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How to Install WordPress on Hostinger – Step-by-Step Tutorial for Beginners

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TL;DR:
In this guide, you’ll learn exactly how to install WordPress on Hostinger using their beginner-friendly hPanel. We’ll go from choosing a plan and connecting a domain, to installing WordPress, connecting SSL, and logging into your dashboard. No coding skills required—just follow each step and you’ll have a live WordPress website ready to customize.

If you don’t have hosting yet, you can get started with Hostinger here: Get Hostinger & Install WordPress in Minutes.

Why Choose Hostinger for Your First WordPress Website?

When you’re just starting out, the hardest part is often choosing where to host your site. Hostinger is popular among beginners because it offers:

  • ✅ Beginner-friendly control panel (hPanel) – simpler than traditional cPanel
  • ✅ One-click WordPress installer – no manual database setup
  • ✅ Affordable pricing – especially with longer plans
  • ✅ Free SSL certificates – for secure, HTTPS-ready sites
  • ✅ Fast servers & global data centers – better loading speed
  • ✅ 24/7 support – helpful when you’re stuck at any step

If you’re planning to launch a blog, small business website, portfolio, or online store, WordPress on Hostinger is one of the easiest ways to go live quickly.

👉 Affiliate note: Some links in this guide are affiliate links. If you choose to purchase hosting using my link here, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the content I create.

Step 1: Choose a Hostinger Plan

  1. Visit Hostinger’s official website.
  2. Go to the Web Hosting or WordPress Hosting section.
  3. Compare plans:
    • Single WordPress – perfect for 1 simple website or blog
    • Premium / Business WordPress – better if you want multiple websites, more storage, and better performance

Tips for choosing the right plan

  • If you’re a beginner with one website, start with Single WordPress or Premium.
  • If you plan to host multiple sites or an online store, go for Business WordPress.
  • Longer billing cycles (12, 24, 48 months) usually give you the best monthly price.

Once you’ve chosen a plan, click Add to Cart or Select and proceed to checkout.

Step 2: Register or Connect Your Domain

During checkout, Hostinger will ask about your domain:

You can either:

  1. Register a new domain
    • Type the domain name you want (e.g., yourbrand.com).
    • Check availability.
    • If it’s free, you can register it directly with Hostinger (some plans even offer a free domain for the first year).
  2. Use an existing domain
    • If you already own a domain from another provider (e.g., Namecheap, GoDaddy), you can point it to Hostinger by updating nameservers to:
      • ns1.dns-parking.com
      • ns2.dns-parking.com
    • DNS changes may take a few hours to fully propagate.

After this step, complete your purchase and create your Hostinger account if you don’t already have one.

Step 3: Log In to Hostinger hPanel

Once you’ve signed up and confirmed your email:

  1. Go to Hostinger.com and click Log In.
  2. Enter your email and password.
  3. You’ll be taken to the hPanel dashboard, which is Hostinger’s custom control panel.

In hPanel, you’ll see your hosting plan and domain listed under Websites or Hosting. This is where you’ll manage everything: WordPress, SSL, email accounts, databases, backups, and more.

Step 4: Use the Auto-Installer to Install WordPress

One of the best parts of using Hostinger is how easy it makes installing WordPress.

  1. In hPanel, go to Websites or Hosting.
  2. Click Manage next to the domain where you want to install WordPress.
  3. Scroll to the Website or Auto Installer / WordPress section.
  4. Click Auto Installer (or Install WordPress).

Follow the on-screen steps:

  • Choose Application: Select WordPress from the list.
  • Website Title: Enter your site title (you can change later).
  • Admin Username: Create a secure username (avoid “admin” for security reasons).
  • Admin Password: Choose a strong password.
  • Admin Email: Use a valid email you can access.
  • Language: Select your preferred language (e.g., English).
  • Installation URL: Make sure the correct domain is selected, and usually leave the directory field empty to install WordPress on the main domain (e.g., yourdomain.com instead of yourdomain.com/blog).

Click Install and wait while Hostinger sets up your WordPress site automatically. This usually takes less than a minute.

Step 5: Connect Your Domain and SSL (HTTPS)

Most visitors expect the green lock icon and https:// version of your site. Hostinger includes free SSL certificates with many plans.

Activate SSL in hPanel

  1. In hPanel, go to the SSL section.
  2. Find your domain and click Install SSL or Activate.
  3. Wait for the installation to complete.

Force HTTPS in WordPress

Once SSL is active:

  1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard (more on that below).
  2. Go to Settings → General.
  3. Update:
    • WordPress Address (URL) – change http:// to https://
    • Site Address (URL) – also ensure it uses https://
  4. Save changes.

You can also use a plugin such as Really Simple SSL to auto-detect and apply HTTPS redirects, but often Hostinger + WordPress settings are enough.

Step 6: Log In to Your New WordPress Dashboard

After the installation is complete, you can log in to WordPress:

  • Go to: https://yourdomain.com/wp-admin
  • Enter the admin username and password you set during installation.

You’ll now see the WordPress Dashboard – the control center where you’ll:

  • Create posts and pages
  • Install themes and plugins
  • Customize the design
  • Manage menus, widgets, and settings

If you’re seeing a default WordPress theme homepage, congratulations—your website is live!

Step 7: Basic WordPress Settings to Configure First

Before publishing content, it’s a good idea to clean up some defaults and adjust a few key settings.

7.1 Delete default content

  • Go to Posts → All Posts and delete the “Hello World!” post.
  • Go to Pages → All Pages and delete any sample pages you don’t need (e.g., “Sample Page”).

7.2 Set your site title and tagline

  1. Go to Settings → General.
  2. Update:
    • Site Title – your brand or blog name
    • Tagline – a short one-line description of what your site is about
  3. Check the timezone, date format, and language.

7.3 Set your permalink structure (important for SEO)

  1. Go to Settings → Permalinks.
  2. Select Post name (e.g., https://yourdomain.com/sample-post/).
  3. Click Save Changes.

This gives you cleaner, more SEO-friendly URLs.

Step 8: Choose and Install a WordPress Theme

Your theme controls how your site looks. To choose and activate a theme:

  1. In the WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance → Themes.
  2. Click Add New.
  3. Browse Popular, Latest, or use the search bar.
  4. Some beginner-friendly, fast themes include:
    • Astra
    • GeneratePress
    • Blocksy
    • Neve
  5. Click Install, then Activate.

Most modern themes also support page builders or block patterns, making it easier for beginners to create beautiful layouts.

Step 9: Install Essential Plugins

Plugins extend your WordPress site with extra features. Here are some essential ones:

  • SEO Plugin – e.g., Rank Math, Yoast SEO, or All in One SEO
  • Security Plugin – e.g., Wordfence Security or iThemes Security
  • Caching / Speed Plugin – e.g., LiteSpeed Cache (works very well with Hostinger’s servers)
  • Backup Plugin – e.g., UpdraftPlus

To install plugins:

  1. Go to Plugins → Add New.
  2. Search for the plugin name.
  3. Click Install Now, then Activate.

Always keep the number of plugins reasonable and update them regularly to keep your site secure and fast.

Step 10: Create Your First Pages and Menu

At a minimum, most websites need these pages:

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog (if you’re posting articles)
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy (and Terms, depending on your niche)

To create them:

  1. Go to Pages → Add New.
  2. Give each page a title and basic content.
  3. Publish the page.

Then, set up your menu:

  1. Go to Appearance → Menus.
  2. Create a new menu and add your main pages.
  3. Assign the menu to the Primary or Main location (depends on theme).
  4. Save.

Now your visitors can easily navigate your site.

Step 11: Connect Your Site to Google & Start Growing

To get traffic from search engines and track your performance, you should:

  • Submit your site to Google Search Console
  • Set up Google Analytics or GA4
  • Use your SEO plugin to generate and submit an XML sitemap

This helps Google discover your pages faster and gives you data about which content is performing best.

Common Issues When Installing WordPress on Hostinger (and Fixes)

1. Domain Not Working Yet
If your domain shows an error or doesn’t open your site, it might be DNS propagation. Wait a few hours and clear your browser cache.

2. Can’t Log In to wp-admin
Double-check your login URL:

  • https://yourdomain.com/wp-admin
    If it’s still not working, use Hostinger hPanel’s WordPress → Manage section to reset your admin password.

3. Mixed Content (HTTP/HTTPS) Issues
If some assets are loading over HTTP after enabling SSL, use the Really Simple SSL plugin or update URLs in your theme settings and plugins.

4. Website Too Slow

  • Enable LiteSpeed Cache (or another caching plugin).
  • Use optimized images.
  • Disable heavy or unnecessary plugins.
  • Choose a server location close to your main audience when ordering hosting.

When Should You Upgrade Your Hostinger Plan?

As your site grows, you may notice higher traffic and demand on resources. It’s time to consider an upgrade if:

  • Your site becomes slow during traffic spikes
  • You’re hosting multiple websites on a small plan
  • You need more storage, email accounts, or better performance

Upgrading is easy from within hPanel, and you can move from a smaller plan to a Premium or Business WordPress plan without losing your data.

If you haven’t started yet and you’re ready to build your site, you can sign up with Hostinger here:
👉 Start with Hostinger (Beginner-Friendly Setup)

FAQs – Installing WordPress on Hostinger

1. Is Hostinger good for WordPress beginners?

Yes. Hostinger is one of the most beginner-friendly hosts thanks to its hPanel, one-click WordPress installer, and affordable pricing. You don’t need any technical or coding skills to set up your site.

2. How long does it take to install WordPress on Hostinger?

The auto-installer usually sets up WordPress in under a minute. Including domain setup, SSL, and basic settings, you can have a functional website within 30–60 minutes as a complete beginner.

3. Can I install multiple WordPress websites with Hostinger?

Yes, but it depends on your plan.

  • Single WordPress: usually supports one site.
  • Premium / Business: let you host multiple websites on the same account.

Always check the plan details before purchasing.

4. Do I need technical knowledge to manage WordPress on Hostinger?

No. Hostinger handles the server side, while WordPress gives you a visual dashboard to manage content, themes, and plugins. As long as you follow step-by-step instructions like this guide, you can manage everything without being a developer.

5. Can I move my existing WordPress site to Hostinger?

Yes. Hostinger offers migration tools and sometimes free migration service. You can use a plugin like All-in-One WP Migration or Duplicator, or request help via their support chat.

Conclusion: Your WordPress Site Is Now Live on Hostinger

If you followed the steps in this tutorial, you’ve:

  • Chosen a Hostinger plan
  • Registered or connected your domain
  • Installed WordPress with the auto-installer
  • Enabled SSL and HTTPS
  • Logged in to your WordPress dashboard
  • Set basic settings, installed a theme & plugins
  • Created your first pages and menu

From here, your next steps are:

  • Publish high-quality content
  • Optimize your pages for SEO
  • Share your website on social media and with your audience

If you’re ready to start your own WordPress website on Hostinger, you can use this link to get started:
👉 Create Your WordPress Website on Hostinger