your domain must be added to the hosting account, and its DNS must direct visitors to the intended hosting service. Use the nameservers or DNS records supplied for your account; don't copy values from another customer's tutorial.

For a new installation, arrange a valid SSL certificate for the chosen hostname before selecting HTTPS. Choosing https:// in the installer sets the website address; it doesn't by itself establish a valid certificate.

WordPress currently recommends PHP 8.3 or newer, MariaDB 10.11 or newer or MySQL 8.0 or newer, and HTTPS support. Check the PHP version available for your domain against the official WordPress requirements.

Our SSD Web Hosting service provides guided WordPress installation tools on eligible plans. Control-panel options vary by plan, so confirm which installer your account includes. If you can't locate it, use our contact page to ask which installation route applies.

The screenshots below are real captures of the official Softaculous demo running in Webuzo, taken on 3 October 2026. They show Softaculous 6.4.3, not an AtoZServer customer account. Your panel, available versions and optional extras may differ.

1. Open Softaculous and select WordPress

Sign in through the hosting control-panel link provided for your account. In cPanel, look for Softaculous Apps Installer or a WordPress shortcut; other panels may place it elsewhere.

Open Softaculous, find WordPress and open its installation page. Use the Install tab to display the form. Softaculous documents the panel entry and application selection in its installation guide.

The Install tab opens the WordPress setup form. Version numbers shown here belong to the captured demo.

Choose a current stable WordPress release offered by your host. If only old releases appear, ask support to check the installer catalogue and server compatibility before proceeding.

2. Choose the exact website address

In Software Setup, review the protocol, domain and installation directory.

If you want the website at https://example.com/blog, enter blog in In Directory. Enter only the folder name, not a full URL. Softaculous explains the root-directory choice in its WordPress installation instructions.

An empty directory field places WordPress at the selected domain's root. Use your own domain in place of the demo hostname.

Also decide whether your main address uses www. Use the hostname covered by your certificate and intended for the website. Read the URL preview before moving on.

Check the destination for existing files. If the installer reports a conflict, stop and investigate. Don't select an overwrite option just to make the installation continue.

3. Set your site name and administrator details

Enter a useful Site Name, such as your business name, and a short Site Description. These settings can be changed later.

For the administrator account, choose a username and a unique, strong password. Store the password in a password manager. Use an Admin Email address you can access, because account recovery depends on receiving email.

The public demo displays a weak sample password and a “Bad” strength rating. Replace sample credentials with your own strong password; never reuse the values shown here.

For an ordinary single website, leave Enable Multisite unchecked. Leave Disable WordPress Cron unchecked unless you have deliberately arranged another scheduled-task method for the site. These are specialist options you can review when the website needs them.

Your WordPress administrator login is separate from your hosting control-panel login. Keep track of which credentials belong to each service.

4. Review optional plugins, updates and backups

The installer may offer plugins or bundles for forms, caching, security and other tasks. Review what is selected and keep only the tools you intend to use. The demo's plugin offers don't establish what your hosting plan includes or what a plugin licence will cost later.

Choose your preferred language. Expand Advanced Options if you need to review the database, update policy or backup settings.

The captured demo has Automated backups set to “Don't backup.” Review the actual settings on your account.

For a straightforward new installation, keep the generated database name and table prefix unless you have a reason to change them. Avoid disabling update notifications without another way to track updates.

Decide who will handle WordPress, plugin and theme updates. Automatic updates can reduce routine work, but you still need backups and a way to check the website after changes. Confirm backup storage, retention and restore procedures with your host; the presence of a backup dropdown doesn't prove that usable backups already exist.

5. Review the form and click Install

Before submitting, confirm the final URL, directory, administrator email and selected extras. Installing WordPress creates files and a database at the chosen destination.

Install submits the setup form. The optional email field below it sends installation details to the address you specify.

Click Install once and wait for the result. On completion, Softaculous provides links to the website and administration area, as described in its script installation guide.

If the request times out or shows an error, check Softaculous's installations list and the destination before submitting again. An incomplete response alone doesn't tell you whether files or a database were created.

6. Check the website and sign in

Open the public website link in a fresh browser tab. Confirm that it reaches the intended domain and path, loads WordPress and opens over HTTPS without a certificate warning.

For a standard root installation, the administration address is https://example.com/wp-admin/. For a blog directory installation, use https://example.com/blog/wp-admin/. Replace the example domain with your own and sign in using the WordPress account you just created.

In the dashboard, complete these checks:

• Under Settings > General, review the site title, timezone and administration email. Check the WordPress and Site Address values without changing them casually. WordPress explains these settings.
• Under Settings > Permalinks, choose a URL structure before sharing links. Post name is a straightforward option for many new business sites. Save the setting and test a page. See the permalink settings documentation.
• Under Settings > Reading, review search-engine visibility. If the site should appear in search, clear Discourage search engines from indexing this site. That checkbox is a request to search engines, not a privacy control. Use access restrictions for a private development site. WordPress documents its behaviour.

Test an image upload and save a draft page. Check that account recovery email can reach your inbox before relying on it, and arrange a backup with a known restore procedure.

If the installation doesn't behave as expected

If Softaculous isn't available, ask whether your plan has another installer. WordPress also provides a manual installation procedure for accounts with file-upload and database access.

Once the public site, dashboard and email checks work, save a backup before adding your theme and essential plugins. You can then build the first page with a recovery point available.