Requirements
Prepare an attached domain, active TLS, a supported PHP version, an empty document root and an available database slot. Choose an administrator email you control and a username that is not a public display name. Back up any existing files in the destination before reusing it.
Install WordPress
Install WordPress on the intended domain and empty document root with the required language and a strong administrator password. A dedicated database avoids collisions with other applications. Reuse an existing database only when it is ready, its password is known and an isolated table prefix prevents table-name collisions.
Resolve an installation failure
Start with the first specific error. If the document root is not empty, inspect and preserve its contents, then either select a new empty root or deliberately clear the intended destination; repeatedly submitting the installer will not make existing files safe to replace. If the database hostname cannot be resolved or the database is still being created, wait for that database to become reachable and retry only after a direct connection test succeeds. Do not delete a partially created database until you know whether the installer wrote tables to it.
Verify the installation
After installation completes, open the HTTPS site and /wp-admin. Sign in, confirm that media upload works and save a harmless setting. Check Settings > General for the HTTPS site addresses, timezone and administrator email, then select the intended permalink structure and verify that both a post and a missing URL resolve correctly.
Recover administrator access
Use WordPress's password-reset flow when the administrator email works. If email is unavailable, reset the account through a trusted WordPress maintenance method rather than editing an unknown password hash by hand. After recovery, rotate any exposed credentials, review administrator accounts and active sessions, and test password-reset delivery before closing the incident.
Configure email and scheduled work
Configure authenticated SMTP with a dedicated mailbox and test password-reset plus contact-form messages. WordPress normally triggers wp-cron.php from visitor requests. For a busy or low-traffic site that needs predictable timing, disable only the built-in trigger and create a hosting cron job for wp-cron.php after testing the exact command.
Maintain performance
Use one maintained page-cache strategy, optimise large images and remove extensions that duplicate the same function. After changing cache, theme or permalink configuration, clear the WordPress cache and then the hosting or CDN cache in that order. Measure an uncached page and the administration area before attributing a slowdown to the hosting platform.
Secure the site
Apply WordPress core, theme and plugin updates promptly, remove unused code, use individual administrator accounts and add multifactor authentication through a maintained solution. Protect wp-config.php and never send its database credentials through a ticket. Back up files and database together before every major upgrade.
Recover WordPress
Restore matching file and database points, verify the values in wp-config.php and clear caches. Test /wp-admin, a public page, media and one reversible content change. An Error establishing a database connection requires checking the database hostname, name, user and password; a blank page or HTTP 500 normally requires the PHP error log and recently changed plugin or theme.
Remove WordPress
Application uninstall, document-root cleanup and database deletion are separate operations. Preserve an export first, uninstall the application, inspect remaining files and confirm no other site uses the database before deleting either resource.
