This is step-by-step detailed guide to how to setup domain name and hosting, setup MySQL and how to install self-hosted WordPress on your own server.

Get domain name and hosting

• First step is to buy your domain name and hosting.
• At GoDaddy domain name is $1.99 when buying it with hosting
• Hosting plan I use is economy ($4.74 a month when buying a year)

Setup your hosting account

• Login to your GoDaddy account
• Click on Hosting and chose My Hosting Account
• Find your hosting plan and click on Setup Account
• Select the checkbox and click Next
• Chose username and password you would like to use for your FTP hosting access and click Next
• Chose Select a domain from this account and find your domain name
• Finish the setup by clicking Submit

Get your FTP Account Information

• When your hosting has been setup you will get an email titled “Hosting Account Setup” from GoDaddy
• Find your “FTP Account Information” in the email

Hosting/FTP User Name: your username
Web Site URL: your domain URL
FTP Site URL: your FTP URL
Your Web Site Visitor Statistics: Your stats URL

Create MySQL database

• Login to your GoDaddy account
• Click on Hosting and chose My Hosting Account
• Find your domain name and click on Manage Account
• In the upper menu click on Databases and chose MySQL
• Click on Create Database
• Write description, chose username and password
• Click OK and wait until GoDaddy sets your MySQL

When the MySQL has been setup, click on the pencil to “Edit/view details” and save the following details:

MySQL Database Information
Status: Setup
Host Name: your host name
Database Name: database name you have chosen
Database Version: 4.1
Description: description you have chosen
User Name: username you have chosen

Download WordPress

• Go to WordPress.org and download the latest version
• WordPress comes in a .zip file so unzip it
• Now you have a WordPress folder
• Find the wp-config-sample.php file and rename it to wp-config.php

Open wp-config.php in text editor (like NotePad++) and find this part:

/** The name of the database for WordPress */
define(’DB_NAME’, ‘putyourdbnamehere‘);
/** MySQL database username */
define(’DB_USER’, ‘usernamehere‘);
/** MySQL database password */
define(’DB_PASSWORD’, ‘yourpasswordhere‘);
/** MySQL hostname */
define(’DB_HOST’, ‘localhost‘);

Take your MySQL Database Information you have from GoDaddy and insert them in places where I have marked with bold:

• Your MySQL Database Name should replace putyourdbnamehere
• Your MySQL User Name should replace usernamehere
• Your MySQL password should replace yourpasswordhere
• Your MySQL Host Name should replace localhost

Now find following in your wp-config.php:

define(’AUTH_KEY’, ‘put your unique phrase here’);
define(’SECURE_AUTH_KEY’, ‘put your unique phrase here’);
define(’LOGGED_IN_KEY’, ‘put your unique phrase here’);
define(’NONCE_KEY’, ‘put your unique phrase here’);

Visit WordPress secret key and copy details you get there and insert them instead of the above.

• Save wp-config.php

Login to your web hosting

• Get a FTP client (like FileZilla)
• Open FTP client and login to your hosting account using your FTP account information
• Place all the files from your WordPress folder onto your server
• In this example I will place all files in root directory (http://www.yourdomain.com). The directory will look something like this when the WordPress files are uploaded:

• Run WordPress installation by going to http://www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin/install.php

This is what you will see when you enter the address:

• Fill in your Blog Title
• Fill in Your E-mail
• Make sure your Allow my blog to appear in search engines like Google and Technorati is checked
• Click on Install WordPress
• Next screen you see should say Success! and should give you your Username and Password.
• Click on Log In.
• Now you will see your blog’s Log In page. Make sure to bookmark that URL.
• Fill in the Username and Password you have just received
• Click on Log In.

Now you will see your WordPress Dashboard where all the optimization, customization, post writing, plugin installing, comment moderating takes place.

This means your blog has been setup and is live online. Check your http://www.domainname.com to see it. You will also get an email titled New WordPress Blog which includes your URL and your username / password.