Install WordPress

This documentation details installing WordPress in a previously created account on one of our HostGator dedicated servers.

Local Backup

Determine where the client’s website will reside on our local server.

New Client

1. Double check to make sure a directory doesn’t already exist for the client. If one exists, skip down to the Existing Client and Site section, if not continue to step 2 in this section.
2. There is a folder on the local server called _New Client (located at the top of the directory when sorted by name). This folder contains a number of subfolders including website which contains the current release version of WordPress along with the Divi theme and a child theme for Divi. It also includes two plugins that require a manual install (Elegant Themes Updater and Divi Booster).
3. Copy (and paste) the _New Client folder and Rename the new copy to the client’s name or business name.

Existing Client and Site

1. Enter the client’s directory.
2. If a website directory already exists, create a new directory called website-dev.
3. There is a folder on the local server called _New Client (located at the top of the directory when sorted by name). This folder contains a number of subfolders including website which contains the current release version of WordPress along with the Divi theme and a child theme for Divi. It also includes two plugins that require a manual install (Elegant Themes Updater and Divi Booster).

4. Copy (and paste) all of the contents of the website directory into the client’s website-dev directory.

Database

1. Access the client’s cPanel.
2. In the Databases section, click MySQL Databases.
3. Under Create New Database, in the field after the client’s account name, enter wp## where ## represents two random numbers.
4. Click the Create Database button.
5. Click the Go Back link.
6. Under MySQL Users, in the field after the client’s account name, enter a variation of wpusr (e.g. pswsr, uwprs, etc.)
7. Click the Password Generator button to generate a random password. Avoid using brackets of any kind.
8. Click the Create User button.
9. Click the Go Back link.
10. Under Add User To Database, select both the User and Database we just created from the drop-down menus.
11. Click the Add button.
12. Check the All Privileges box.
13. Click the Make Changes button.
14. Click the Go Back link.

Make sure to add the database name, username and password to the user passwords spreadsheet.

wp-config.php

1. In the client’s website (or website-dev) directory you will find a file called wp-config.php, open it in your preferred text editor.
2. Enter the database information; database name, database username and database password. The hostname should remain as localhost.
3. Generate and enter authentication keys and salts. You can generate these using the WordPress.org secret-key service:  https://api.wordpress.org/secret-key/1.1/salt/. Copy and paste everything on this webpage into your wp-config.php file, replacing the existing default text.
4. Change the database table prefix. By default the database prefix is wp_, change this to wpxxx_ where xxx represents three random letters.
5. Save the wp-config.php file.

Child Theme

1. Rename the child-theme folder located in the wp-content/themes folder to something similar to the client’s name or business name.
2. Open the style.css file located in the child theme folder and change the Theme Name to something similar to the client’s name or business name followed by the current year.

Upload

Upload the contents of the client’s local WordPress directory to their hosting space on our server.  If the client and site are new upload to the public_html directory. If the client has an existing site upload to a dev directory in the public_html directory.

Install

The URL you install WordPress on will vary depending on the client.

• If the client and site are new and they have just recently acquired a domain you can access and install WordPress on that domain, http://clientdomain.com.

This will NOT require you to move WordPress at launch.

• If the client is new but has an existing site hosted elsewhere you can install WordPress on the IP associated with their account on our server (this can be found in WHM > Account Information > List Accounts under the IP Address column), http://111.111.111.111/~account.

This will require you to move WordPress at launch.

• If the client is old and has an existing site hosted on our server you will need to install WordPress in a dev subfolder, http://clientdomain.com/dev.

This will require you to move WordPress at launch.

Once you have determined the correct URL to use you are ready to install WordPress.

1. Select a language, English (United States).
2. Click the Continue button.
3. Enter the Site Title, usually the client’s name or business name.
4. Enter a Username (IMCwpad, IMCoffice, IMCwpmng, IMCmanage or IMClogin), avoid using IMCadmin and definitely don’t use admin.
5. Enter a strong Password.
6. Enter Your E-mail address.
7. Check the Discourage search engines from indexing this site box.

You can modify all of these settings later if need be.

8. Click the Install WordPress button.
9. Click the Log in button.

Make sure to add the WordPress username, password and login URL to the user passwords spreadsheet.

Security

To secure and protect the WordPress install we need to make a couple of changes to the files.

wp-config.php

1. FTP into the client’s site.
2. Right-click the wp-config.php file and select Properties. Uncheck Group + Others R (Octal should be 0600)
3. Uncheck the Read boxes next to Group and Public.
4. Click the OK button.