How to Build a Wordpress Site With Host Gator

Install WordPress on Host Gator using Fantastico.

Host Gator is an inexpensive and user-friendly web host that provides an automatic installation tool you can use to install WordPress. Using this tool, you can skip all the installation steps provided by WordPress.Org, such as creating a MySQL database or editing a configuration file. Once you install WordPress to your domain, log in to its dashboard and start adding your content. You can also install many themes from within the dashboard and put widgets --- small add-ons like search bars or calendars --- to your sidebars.

Instructions

1. Log in to your CPanel located at the following address:

   http://yourdomain.com/cpanel

   The CPanel is the control panel for your web hosting account with Host Gator. Many web hosts provide this same service, so you may already be familiar with how it works.

2. Scroll down until you see a link for Fantastico, which is an installation tool provided by Host Gator and many similar web hosts. Fantastico lets you install a large list of third-party tools to your website, including WordPress.

3. Click on the WordPress link on the left-hand side and then follow the prompts to set up WordPress. Fantastico will ask you for the title and description of your blog, plus your e-mail address for password recovery purposes. You can change all these things later within WordPress. Click on the link provided to log in to WordPress after the installer finishes.

4. Navigate to "Appearance" on the left-hand side of the WordPress dashboard and then click on "Themes." Click the "Add Theme" button on the top of the "Themes" panel and search or browse for a theme to use as the template for your website. Click on a theme you like and click the "Install" link. Once installed, set it as your current theme.

5. Go to "Widgets" under the "Appearance" menu. Click on a sidebar title on the right-hand side of the screen to expand it and then drag and drop some widgets into that space. You can later add more widgets by installing plugins, though you should note that not all plugins come with widgets. You can also add multiple instances of the same widget.

6. Navigate to "Pages" and click "New Page" to create a new page. These pages contain your "static" content, that being pages on your Website that do not contain blog posts. Use the editing box as you would use a word processor, highlighting text and selecting styles from the tool bar to format content. Add pictures by clicking the small box-shaped icon above the editing box and then follow the prompts as directed. Click the blue "Publish" button to publish a new page.

Tips & Warnings

• Go to "Permalinks" under "Settings" and switch to a permalink structure different from the default. The default permalinks structure is not search engine friendly.

• Remove your blog from your front page. Create a page and add your home page content. Create another page for your blog and leave it blank. Go go "Reading" under "Settings" and select "static front page." Use the select boxes to set the front page and blog page.