So, my wife wanted to make sure she had instructions to install WordPress sites on WP Engine. Here’s how I’ve done it. If I forgot anything, let me know please.
Additional New Install in WP Engine
- Log into to you
my.wpengine.com account: - Click the Add Install link at the top: The easiest way is clicking the the text link in the black Installs header above your list of installs.
It will populate an Add install pop-up to fill in install details.
- Fill Install name field: Be cautious here. This field ends up being both the CNAME for your site AS WELL ASS your admin password name.
By the way…
I actually hate this feature. I should check with them to see if you can change the admin install name after setting it. For now, I make Dostoyevsky-long, complicated, any-keyboard-character-could-be-in-my-password, store it in a safe place, and never-ever use it once the site is live. Make other user accounts and passwords during the build and use those.
- Leave the Copy from unfilled: This is used for template sites or copies of install, so if that’s what you’re doing in the future, feel free to do it now.
- The Transferable checkbox depends on your intentions: If you are keeping the site and acting as the admin, then do not check this checkbox. If you are transferring the site, selling it…then fill the checkbox. What this will do is keep it from using shared resources like WP Engine’s CDN, making the transfer process easier.
- Multisite depends on your intent and package : If you have a minimum 3-site plan from WP Engine, then you can run the WordPress multisite option. This will let you make subdomains of your site or run additional websites off this install by allowing you to share resources. It’s cool, but before you start using this for clients to save a little money, make sure you trust them and restrict their access. If a client site on your multisite install gets hacked, all websites on that install can get hacked. Trust is key.
- Don’t worry about the Accept Transfer link in the corner: Unless, of course, you’re using accepting a website transfer from another hoster. Otherwise, don’t worry about it.
- Press the Create Install button:
- Wait a few minutes, then check your WP Engine admin account email: They’ll email you when you when the install is done. They’ll also send you a password setup link.
- In “set up complete” email, click the link to set up a new password: This is the part where you’ll find out the name of the install is your admin username for it. Now, create an Dostoyevsky-long, complicated, any-keyboard-character-could-be-in-my-password, store it in a safe place, and never-ever use it once the site is live.
- Grab a cup of celebratory coffee: The install is up.
“What if I want to keep the site private until launch?
There are a couple ways you can do this on WP Engine. If you want to block everything and make it all password protected to view, then go into your my.wpengine.com dashboard, click on the install you’re working on, and then towards the upper-right, there’s a “block traffic on production,” text link.
There’s a second location as well…
Note, this is also the Utilities link in the side navigation.
From there, go to the Password Protected box, and click the “Production” and “Staging” checkboxes. Then, click “Save” in that box. Once you do, you’ll be given a username and password that will be prompted every time you go to the install name. Save the passwords in a safe place.
Then, when you point the domain over to it and prepare to go live, MAKE SURE YOU TURN THESE OFF before launch.
Note: This will slow down your install
We did this for one. The load times slow down. So, make sure you really, really need privacy. Otherwise, we do the following:
How to set a WordPress site to not be searchable by Search Engines
- Log in
- Go to Settings
- Go to Reading
- Go down to Search Engine Visibility
- Click the checkbox Discourage search engines from indexing this site (It is up to search engines to honor this request).
- Click Save Changes
- Do a happy dance
Then, REMEMBER TO UNCHECK THIS AT LAUNCH!
“What about the CDN?”
Go to the CDN link in the side navigation. Click the checkbox by the domain name for your install. Click Save.
But, before you worry about the CDN, you have to have something to set a CDN for.