SiteGround WordPress hosting utilizes Google Cloud Servers along with their own proprietary software to simplify just about every aspect of your hosting tasks.
SiteGround is hands down our favorite WordPress hosting provider, and we hope to demonstrate why during this tutorial.
This guide assumes that you have already signed up for SiteGround. If you haven’t done so, you can get up to 80% off here. We recommend at least the GrowBig plan, which includes on-demand backups, 30% faster PHP, and site staging.
How to Install WordPress with SiteGround
In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to do the following steps:
- Install WordPress from your SiteGround account panel.
- Connect your domain name.
- Install an SSL certificate.
- Force the SiteGround website to use HTTPS.
Let’s get started right now.
The first step is to log in to your SiteGround client area. You can log in at https://login.siteground.com/
As soon as you log in to the SiteGround client area, you will see a button inviting you to set up a website. Click this.
At this stage, you must choose the domain you wish to use.
You have the following options:
- New Domain - This will allow you to search and purchase a new domain.
- Existing Domain - If you have a domain at another registrar, you can enter it here.
- Temporary Domain - This will assign you a temporary subdomain on the domain sg-host.com.
Click “Select” for your chosen option.
In this tutorial, we will use a domain we have registered at another registrar.
Enter the domain in the box where indicated. Then click “Continue”.
The next step is to choose whether to set up a new website or migrate an existing one.
In this tutorial, we will select “Start New Website”.
For WordPress, you can choose between WordPress and WooCommerce + WordPress.
In this tutorial, we will choose “WordPress”. Click “Select” next to your desired app.
Enter the email address and password you wish to use to log in to your WordPress site.
Decide whether you wish to add the Site Scanner to your hosting plan.
The Site Scanner checks your website daily and immediately notifies you in case of a threat. It includes:
- Automatic daily URLs scans and domain blacklist checks
- Option to disable all file uploads to your website in case of a threat
- On-demand manual scan of your URLs and all files
- 30-day scan history with detailed malware information
In this tutorial, we will add the Site Scanner.
When ready, click the button to continue.
Now all you need to do is wait up to 2 minutes for the website to be created.
If you have purchased your domain at SiteGround, you can skip this step, as it will already be set up correctly.
If you purchased your domain at another registrar, you must change your nameservers to SiteGround.
The nameservers for the SiteGround server are shown upon completion of the WordPress install.
See this example guide to changing your nameservers at GoDaddy.
It may take up to 24 hours for your DNS settings to update.
Once you have configured your nameservers, click the “Site Tools” button to go to the site’s control panel.
SiteGround will automatically install a wildcard Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate for you. This can take a few minutes to install, so if it doesn’t work immediately, you should wait a few more minutes.
You can check the SSL certificate is active by going to Security -> SSL manager in the site dashboard.
The final task is to add a redirect to the HTTPS version of your website. In the site’s control panel, click the “HTTPS Enforce” menu item, and toggle the switch to turn it on.
Congratulations - Your site is now live.