Before we begin to install WordPress 2014 tutorial.
This WordPress installation guide is absolutely not different with another version’s installation. The steps will be exactly the same, but the difference would be the different features of WordPress 3.9 which has difference layout of dashboard, and proven to be much faster than the older versions.
If you’re new to blogging in general, and plan to have a WordPress in a minimum, cost, I recommend reading this post.
Although there are hundreds of bloggers who have some problems after the new versions of WP are released after a few months, but this is why WP is really loved since its developer want to give their best to always make WP an up-to-date software.
Updating WordPress has always pros and cons, since some people do not want or ignore the WordPress upgrade. This plugin might help to backup database before upgrade.
Steps to Install WordPress on Windows 8 and WAMP 2.4
I remember I had some clients which did not even care to upgrade their blogs, but always care to add contents.
What is the use of adding contents which someday will end their blogs being hacked.
With the newer version of WP, our blogs security can be improved, since the updated files will close all security holes in the previous software files.
What’s cool in this new version?
Before we install WordPress 3.9, I have to write, that I have posted some previous posts about this newer WP. About a few days back, I have posted a video on YouTube about WordPress 3.9 new features.
Now with its new features, users can customize their template more easy with its extra theme options, and it simply means, WP gives more flexibilities.
I think that’s really cool because I know, that big part of the users are non-savvy, or business people, and surely, they use WordPress to create their website is because they have heard people say WP is very easy software, because you don’t need to know much about HTML, PHP or CSS and other other coding things.
In some points that is true, but in some points, we do need to know those programming languages, if we want to modify some things in our blog templates.
Of course, you can get a premium theme like StudioPress but you need to customize them a bit to get your blog appearance a bit difference than the others.
But luckily, even the default theme now has easy options to change color appearance at least.
Video to manually install WordPress 2014
My older video on WP 3.2
My new video how to install WordPress 2014
Installing WordPress 4.0 or 4+
The Steps, you can also download the pdf version here.
I assume your webhosting already met new WordPress 3.9 requirements, and although you can use WordPress autoinstall script, which uses Fantastico installer script or any other installer script, I personally do not recommend it.
Why do I not recommend it? Well, I built this blog for the day 1 with auto install script, after a few months, knowing the security of WordPress can be improved, I wish I knew this before I used auto installer!
I needed to change the table prefix, database name, etc. More times spent than manually installing it from the beginning.
See Fantastico wordpress security post why I prefer to install manually.
Now, if you want to install WordPress 3.9 manually, you can follow the steps as shown in the video, or read this steps, change the database name, username accordingly to your stuff 🙂
To get more affordable blogs, which you can achieve by buying domains in Namecheap and hosting somewhere, you can read here.
Also, in the video, I don’t use any FTP client, because using cPanel is faster, and more accurate, means, files will be uploaded properly, because we upload directly.
Steps:
Download WordPress files from here first.
1. Access your cPanel and login to your cPanel dashboard.
2. Find “MySQL Database” icon, and click that icon.
3. Create a new database, I typed in “hardtoguess1” in the video. Change it as you like, as long as it is not an easy to guess database name. Once you created a database, it will show you, like “Added the database kimiweb6_hardtoguess1” sentence.
Click “Go back” to bring you back the “database page”
4. Now, Create a new user for this kimiweb6_hardtoguess1 database, I typed, “sunsh99“, again, change it uniquely to your own.
The password, you can choose your own not-easy-to-guess password or use password generator, both will work fine, as long as you remember your password. Best is using password generator, and add numbers or characters then, write it down somewhere or notepad because we must type this pass again while installation process.
Be sure the password indicator shows green color and says, very strong!
5. Add user to the database, you can see in the drop down tab, be sure you add the right user to the right database, especially if you have many databases and users.
6. To manage the user after you added your database username, you must click “All previliges” to allow yourself accessing database. Click “Make Changes” button.
7. Now comes the time where we have to upload our wordpress.zip file, so go back to “Home” or cPanel home screen.
8. Go to File Manager in the domain where you want to set up wordpress.
9. Make sure you’re in public_html folder (or htdocs in some host, different host different folder name), if not, navigate to this folder from the left sidebar.
I assume you have WordPress 3.9 zip file in your desktop, so click “Upload” button to upload the zip.file. Wait a few seconds until you see “complete” sign on the bottom right of your screen as shown below.
10. After you upload it, and then extract the files in the root of the domain, then, select all files, and click “Select All” button on the top, and move files to the root, by clicking “Move File” button and (by deleting /wordpress path).
You can then type your domain address in any web browser, and this will force us to create a configuration file. (see this screenshot)
Click, “Create a configuration file” and then, click “Let’s Go” buttons.
11. Type the database info we created on step 3 until step 5 above as shown in this screenshot. Note: I recommend changing “Table Prefix”
When you’re done, click “Submit” and click “Run the install” buttons.
11. Type in any necessary data in this “Welcome” installation page, like;
Site Title : This is your site title, so use the advantage of putting your keyword in it, say, this is a holiday tips blog, having “Holiday” in site title will be useful for users who visit your site to know what your site is about immediately.
Username : Login name that you will use to login to your backend of WordPress website, remember it, or write it down somewhere in a safe place.
Password, twice : Use strong password in these two fields, and pay attention on password indicator. This password we will need to login once we are done installing.
Your E-mail : I recommend using email that you often use, since you will receives all information that sent via email to this email address.
Privacy : I can’t say enough, leave it uncheck since your site is new, and have default WordPress settings and contents.
Check again infos above, then you can click on “Install WordPress” button.
Once you are done with the installation, I also show you in the videos how to;
1. Clean your cPanel files, like wp-config.php in home directory.
2. Clean install.php and install-helper.php inside wp-admin folder.
3. Change your display login name immediately. We will still need to change the admin ID user, but I will cover in other future post.
4. Delete “Hello World” post, and Sample page once you know how a post works.
5. Change default “Uncategorized”
6. Cleaning themes and plugins we don’t use.
7. WordPress settings, including the most important permalink settings.
This seems to be the longest tutorial and video I have ever made 🙂