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Blake Ridgway
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content/wordpress/install-shared.md
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title: "Install WordPress on Shared Hosting"
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description: "Install WordPress on Arcline shared hosting with cPanel — from one-click installers to manual setup and WordPress Toolkit."
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section: wordpress
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order: 1
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---
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# Install WordPress on Shared Hosting
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WordPress can be installed on Arcline shared hosting in a few minutes. This covers the one-click installer (fastest), the manual method (for full control), and WordPress Toolkit (for managing multiple sites).
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---
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## Option 1 — Softaculous one-click installer (recommended)
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Softaculous is included with every Arcline cPanel account. It installs WordPress with one click and lets you choose the install location, admin credentials, and all settings upfront.
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1. cPanel → **Software → WordPress Manager by Softaculous**
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2. Click **Install** at the top
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3. Fill in the form:
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| Field | What to enter |
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|---|---|
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| Choose Protocol | `https://` (recommended) or `https://www.` |
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| Choose Domain | your domain from the dropdown |
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| In Directory | leave blank (for the root of your domain) or enter a subdirectory like `blog` |
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| Site Name | your site's title (can be changed later) |
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| Site Description | short tagline (optional) |
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| Admin Username | pick a unique username — **not** `admin` |
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| Admin Password | use a strong password or click the key icon to generate one |
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| Admin Email | your email address |
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Scroll down and click **Install**. WordPress is ready in under a minute.
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> Do not use `admin` as your username — it's the most targeted name for brute-force attacks. Pick something unique.
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---
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## Option 2 — Manual install
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A manual install gives you full control over file placement, database setup, and the initial configuration.
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### Step 1 — Create a database
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1. cPanel → **Databases → MySQL Databases**
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2. Under **Create New Database**, enter a name (e.g., `wp_yoursite`) and click **Create Database**
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3. Under **Add New User**, create a user with a strong password
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4. Under **Add User To Database**, select the user and database, then click **Add**
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5. Check **All Privileges** and click **Make Changes**
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Write down the database name, username, and password.
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### Step 2 — Upload WordPress
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1. Download the latest WordPress `.zip` from [wordpress.org](https://wordpress.org/download/)
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2. cPanel → **Files → File Manager**
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3. Navigate to `public_html` (or the subdirectory where you want WordPress)
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4. Click **Upload**, select the `.zip`, and wait for it to finish
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5. In File Manager, select the uploaded `.zip` and click **Extract**
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6. Move the extracted `wordpress/` folder contents into `public_html/` (or keep it in a subdirectory)
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7. Delete the `.zip` file and the now-empty `wordpress/` folder
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### Step 3 — Run the installer
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1. Visit `https://yourdomain.com` in your browser
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2. WordPress will detect no config file and show the setup screen
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3. Click **Let's go!**, then enter your database details:
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| Field | Value |
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|---|---|
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| Database Name | the database you created in Step 1 |
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| Username | the database user you created |
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| Password | the database user's password |
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| Database Host | `localhost` |
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| Table Prefix | `wp_` (default is fine, or change it for extra security) |
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4. Click **Submit** → **Run the installation**
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5. Fill in the site info: site title, admin username (not `admin`), password, and your email
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6. Click **Install WordPress**
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---
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## Option 3 — WordPress Toolkit (for multiple sites)
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WordPress Toolkit is included in cPanel and is ideal if you manage several WordPress sites on one account.
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1. cPanel → **Software → WordPress Toolkit**
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2. Click **Install**
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3. Choose your domain, directory, and basic settings
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4. Click **Install**
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After installation, WordPress Toolkit lets you:
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- Clone a site to a subdomain or another domain
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- Create staging sites (copy production to a test area)
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- Run WordPress, plugin, and theme updates from one screen
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- Reset passwords and toggle debug mode without logging into WordPress
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---
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## After installation
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### Enable SSL
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Your site should use HTTPS immediately. cPanel's AutoSSL will issue a certificate within a few minutes of installation. If it doesn't:
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1. cPanel → **Security → SSL/TLS Status**
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2. Click **Run AutoSSL**
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3. Wait a few minutes and refresh
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Once the certificate is issued, install **Really Simple SSL** in WordPress to automatically redirect HTTP to HTTPS and fix mixed content.
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### Update permalinks
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WordPress's default permalink structure (`?p=123`) is bad for SEO and usability. Change it immediately:
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1. WordPress admin → **Settings → Permalinks**
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2. Choose **Post name** (the most common and SEO-friendly option)
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3. Click **Save Changes**
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If you see a 404 error after switching permalinks, WordPress couldn't write to `.htaccess`. Copy the code WordPress shows at the bottom of the Permalinks page and paste it manually into `.htaccess` in File Manager.
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### Install essential plugins
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Start with these free plugins (install after you've confirmed the site works):
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- **Really Simple SSL** — handles HTTPS redirect and mixed content
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- **Wordfence Security** — firewall, malware scanner, and login protection
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- **UpdraftPlus** — automated backups to remote storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.)
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### Set up automated backups
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Don't rely on manual backups. Configure UpdraftPlus to run daily backups to off-server storage. See [Back Up and Restore a MySQL Database](/getting-started/mysql-backup/) for database backup details.
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---
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## Installing in a subdirectory
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If you want WordPress at `https://yourdomain.com/blog/` rather than the root of your domain:
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1. In Softaculous or during manual setup, enter `blog` as the directory
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2. WordPress files go into `public_html/blog/`
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3. Your homepage at `yourdomain.com` can be a static site or an HTML landing page
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This is a common setup when your main site is not WordPress (e.g., a static business site with a separate blog).
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---
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## Common setup issues
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**Error establishing a database connection** — the database credentials in `wp-config.php` don't match what you created in cPanel. Double-check the database name, username, and password. Note that all three are prefixed with your cPanel username (e.g., `cpaneluser_wp_yoursite`).
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**White screen after install** — a PHP error. Enable debugging temporarily by adding this to `wp-config.php`:
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```php
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define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
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define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
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```
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Check `wp-content/debug.log` for the specific error. Remove or set to `false` after debugging.
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**Can't upload files** — the `wp-content/uploads/` directory may have incorrect permissions. In File Manager, right-click the `uploads` folder and set permissions to **755**. If that doesn't fix it, try **775**.
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**404 on all pages except home** — permalink rules aren't being applied. Go to Settings → Permalinks and click **Save Changes** twice (this forces WordPress to regenerate `.htaccess` rules). If it still doesn't work, check that your `.htaccess` file exists in `public_html/` and is writable.
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