How to Install a Website: Domain, Hosting, WordPress & Website Scripts
Building a website goes beyond choosing a beautiful design.
Before a website can appear on the internet, several things need to happen behind the scenes. You need a domain name, web hosting, a connection between the two, website files, a database in some cases, and a system that allows the website to function.
In this guide, we will walk through the process of installing a website from scratch using Hostinger as our hosting platform.
You will learn how to buy a domain, purchase hosting, connect your domain to your hosting account, install WordPress, install website scripts, configure them, and make basic changes to website files.
This guide is part of the Softwork Web Creation Masterclass, where the goal is not simply to teach you how to click buttons, but to help you understand how websites work so you can create and manage websites for yourself or your clients.
What You Need to Install a Website
Before we start, let’s understand the basic things involved.
1. Domain Name
A domain is the address people use to access your website.
For example:
- example.com
- mybusiness.com
- yourbrand.ng
Think of your domain as the address of your business on the internet.
When someone types your domain into a browser, the internet uses DNS information to locate the server where your website is hosted.
2. Web Hosting
Web hosting is the service that provides a server where your website files and other data can be stored.
Your hosting server may contain:
- Website files
- Images
- Videos
- Databases
- Emails
- Applications
- Website scripts
Think of hosting as the building where your online business operates.
Your domain is the address, while your hosting is the space where the website lives.
You can buy domain in platforms like hostinger.com, namecheap.com, truehost.com.ng
3. Website Software
You also need something that powers the website.
This could be:
- WordPress
- A PHP website script
- An e-commerce application
- A learning management system
- A real estate platform
- A booking system
- A custom-built website
In this section, we will work with both WordPress and standalone website scripts.
Step 1: Choose and Buy Your Domain
The first step is choosing a domain name. Your domain should ideally be:
- Easy to remember
- Easy to spell
- Relevant to the brand or business
- Professional
- Easy to pronounce
- Not unnecessarily long
For example, if you are building a website for a business called ABC Properties, a domain such as:
abcproperties.com
may be easier for customers to remember than a complicated alternative.
Consider Your Domain Extension
There are many domain extensions available, including:
.com.org.net.ng.com.ng- And many others
The right choice depends on the purpose and target audience of the website.
Before purchasing a domain, also check its registration price and renewal price. A domain that appears cheap during the first year may have a different renewal price later.
Step 2: Buy Web Hosting
After choosing your domain, you need somewhere to host your website.
For this course, we will use Hostinger for our practical demonstrations.
When choosing a hosting plan, don’t look only at the promotional price.
Consider things such as:
- Number of websites supported
- Storage
- Database support
- Performance
- SSL
- Backups
- PHP support
- Resource limits
- Renewal pricing
- Customer support
The best hosting plan depends on the type and size of website you want to build.
A simple business website may have very different requirements from a large e-commerce website.
Step 3: Connect Your Domain to Your Hosting
Buying your domain and hosting does not automatically mean they are connected.
You need to tell the domain where your website is hosted.
This is where DNS comes in.
DNS stands for Domain Name System.
One simple way to understand DNS is to think of it as the system that helps translate a domain name into the correct server location.
For example:
yourwebsite.com
needs to point to the server where the website is stored.
Depending on your setup, you may connect your domain using nameservers or specific DNS records.
Nameservers
Your hosting provider will provide the nameservers you need to use.
You then update the domain’s DNS settings with the appropriate nameservers.
After making the change, it may take some time before the new DNS information is recognized across the internet.
This process is known as DNS propagation.
Step 4: Activate SSL and HTTPS
Once your domain is connected, the next thing you should check is SSL. You will commonly see a website beginning with:
https://
instead of:
http://
HTTPS helps establish an encrypted connection between the visitor’s browser and the website.
Modern websites should use HTTPS, especially when users are submitting information through forms or logging into an account.
Hostinger provides SSL options that can be activated manually from the hosting control panel but in most cased it activates automatically.
After SSL is activated, test your website using HTTPS and make sure the website loads correctly.
Step 5: Install WordPress or Get a Website Script
Now we can install the software that will power our website. We either choose to install a WordPress website or Standalone Website script depending on the kind of website we want to create.
WordPress is one of the most widely used content management systems for building websites.
It allows you to create and manage:
- Pages
- Blog posts
- Images
- Menus
- Users
- Products
- Forms
- Website layouts
- And much more
With Hostinger, WordPress can be installed through the hosting control panel.
During the installation, you will typically provide information such as:
- Website name
- Domain
- Administrator username
- Administrator password
- Website language
Once the installation is complete, you can access the WordPress administration area.
Usually, this is accessed through:
yourdomain.com/wp-admin
You should then see the WordPress dashboard.
If you don’t want a WordPress based on the kind of website you want to create, purchase and install a website script. A website script is a collection of programmed files designed to provide specific functionality. For example, you can find scripts for:
- Real estate websites
- E-commerce websites
- Job portals
- Online Banking website
- Courier service website
- Learning management systems
- Investment Website
Many of these applications are built using technologies such as PHP, JavaScript, HTML, CSS and databases.
Unlike WordPress, a standalone script may have its own file, administration panel, database structure, installation process and configuration system.
Step 6: What to Check Before Buying a Website Script
Don’t purchase a script simply because the demo looks good.
Before buying, check the technical requirements.
Look for:
PHP Version
The script may require a specific PHP version.
Database
Check whether it requires MySQL, MariaDB or another database system.
PHP Extensions
Some applications require specific PHP extensions to function.
Hosting Requirements
Make sure your hosting environment can support the script.
Documentation
Check whether the developer provides installation and configuration instructions.
Updates
Find out whether the developer regularly releases updates.
Support
Check what kind of technical support is included.
License
Understand what you are legally permitted to do with the script.
Demo
When possible, always test the available demo before purchasing.
This research can save you from buying a script you cannot properly install or run on your hosting account.
Step 7: Upload the Website Script
Once you purchase a script, you will usually receive two downloadable packages.
One package may be provided as a ZIP file and the other is the database file.
You can upload the ZIP file to your hosting account using the hosting File Manager or another file transfer method.
On a typical hosting setup, your website files will be placed inside a directory such as:
public_html
You can then extract the ZIP file and arrange the files according to the developer’s installation instructions.
The exact structure will depend on the script.
Step 8: Create and Import a Database
Many dynamic websites require a database.
A database allows the application to store information such as:
- Users
- Products
- Orders
- Website settings
- Posts
- Properties
- Messages
- Other application data
To import the database file, you will need to create a database and database user.
You will typically need information such as:
- Database name
- Database username
- Database password
The script uses these details to communicate with the database.
Important
Keep your database credentials private.
Never publish your database password in a tutorial, screenshot, public GitHub repository or website code where it does not belong.
Step 9: Connect the Website script with the Database
After creating and importing the database file, you will need to connect the website script to the database. Each website script has a specific file where this connection is made. Such as; wp-config.php, core/config.php, .env, config/database.php etc.
You will typically need information such as:
- Database name
- Database username
- Database password
The script uses these details to communicate with the database. Now the Next step is to Edit your website which will be taught in Section 7 of this course.
Common Website Installation Problems
Website installation doesn’t always go perfectly.
You may encounter errors such as:
404 Error
The requested page or file cannot be found.
403 Error
Access to the requested resource is forbidden.
500 Error
A server-side or application error has occurred.
503 Error
The service is temporarily unavailable.
Database Connection Error
The website cannot properly communicate with its database.
PHP Version Error
The application may require a different PHP version than the one currently being used.
Missing PHP Extension
The application may require an extension that is not enabled.
SSL Problems
The website may not be correctly configured for HTTPS.
When troubleshooting, don’t simply search for the error and randomly change settings.
First identify:
What changed?
What is the error saying?
Which component is causing the problem?
What does the application’s documentation recommend?
Understanding the cause is much more valuable than simply copying a solution from the internet.
Your Practical Assignment
Now it’s your turn.
For this section of the Softwork Web Creation Masterclass, your goal is to take what you have learned and build a functional website.
You should:
- Register a domain.
- Set up hosting.
- Connect your domain to your hosting.
- Activate SSL.
- Install WordPress
- Alternatively, install a standalone website script.
- Connect a Website script with a database
By the end of this project, you should have a functioning website that you can access through your own domain.
Final Thoughts
Installing a website may look complicated when you see all the different terms involved: domain, hosting, DNS, SSL, WordPress, databases, PHP and scripts.
But once you understand how these pieces fit together, the process becomes much easier.
The goal of this section is not to make you memorize where every button is located inside Hostinger.
The goal is to help you understand how a website gets from an idea to a live website on the internet.
Once you understand that process, you can apply the same knowledge when working with different hosting providers, different website platforms and different clients.
Learn the process. Understand the system. Then build.
About Softwork Web Creation Masterclass?
A premium course designed for anyone ready to create professional, stunning websites using CMS platform and AI tools, without writing codes. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to elevate your skills, this course will teach you everything you need to succeed, from building websites to finding high paying clients both local & foreign.
