As promised, here is a step-by-step guide to installing WordPress manually.

1. Download WordPress

Go to http://wordpress.org/download/ and download WordPress.

Click the “Download WordPress” button and save the .zip file to your computer. I personally use Linux, so I chose to download the more compressed .tar.gz file from the small link below the button, but for most people the .zip file is the better choice.

2. Extract the .zip or .tar.gz file

You downloaded a compressed folder of all the files needed to install WordPress. However, you need to extract/unzip the folder before you upload it to your server.

3. Upload the files to your web host using FTP

I assume that you’re familiar with how to do this. If not, you can watch this video tutorial about using FireFTP, a free addon for Firefox.

I like to keep my WordPress files in their own directory to keep them separate from the rest of my files. This is a matter of personal preference, so feel free to put them wherever you’d like.

Please note: WordPress will be installed in whatever folder it is uploaded to. That can be changed, but it is beyond the scope of this tutorial.

4. Create a database

Next you’ll need to set up a database for Worpress to use. The steps you’ll have to follow to accomplish this depend on who hosts your website. If you don’t know how to do this already, please contact your web host and ask them about it.

5. Create a configuration file

Once you’ve created your database, open your web browser and go to the folder where you uploaded WordPress. You should see a page similar to this:

Click the “Create a Configuration File” button.

6. Database access

Next you’ll be greeted with this screen:

Before moving on, you’ll need to know your database name, database username and password, and database host. If you have all the required information, click the “Let’s go!” button, which will take you to this page:

Fill out the form with your specific information and click the “Submit” button.

7. Install WordPress

If everything went well, you should see this page:

Click the “Run the install” button to continue.

8. One last thing

This is the last step before the WordPress installer runs.

Here you need to enter your blog title, your email address, and choose whether or not you would like your blog to appear in search engines. Once that’s taken care of, click the “Install WordPress” button and that should do it. You will be presented with a page displaying your administrator username and password.

That’s all there is to a basic WordPress installation. However, there are a few more steps that should be taken to increase both security and functionality. In my next post I’ll detail the first steps I take after installing WordPress to make it more functional and more secure.