Installing WordPress on GoDaddy

In this post we'll run through the absolute basics of installing WordPress on a GoDaddy hosting account. If you have any questions feel free to include them in the comments section.

In order to do this you'll just need to have access to an existing Domain Name and Hosting Account as well as the most recent version of WordPress. To get started we're going to create a database for WordPress to use, then we'll upload all the appropriate files and finally we'll make the tweaks necessary to get your blog running.

Besides your Domain Name and Hosting Account I'd also recommend picking a text editor because we will need to make some slight changes to one file. While you can certainly use NotePad I recommend taking the time to grab NotePad++ an open source NotePad replacement that is an absolutely essential part of my WordPress Toolbox.

Setting up your WordPress Database

I recommend starting by creating the database mostly because it takes a few minutes for the process to finish. Thankfully while we wait we can concentrate on uploading the software - but we'll get to that soon enough.

To get started log into your GoDaddy account and select “My Hosting Account” from the “Hosting & Servers” drop down menu. Next you'll want to click the “Open” link which should appear next to the domain name associated with the site you'd like to add a blog to. This will open the “Hosting Control Center” in a new window or tab. Click on the section titled “Databases," then click on the MySQL icon and then the “Create Database” button.

Don't worry, we're almost there.

Once you've clicked on MySQL you'll see a series of text-entry boxes and a few radial buttons. For the most part this section is pretty arbitrary except for the two radial buttons on the side. Select 4.1 under MySQL version - that part is important!

GoDaddy will require a few minutes to finalize the database setup so for now you can concentrate on uploading the files.

Upload WordPress

This part is pretty straightforward. Open up your hosting account in your favorite FTP program and then upload the WordPress files to the directory where you want your blog to reside. For most users this will be the root directory - this will more than likely take a few minutes.

To make sure you don't have any setbacks upload each section one folder at a time. First the wp-admin, then wp-content, then wp-includes and finally the root files. I've had the upload time-out mid job on a few occasions - doing this gives you stages to work from so you don't have to start from scratch should you get disconnected.

As a side note, if you're interested in having your blog appear anywhere other than at your domain's root (http://yourDomain.com) then you'll want to create the appropriate directory name and upload the files there.

Be sure to upload all the files EXCEPT wp-config-sample.php - we've got a bit of work to do there first.

Creating your wp-config File

With the exception of new themes and plugins all your WordPress files are ready to use except for wp-config. Thankfully this is just a case of filling in the blanks.

Head back over to the MySQL section of your Hosting Control Center and you should see that your new WordPress Database is setup. Click on the little icon that looks like a pen on paper and then open up the wp-config-sample.php file in your text editor. Now it's just a case of copying values from the GoDaddy page into the file.
define('DB_NAME', 'dbname'); // The name of the database
define('DB_USER', 'dbusername'); // Your MySQL username
define('DB_PASSWORD', 'dbpassword'); // …and password
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost'); // 99% chance you won’t need to change this value
All these values are pretty self-explanatory except for your DB_HOST. Unfortunately the “99% chance” doesn't apply to GoDaddy so you'll have to replace “localhost” with the value that appears after “Host Name" ... it usually ends with ".secureserver.net.

Once you've finished this save the file as “wp-config.php” and upload it into the directory where you just placed all your WordPress files.

Now for the fun part.

Running the WordPress Installer

At this point you're basically done – all you need to do is activate WordPress for the first time.

To get started type your blog's address followed by “wp-admin/install.php” and see what happens. Click the First Step link and you'll be prompted to enter some basic information. Be sure to use an email address you have access to. Don't worry – once you've logged in for the first time you can change all this is it's not that important.

Click the submit button and you'll be given a temporary password. Write it down and then follow the link to login for the first time.

Closing Thoughts

With the exception of the upload you'll most likely never have to do this again - unless you start a new blog somewhere else. The uploading process, though, is necessary just about every time you upgrade your WordPress install. This tends to be more frequent around the major WordPress releases but otherwise you may see several months between updates.

It's a sign of how secure WordPress really is.

For now just browse around your new install and get used to the interface. If you have any specific questions please feel free to include them below or try searching the site for more answers.