In order to start your new blog, first off you’ll need to have a domain name and hosting account. Some people simply register a WordPress blog on WordPress.com but the problem with that is that you’re then at the mercy of other people, I can be testament to that problem having had my smartdad.wordpress.com blog “confiscated” …

You don’t want to wake up one day and see that your hard work has been deleted by an overzealous ‘jobs worth’ moderator on a mission – believe me. So host your WordPress blog on your own domain where you have total control.

There are two different ways you can install WordPress. One requires a lot more technical effort on your part, but is more secure. The other is quick and easy, but some say has vulnerabilities attached to it.

Fantastico is an automated WordPress installation feature usually included in your hosting account if you have cpanel. HostGator is one such company that offers it, It will install the blog for you once you enter a few details to register it. I use Hostgator, it’s very reliable and comes with great service and at a great price.

But while it’s an easy install option, some people worry about the threat of getting hacked by unethical spammers. Still, for those who employ correct back-up and security using Fantastico is the fastest and easiest way to get started so we’ll cover that first in three easy steps.

1) Log into your cpanel and click on Fantastico De Luxe under the Software and Services section – it will look like a smiley face icon. Under Blogs, click the WordPress option and choose “New Installation.”

2) Choose the domain you wish to install WordPress on from the drop down menu, If it’s your first site on that hosting service you won’t have a choice to select ! If it asks you for the directory, leave it blank if you wish it to be on the root of the domain ie: www.mynewwebsite.comor put “blog” without quotes if you want it located at domain.com/blog.

3) Give yourself back-end admin access with a username and password (don’t use admin for your user name) and Click Install WordPress and Finish Installation. Make sure you bookmark the login page so that you’ll know where to go whenever you want to manage or post to your blog!

Manually, the install steps for WordPress are a bit trickier.
You’ll go to WordPress.org and download the software yourself. Unzip the file and follow the install instructions on their site verbatim.

You’ll be renaming files, integrating it into your domain, and running the install scripts. It’s best if you have an FTP client available for this so that the process goes smoother for you. If the manual set-up looks a bit scary go with the Fantastico 10 second install instead!

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