How to Install WordPress Using Softaculous in cPanel

In this tutorial we’ll go over using the cPanel included Softaculous to install a WordPress website on your cPanel web hosting account.

• First, log into your cPanel account, locate the Softaculous installer as shown below and click the WordPress icon.

• After clicking the WordPress icon, you’ll be taken to the installer. The next step will be to click the blue “Install” button.

• From here, you will have a few options to choose from. You will be able to select the domain to install WordPress on (if you have multiple addon domains) as well as the directory. If you want WordPress to be installed in a sub-directory, you can specify it in place of the “wp” shown in the directory field. This means you will go to http://yoursite.com/wp to view the WordPress site. If you want WordPress to be displayed in the root, you would need to remove the “wp” from the directory field and leave it empty.

• In addition to the above options, there are additional options that we recommend changing from the default settings:
  • Username: Enter in a stronger username that is not easily guessed. For example, many hackers & malicious users know that most people simply choose “admin” as the default username. This means they now only have to guess the password.
  • Password: It’s also recommended to use a strong password with uppercase, lowercase, numbers & special characters. At least 10-15 characters are recommended.

• We also recommend installing the “Limit Logins” plugin for WordPress. By default, this is not installed as the check box is unchecked. Simply checking the checkbox will install this plugin. The plugin will block login attempts by IP address for the configured value for the number of failed logins to the WordPress site.

• Under the “Advanced” options tab you can enter the desired wordpress database details. 
• Table prefix: We recommend changing this away from the default – a similar naming convention such as wp6m_ will work – you can randomize the prefix for the database for added security. Keep in mind though, a number of steps must be performed to secure WordPress, this is only 1 of many.

• Finally, you have the option to install a WordPress theme (aside from the default, which will automatically be installed) & to complete the installation. You can specify an email address in the box under the install button & the installation details will be sent to that email. If you choose to use the email options, we recommend changing your WordPress password after logging in as the email contains the WordPress password.

• After clicking the “Install” button, your WordPress website will be installed. You should now be able to browse to your domain and view your WordPress site.