How to Install WordPress
Welcome to the WordPress Party!! So, you’ve decided to join the cool kids and install WordPress, huh? Bravo! Whether you're setting up an empire of blogs, building the next Facebook clone, or just want to write detailed reviews about every brand of cereal ever made, WordPress has your back. You’re in for a ride. But first, we need to get WordPress installed—don’t worry, it’s almost as simple as setting up WiFi without having to call tech support (but with slightly less rage-inducing moments).
Why Install WordPress?
Because hand-coding a website in 2025 is like trying to build a rocket ship out of Legos—it's possible, but do you really want to spend hours just to get a basic homepage working? WordPress gives you superpowers without the need for 20 cups of coffee and late-night JavaScript nightmares. Plus, you can always tell your friends you're a "WordPress Developer," and watch them look at you like you're some kind of wizard.
With WordPress, you can make your own website in the time it takes your pizza to arrive (okay, maybe two pizzas). You can even convince your non-techie friend that you’re basically Mark Zuckerberg. But hey, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First, we install. Then you get the CEO title.
Before You Start... Snacks and Patience 🍿
Listen, we need to get a couple of things out of the way. First of all, you’ll need snacks. We highly recommend a selection of chips, chocolate, or maybe even a full-blown charcuterie board. Installing WordPress might be faster than you expect... or it might turn into an epic battle between you, your internet connection, and that rogue error message that pops up just when you thought everything was working.
And patience. Yes, dear reader, patience is the true requirement here. There will be moments when things break, buttons disappear, or a tutorial tells you to click on something that isn’t there. When this happens, stay calm, take a deep breath, and remember: you’re the captain of this ship now, and you’ll sail to website glory!
Step 1: Embrace the Chaos
The first thing to know about installing WordPress is that it’s like assembling IKEA furniture—you’ve got the instructions, but there’s always that one step that makes no sense, and you'll probably end up with an extra piece that doesn’t seem to go anywhere. But that’s okay! The key to surviving any WordPress install is expecting the unexpected.
You might find yourself accidentally uploading WordPress to the wrong folder, crashing your server, or typing out URLs like a madman. But hey, what doesn’t kill your site (or database) makes you stronger, right?
Step 2: Do You Have a Server? No? Cool, Neither Did We...
Okay, for those of you who don’t have your own private server farm hidden in your basement, let’s talk about Local Installation or setting it up with web hosting. We’re talking easy ways to get your own little space on the internet. You don’t need to go full “Silicon Valley tech genius” just yet. That’s in step 34.
In case you haven’t picked a server yet, you can always start local—by installing WordPress on your computer and pretending your laptop is the next big data center. It’s like playing Minecraft but with fewer creepers.
Once you’ve got WordPress downloaded, uploaded, or summoned through the dark arts, the real magic begins. But we’ll take it step by step. Up next: Local Installation (get ready to turn your laptop into your very own website hosting machine).