Install WordPress on your web hosting: step by step

Want to install WordPress on your web hosting? There is nothing to download or upload. DirectAdmin, the control panel of your web hosting, has a built-in WordPress Manager that installs WordPress and creates its database for you.

What you need

You don't need a separate WordPress plan. The WordPress Manager is included in every web hosting plan, starting with Lite (€5.00 per month). WordPress recommends PHP 8.3 or higher, MariaDB 10.11 or higher and HTTPS. Our web hosting runs PHP 8.3 and MariaDB 10.11, with free SSL certificates.

Sort out two things first:

• Your domain uses our nameservers, ns1.elitestarhosting.com and ns2.elitestarhosting.com. If you ordered the domain together with your web hosting, that is already the case. If not, set them yourself at the company where your domain is registered.
• Your domain has an SSL certificate. DirectAdmin requests a free Let's Encrypt certificate by itself. If your domain does not point to us yet, it tries again later. Under Account Manager > SSL/TLS Certificates you can see whether it worked. Wait for that before you install WordPress.

Want WordPress on a subdomain, such as blog.yourdomain.com? Create that subdomain first under Account Manager > Subdomain Management.

Install WordPress with the WordPress Manager

1. Log in to DirectAdmin.
2. Go to Advanced Features and click WordPress Manager.
3. You see where WordPress can go: the main folder of your domain or of a subdomain. Pick one and start a new installation in the Create WordPress Installation form.

In the form you fill in:

• The title of your site.
• A username and password for the administrator. Avoid obvious names such as admin or webmaster, and use a long password with letters, numbers and symbols.
• The administrator's email address. Use an address you actually read: WordPress sends notifications about updates there.
• The database. Let DirectAdmin create a new database and it fills in the details itself. That database counts towards the number of databases in your plan (5 on Lite).

Start the installation. If the folder already contains files, DirectAdmin warns that WordPress may overwrite them (WordPress installation might overwrite existing files). On a new domain you can simply confirm. If a website is already there, make a backup first.

You then see the message WordPress is set up and ready to go with your login details, and your site appears in the WordPress Manager list.

Still seeing a default page on your domain instead of WordPress? Then an old index.html is probably still in your site's folder. Delete it in File Manager (under System Info & Files).

Log in to wp-admin

You open the WordPress admin by adding /wp-admin to your domain, for example https://yourdomain.com/wp-admin. Log in with the administrator details from the form.

Then check under Settings > General that WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) start with https://. If they show http:// and your domain has a valid certificate, change both and click Save Changes. Site Language on the same page sets the language of the admin.

Lost your password? In WordPress Manager, open the WordPress Users list of your installation and set a new password there.

Keep WordPress and plugins up to date

Updates to WordPress, plugins and themes often include security fixes, so keep them current:

• WordPress turns on automatic updates by default for new installations, both for minor security and maintenance releases and for new versions. Dashboard > Updates shows what is on for your site and lets you install pending updates.
• In WordPress Manager your installation also has its own Auto Update setting. Leave it on.
• On the Plugins page, turn on automatic updates per plugin with Enable auto-updates. For a theme, go to Appearance > Themes, click the theme and then Enable auto-updates. WordPress emails you what it updated.
• No longer using a plugin? Delete it rather than only deactivating it.

Secure your site

Every website on our web hosting passes through our HTTP filtering, which among other things stops scanners and known attackers. WordPress works normally behind it and still sees your visitors' real IP addresses. Protecting access to your site is up to you:

• Turn on two-step authentication with a plugin from the WordPress.org plugin directory, for example Two-Factor.
• Only install plugins and themes from that directory or from well-known makers.
• Give co-admins their own account with only the role they need, such as Editor instead of Administrator.
• Also turn on Two-Step Authentication in DirectAdmin, under Advanced Features.

Back up your site

A good backup contains both your site's files and its database.

1. In DirectAdmin, go to Advanced Features > Backup and Restore.
2. Make a backup that includes at least your website files and your databases.
3. The file is saved in the backups folder of your account. Download it with File Manager and store it somewhere other than the server. Then delete it from backups, so it doesn't take up your plan's storage.

You can't schedule backups here, so make one before every big change. For automatic backups, use a backup plugin in WordPress and keep those copies off the server too. Under our terms, you are responsible for your own backups.

Move an existing site or get help

Is your WordPress site still with another host? We move it for free to your web hosting. Your old site keeps running while we copy everything.

Stuck somewhere? Get in touch or ask your question on Discord.

Read also: Connect your domain to web hosting: nameservers and DNS and Set up a free SSL certificate and HTTPS in DirectAdmin.