So you have decided to become an affiliate? Good news and maybe even the best decision ever when you look back in a few years from now. If you have read the my article “How to become an affiliate“, then you’ll probably have signed-up at Affiliates United, came up with a neat domain name and found yourself a fine hosting partner.
Next thing on your to-do-list is creating a website. I suggest you use WordPress, as it’s free and kicks ass! This is the first of a couple of articles that I’ve written about WordPress.
How to install a WordPress site?
Installing a WordPress site is really simple and only takes about five minutes of your time. Visit WordPress.org and download the latest version of WordPress by clicking the blue button on the right. Once downloaded, extract the compressed zip-file.
Use an FTP program, login with your FTP credentials and transfer the contents of the WordPress folder to the root folder of your web server. This is usually named “html” or “public_html”.
Way to go… you’re already half way there. In case you don’t understand anything of it, and you have signed-up as my sub-affiliate, then please contact me and I will be glad to help you out.
You will now have to set-up a MySQL database. If this sounds like abracadabra… you don’t have to feel ashamed. It might be different from host to host, but I am going to try and give a global explanation.
Log in to your hosts’ administration panel and try to find something named “MySQL Management”. You will have to create a new database first. Name it as you like, but it’s wise that the name is related to the domain as you might eventually create more affiliate sites on the same server. Some hosts require you to create a database user for the new database as well.
Once you have created the database, write down the name and user name on a piece of paper (or be like me and just remember it).
We now have set-up the foundation for a WordPress site.
If you visit your domain now, or your temporarily URL, you will see a screen that tells you to create a configuration file. Before you start, it is wise to know the following details:
- Database name (the name you have just created)
- Database username (the default user name, or the user name you have just determined)
- Database password
- Database host (usually localhost)
Continue by clicking the button and everything speaks for itself. When you’ve made it through the installation you will see the message “All right Sparky!” and you can continue running the installation.
Congratulations! If you completed the installation successfully, you are now the proud owner of your own WordPress driven site. Make sure to copy the temporary generated password so you can log in for the first time.
Important: for security reasons it is wise to delete the installation file after the installation has been completed. This particular file is named “install.php” and can be located on the web server in a folder named “wp-admin”.
Now that you have your first site up and running you have to know how to set-up a WordPress site. Just click on the link to read my detailed description.
