How to Install WordPress in cPanel With Softaculous

WordPress runs more than 40% of all websites, and on Hostnali hosting it installs in a few minutes with Softaculous, the one-click app installer in cPanel. This guide walks through every step with screenshots, explains each setting so you choose the right ones, and covers what to do straight after installing.

Before you start

• A hosting plan with cPanel, such as any Hostnali web hosting plan.
• A domain pointed to your hosting. If it was registered with your hosting, it already is. Otherwise see how to point a domain to your hosting.
• SSL active on the domain. Free SSL installs automatically once the domain points to us; installing on https from the start avoids mixed-content problems later.

Install WordPress step by step

In this tutorial I will show you How to Install WordPress via Softaculous in cPanel?\

1. The first thing is to Log into your cPanel account.

2. Within the Software section, open the app installer by clicking on the Softaculous App Installer icon.

3. You will be redirected to the Softaculous Panel.

4. On the left sidebar, you should find the Blogs category. Click on it after which click on the WordPress hyperlink that appears.

5. Click on the Install button

6. Fill the required field below the Software Setup area:

• • Select the version you need to install: You possibly can leave this as it is.
  • Select Installation URL: Select the suitable protocol/domain. Contained in the “In Directory” field, should you need to set up this in a directory, i.e. hostnali.co.ke/directory, enter the directory name. In any other case, leave it clean to put in in your main domain, i.e. hostnali.co.ke

7. Underneath the Site Settings field, enter this info:

• Web site Name: Enter the identity of your web site, such as my first web site. Web site Description: Your website description.
• Allow Multisite (WPMU): Leave this as it is.

8. Underneath the Admin Account field, enter the following info:

• Admin Username: Your new WordPress username (for security reason don’t use the Administrator or the Admin username.
• Admin Password: Use a powerful password.
• Admin E mail: Your e-mail address.

Note: You need to remember the username and the password because you’ll need these login particulars to access the admin backend of your WordPress blog later.

9. Choose Language: You possibly can select the language of your WordPress blog. The default language of WordPress is English.

10. Select Plugin(s): You possibly can skip this or choose plugins you want to set up.

11. Advanced Options: Leave this as it’s unless you want to change the database name or take an automatic backup. Please, notice that creating frequent backups might take a whole lot of disk space.

12. Select Theme: You possibly can choose any available theme. If you do not need to do that, leave it as it’s, and WordPress will use its default theme.

Lastly, scroll right down to the end of the web page and click on the Install button.

The settings that matter

Setting	What to choose	Why
Choose Protocol	https://	Your free SSL is active; avoids redirect problems later
Choose Domain	The domain for this site	Each domain on your plan can have its own WordPress
In Directory	Leave empty	Installs on yourdomain, not yourdomain/wp
Admin Username	Not “admin”	“admin” is the first name attackers try
Admin Password	16+ characters	Use the generator and store it in a password manager
Admin Email	An address you check	Password resets and security notices go here
Select Plugin(s)	Limit Login Attempts, if offered	Blocks repeated password guessing
Auto Upgrade	Minor versions at least	Security releases install automatically
Automated backups	Weekly or daily	Extra copies on top of our daily server backups

What to do right after installing

1. Log in at yourdomain/wp-admin with the username and password you chose.
2. Turn on LiteSpeed Cache (Plugins → Installed Plugins). It’s free and makes every page faster on our LiteSpeed servers. In its settings, enable page cache and image optimisation (WebP).
3. Set your permalinks: Settings → Permalinks → Post name, for clean addresses like yourdomain/about-us/.
4. Delete what you don’t use: sample post and page, unused themes and plugins.
5. Choose a light theme, such as Astra, GeneratePress or Kadence, and keep page builders to a minimum for speed.
6. Install an SEO plugin (Yoast or Rank Math) and set your site title and description.
7. Set the time zone to Nairobi under Settings → General, so scheduled posts publish at the right time.
8. Create a non-admin account for day-to-day writing, and keep the admin account for settings.

Updating, staging and backups in Softaculous

Softaculous does more than install:

• Update: WordPress core, themes and plugins from one screen; the update icon appears when a new version is out.
• Staging: create a copy of the site (for example staging.yourdomain), test a new theme or plugin there, then push the changes live.
• Clone: copy a site to another domain or folder on your plan.
• Backup and restore: take a backup before big changes and restore it in one click if something breaks.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
“The domain is not pointing to the server”	DNS not updated yet	Wait for DNS, or install anyway and check later
Site shows “Not secure”	Installed on http://	Settings → General: change both addresses to https://
White screen after a plugin install	Plugin conflict or memory limit	Rename the plugin’s folder in File Manager; see PHP memory errors
Can’t log in, too many attempts	Login protection	Wait 15–30 minutes or reset the password by email
Installation fails with a folder error	Files already in the target folder	Choose an empty folder, or remove the old files first

Frequently asked questions

Is WordPress free on Hostnali hosting?

Yes. WordPress itself is free, and Softaculous is included with every plan. You only pay for hosting and your domain.

Can I install more than one WordPress site?

Yes, depending on your plan: Starter hosts one website, Standard five, Executive and Platinum unlimited. See WordPress hosting.

Will my site be backed up?

Yes. Every plan includes daily server backups, and you can add Softaculous backups on top.

Can you install WordPress for me?

Yes. Open a ticket and our team will set it up, or move an existing WordPress site to us for free.