# How to install WordPress

> Install WordPress in one click with Softaculous, or manually over SFTP. Includes the settings to change before you publish and the first-install security steps.

Source: https://www.fasterhost.in/kb/install-wordpress.php · WordPress · 6 min read · updated 22 September 2026

There are two ways to install WordPress and the one-click route is right for almost everybody. The manual method is worth knowing when you are moving a site, working in a subfolder, or debugging an install that went wrong.

## Steps

### 1. Open the installer

In cPanel, find **Softaculous Apps Installer** and click the WordPress icon, then **Install Now**. On a managed WordPress plan this step is already done — the site exists before you log in.

### 2. Choose the domain and directory

Pick your domain from the dropdown. Set the protocol to **https://** — if it is not offered, your certificate has not issued yet.

**Leave "In Directory" empty** to install at the root (`example.in`). Softaculous pre-fills `wp`, which would put your site at `example.in/wp`. This is the single most common mistake at this screen.

### 3. Set the admin account properly

- **Username** — anything except `admin`. Every bot on the internet tries `admin` first.
- **Password** — let it generate one and put it in a password manager.
- **Email** — an address you actually read. Password resets and critical update notices go here.
- **Site title** — real title now; changing it later is fine but the slug of your first posts is not.

Click **Install**. It takes under a minute.

### 4. Do the four things before you publish

Straight after install, in **Settings**:

- **Permalinks → Post name.** The default `?p=123` URLs are bad for search and painful to change once indexed.
- **Reading → untick "Discourage search engines".** Installers sometimes set this and people find it six months later.
- **Discussion →** require approval for comments, or turn them off.
- **Delete the unused themes and plugins.** Hello Dolly and three default themes are dormant attack surface.

## Installing manually

When you need control the installer does not give you:

- Download WordPress from wordpress.org and unzip it.
- Upload the contents of the `wordpress` folder — the contents, not the folder — to your document root over SFTP.
- In cPanel, **MySQL Databases**: create a database, create a user, add the user to the database with **All Privileges**. Note all three values.
- Visit your domain. WordPress asks for the database details and writes `wp-config.php` itself.

If it cannot write the file, it shows you the contents to paste into `wp-config.php` manually. That is normal on stricter permission setups.

## What actually keeps it fast

A fresh WordPress is fast. It stops being fast because of what gets added. The three that matter most on Indian hosting:

- **Server-side caching.** LiteSpeed Cache is built into the server on every FasterHost plan — install the plugin and it wires into it, rather than caching in PHP like most plugins do.
- **Image sizes.** An unresized phone photo is 4 MB. This is the most common single cause of a slow Indian site.
- **Plugin count.** Every plugin runs on every request. Twelve is a lot; thirty is a problem.

## Common questions

**Is WordPress free?**

The software is free and open source. You pay for hosting, a domain, and optionally premium themes or plugins.

**Can I install WordPress on shared hosting?**

Yes. Every FasterHost shared plan runs WordPress with one-click install, LiteSpeed caching and free SSL. A managed WordPress plan adds automatic updates, staging and object caching.

**How do I install WordPress on a subdomain?**

Create the subdomain in cPanel first, then choose it from the domain dropdown in Softaculous. The document root must be empty before installing.

**What should I do if the install fails?**

Almost always an existing file in the target folder, a database user without privileges, or a document root that is not empty. Clear the folder and retry, or open a ticket and we will look at it.

## Related

- [How to use Softaculous in cPanel](https://www.fasterhost.in/kb/use-softaculous-in-cpanel.php)
- [How to migrate a WordPress site](https://www.fasterhost.in/kb/migrate-a-wordpress-site.php)
- [How to create a subdomain in cPanel](https://www.fasterhost.in/kb/create-a-subdomain-in-cpanel.php)
- [WordPress Hosting](https://www.fasterhost.in/wordpress-hosting.php): Managed WordPress that flies
- [Shared Hosting](https://www.fasterhost.in/shared-hosting.php): Fast, affordable hosting for your first site