First-Day Setup
How to Set Up a WordPress Website After Installing It
The first-day checklist that turns a freshly installed WordPress site into one that's actually ready for visitors.
Under 30 Min
Time for the essential first-day setup
0 Code
Every setting changed from the dashboard
Free
SSL already active to force HTTPS
24/7
Support while working through setup
In short
Setting up a WordPress website after installation means working through Settings > General to set the site title, tagline and timezone, changing Settings > Permalinks to a readable post-name structure, deleting the default 'Hello World' post and Sample Page, and choosing whether the homepage shows the latest posts or a static page. These first-day settings shape how the site looks and behaves long after launch.
None of this requires touching code — every change happens inside the WordPress dashboard under Settings, Posts and Pages, usually in under thirty minutes for a first site.
A freshly installed WordPress site runs on default settings that were never meant to stay in place — a placeholder tagline, an unreadable permalink structure, a sample post and page nobody wants visitors to find. Working through those defaults on day one avoids a site that quietly looks unfinished for months after install.
This checklist covers the settings that matter before a WordPress site goes live: the General settings that define its identity, the Permalinks structure that affects every URL going forward, and the housekeeping — deleting defaults, setting a homepage — that separates a finished site from one still mid-setup.
Site Identity: Title, Tagline and Timezone
Settings > General is the first stop after install, holding the site title and tagline that show up in browser tabs, search results and RSS feeds until they're changed. The default tagline — often something generic left over from the install — should be replaced with an actual description of what the site does, since search engines read that tagline as part of how they understand the page.
The same screen sets the site's timezone and date format, which matters more than it looks: scheduled posts, comment timestamps and any time-sensitive plugin all rely on this setting being correct rather than left on a default that doesn't match the site owner's actual location.
Permalinks: The Setting That's Hard to Change Later
By default, WordPress often generates URLs like yoursite.com/?p=123 — functional, but neither readable nor good for search visibility. Settings > Permalinks offers a 'Post name' option instead, turning that same URL into yoursite.com/sample-post-title, which is both easier to read and better understood by search engines.
This setting is worth fixing before a site has any real traffic or backlinks, since changing permalinks after pages are already indexed or shared can break existing links unless redirects are set up carefully afterward.
Cleaning Up the Defaults: Sample Content and the Homepage
Every fresh WordPress install ships with a 'Hello World' post, a default comment on that post, and a Sample Page — none of which belong on a real site. Deleting or replacing all three is a five-minute task that keeps a new site from looking unfinished if a visitor stumbles onto them.
Settings > Reading is where the homepage itself gets decided: either a running list of the latest blog posts, or a static page chosen from the dropdown — the more common choice for a business site that wants a dedicated homepage rather than a blog feed as the front door.
Essential Admin Housekeeping Before Launch
A few settings outside the main menus matter just as much: confirming the site's SSL is active and HTTPS is forced (so visitors never land on an insecure version of a page), checking Settings > Discussion to decide whether comments are open by default, and setting a proper site icon (favicon) so the site doesn't show a blank browser tab.
Creating the handful of pages nearly every site needs — About, Contact, and a Privacy Policy page, which several plugins and payment tools expect to exist — rounds out the first-day setup before the site is genuinely ready to share.
First-Day Setup on a Foundation That's Already Fast
Working through General settings, permalinks and homepage choices matters most when the hosting underneath is already reliable — there's little point tuning a site's settings carefully if the page itself loads slowly. Hosting Cheap runs every WordPress install on pure NVMe SSD storage with LiteSpeed from the moment Softaculous finishes.
Free auto-renewing SSL is already active by the time these settings get changed, so forcing HTTPS during setup is a checkbox, not a certificate to buy and install separately.
- NVMe SSD and LiteSpeed already active before setup begins
- Free auto-renewing SSL ready to force during the Reading and General steps
- Daily backups protect settings changes and new pages from day one
- 24/7 human support while working through first-day setup
Why Hosting Cheap
What you get
Fast Hosting From Day One
NVMe SSD and LiteSpeed keep a freshly configured site responsive while pages and settings are still being finalized.
SSL Already Active
Free auto-renewing SSL means forcing HTTPS during setup takes one checkbox, not a certificate purchase.
Daily Backups From Install Day One
Every setting change and new page is covered by backups immediately, not after a manual setup.
cPanel-Style Panel Access
Adjust email, domains or file permissions alongside WordPress settings from one dashboard.
Free Managed Migration
Already set up a site elsewhere? Move it over rather than repeating this checklist from scratch.
24/7 Human Support
Get a real answer if a permalink change or setting doesn't behave as expected.
How It Works
Get set up in a few steps
Set the site title, tagline and timezone
Update Settings > General with real site details instead of the install defaults.
Fix permalinks and clean up sample content
Switch to Post name permalinks and delete the default post, comment and Sample Page.
Choose the homepage and add key pages
Set a static homepage if needed, then add About, Contact and Privacy Policy pages.
Included
Everything you need, on every plan
- Set a real site title and tagline in Settings > General
- Confirm the timezone and date format match the site owner's location
- Switch Permalinks to the Post name structure
- Delete the default 'Hello World' post and its sample comment
- Delete or replace the default Sample Page
- Choose whether the homepage shows a static page or latest posts
- Force HTTPS now that SSL is already active
- Add About, Contact and Privacy Policy pages before launch
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What's the first setting to change after installing WordPress?
Settings > General, where the default site title and tagline should be replaced with the site's actual name and a real description before anything else.
Why does the permalink structure matter so early?
Changing it later, after pages are indexed or shared, can break existing links. Setting Post name permalinks before a site has real traffic avoids that problem entirely.
Do I need to delete the default WordPress post and page?
It's not required technically, but leaving the 'Hello World' post and Sample Page live makes a new site look unfinished to any early visitor who stumbles onto them.
Should my homepage show blog posts or a static page?
That depends on the site: a blog-first site often keeps the latest-posts homepage, while a business site usually sets a static page as the homepage through Settings > Reading.
Is SSL already set up when WordPress is installed?
On Hosting Cheap plans, yes — free auto-renewing SSL is active from the start, so forcing HTTPS during setup is a single setting rather than a separate certificate purchase.
What pages should exist before a WordPress site launches?
At minimum, an About page, a Contact page, and a Privacy Policy page, since several plugins and payment tools expect a privacy policy page to exist.
Related hosting
WordPress Hosting
Managed WordPress hosting built for the first-day setup described in this guide.
SSL Certificates
Free auto-renewing SSL that's already active before HTTPS gets forced during setup.
Email Hosting
Add a professional inbox at the site's own domain while setting up essential pages.
Domains
Confirm the domain and its settings before finalizing a new WordPress site.
Get Fast Hosting Ready Before You Set Up WordPress
NVMe SSD, free SSL and 24/7 support so first-day setup runs on a foundation that's already fast.
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