Wondering how to install your chosen CMS platform? The good news is, it’s incredibly easy to do.

You could install a content management system manually, and I’d gladly show you the steps – but what’s the point? Instead of spending ten minutes fumbling through a manual installation, let’s cut that time in half and use foolproof automation.

Installing a CMS With Softaculous: An Easy Script Installer

To avoid installing the CMS on your own, we can use quick programs called script installers.

In this case, we’ll demonstrate how to do this with a program called Softaculous. Depending on your hosting provider, Softaculous is likely already installed into your cPanel.

Softaculous is definitely the best script install out there (mostly for its speed), but even if Softaculous isn’t your installer of choice, the process will be very similar with other programs.

1. Log into cPanel, scroll all the way to the bottom and you’ll find Softaculous or a similar script installer. Then, choose the CMS you want to install.

2. You’ll get to a page like this, and click “Install”. Take note of the options on the left side; these will come in handy if you change your mind and want to install something else.

3. Now, it’s time to fill out your website’s installation information. It sounds daunting, but it’s actually very straightforward.

Three things to remember:

1. The “in directory” field is almost always going to come pre-filled. If you plan to use your CMS to manage your entire website (and not just one section), you’re going to want to delete what’s in this field and keep it blank.
2. The “database name” field will never be seen or used again, so feel free to name it whatever you want or leave it as is.
3. Be sure to configure the “Admin Account” by adding a username and password that you’ll remember. This is going to be your point of access to the CMS.

In almost every situation, there is no need to edit any of the other fields.

4. Believe it or not, you’re done! You can now go to your domain and log in to your CMS platform.

Still want to install your CMS manually? I can’t imagine why, but if you do, I’ve created some handy guides here:

• Installing WordPress
• Installing Joomla
• Installing Drupal

With your website up, you may want to set up and e-mail that uses your domain name, like yourname@yourdomainname.com. In the next section, we’ll show you how.