WordPress on HSJ Host shared hosting is installed from cPanel with Softaculous. You do not upload WordPress by hand unless you want to. The installer creates the files, the database and the admin user in one step.
This is the same shared cPanel platform described on WordPress hosting. It is not a managed service that updates plugins for you, and it is not a VPS.
Before you install
- The domain should already be on the hosting account. If cPanel does not list it, add it first with the addon domain guide.
- Point the domain at your HSJ Host nameservers, or the new site will only load for you. The nameserver guide has the pair to use.
- Decide whether WordPress should be the whole domain or a subfolder. Leave the directory field empty if the site should open at yourdomain.com.au with nothing after the slash.
Install WordPress with Softaculous
- Log in to the client portal, open the hosting product, and launch cPanel.
- Open Softaculous Apps Installer in the Software section. You can also use the WordPress icon if it is on the cPanel home screen.
- Choose WordPress, then Install.
- Choose the protocol (https if the certificate is already on the domain) and the domain.
- Leave In Directory blank for the domain root. Type a folder name only if you want the site at yourdomain.com.au/folder.
- Set the site name, the admin username, a strong password and a real admin email. Do not use “admin” as the username.
- Click Install. Softaculous shows the site URL and the wp-admin URL when it finishes.
Log in at the wp-admin address and confirm you can reach the dashboard. Change the tagline and set the timezone under Settings before you add a theme.
After the install
Delete the default “Hello world” post and sample page when you are ready. Install only the plugins you need. Each extra plugin is something you have to update yourself. Softaculous can also send update notices, but you still approve the updates.
A brochure site, a blog, or a light shop belongs on this shared account. Move a busy store or a custom app to a Linux VPS when the shared account runs out of CPU. Installing WordPress again on a VPS is a different job, because there is no Softaculous button until you set the server up.
If the installer stops
- The domain is missing from the dropdown: it is not on this cPanel account yet.
- Softaculous says the directory is not empty: another install or a parked page is already in that folder. Pick a new directory, or remove the old files from File Manager first.
- The site loads without styles: the WordPress address and the site address do not match. Check Settings, or the fields Softaculous wrote, and make sure both use the same https domain.