How to Install WordPress in a Subdirectory Using cPanel

How to Install WordPress in a Subdirectory Using cPanel

Most of the people are confused between having a subdomain or a subdirectory. The biggest question is if subdomains are better in SEO than subdirectories.

Well, according to many SEO experts, Google treats a subdomain as a separate identity of your primary domain. On the other side, having a subdirectory helps you boost the SEO score.

That’s why many WordPress users are trying to install WordPress in a subdirectory. The problem encounters when people realize that having a WordPress installation is hard.

But if you listen to me, I am going to provide a step by step process, which is similar to install WordPress on your primary domain.

People fret before finding out the solution. As you know, most of the companies provide the third-party tools like Softaculous to install different scripts on a domain.

In this tutorial, you’re going to learn the use of Softaculous to install WordPress in a subdirectory. If you’re worried about breaking your main website, you don’t need to, because the installation will be separate from the primary domain.

Step By Step Process to Install WordPress

First of all, you should know the difference between a subdomain and a subdirectory.

  • blog.yoursite.com is a subdomain
  • yoursite.com/directory is a subdirectory

You may have seen many subdomains for a domain. Having a subdirectory is rare, not everyone uses it. Let me simplify the WordPress installation of a subdirectory.

As you can see, there is a folder name append the primary domain name. If you install WordPress in that folder, it’s the subdirectory WordPress installation.

Follow These Steps

Step 1:

Login to your web hosting account and try to find out Softaculous.

Most of the web hostings offer an Account Management Panel, where you can find all the tools.

How to Install WordPress in a Subdirectory Using cPanel

As you can see on the screenshot, a Softaculous icon is available, click to open. Depending on your web hosting company, the location may vary.

Step 2:

A new tab opens up on the browser. You can see all the major scripts, choose WordPress.

How to Install WordPress in a Subdirectory Using cPanel

Step 3:

On this new page, you can see all the details about WordPress CMS.

Click on the Install Now button.

How to Install WordPress in a Subdirectory Using cPanel

Step 4:

This is the main page to fill in the details of the WordPress installation. You can see the first section of the Software Setup.

Choose HTTPS as the protocol because enabling an SSL certificate is necessary to maintain good SEO. Choose the domain from a drop-down menu.

How to Install WordPress in a Subdirectory Using cPanel

Note: The third field is essential, which changes everything. As you can see, it’s asking for In Directory, which means you have to choose the folder name.

In the above example, the subdirectory is yoursite.com/directory where “directory” is the folder name. Fill in in such a folder name here.

For example, if you want to show yoursite.com/newsite as your main URL, “newsite” is the folder name or you can see the directory for your WordPress installation.

Step 5:

Now you see the Site Settings and Admin details. You can quickly fill in such information.

Make sure you choose a secure username and password.

How to Install WordPress in a Subdirectory Using cPanel

Note: If you see a checkbox to enable multi-site, depending on your requirements, you can choose the option. Otherwise, leave it unchecked.

Step 6:

Scroll down, and you can see a plus sign to extend the Advanced Options. If you wish to choose the database table prefix, you can.

How to Install WordPress in a Subdirectory Using cPanel

Fill in your email address and click on the Install button. The installation takes a while, after which, you can see the login URL.

Congrats, you have successfully installed WordPress ins a subdirectory. You may be wondering as if there is an alternative to such a task.

Well, it undoubtedly exists, which require all the manual work of creating the folder in the root directory, install WordPress manually, and a lot more.

That’s why I decided to choose Softaculous, which is user-friendly software.

Did You Understand the Real Difference During the Installation Process?

While installing WordPress, the only difference is choosing the directory name. Otherwise, it’s same as you install WordPress for any domain.

People get confused between the technical terms, but everything comes handy when they try to understand these. I hope you can easily install WordPress in a subdirectory.

Conclusion

Do you think you can use the instructions to have a fresh WordPress installation in a new folder? I understand, dealing with new software can be tricky.

But if you look closely, almost every web hosting offers Softaculous as a WordPress installer.

Check out these top 3 WordPress hosting services:

A2 Hosting
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Hostinger
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HostArmada
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