Install WordPress on Enhance (One-Click)
Install WordPress from the Apps page of the Enhance control panel. Enhance creates the database, sets file permissions, and writes wp-config.php for you.
6 min read
If your GoZen VPS or cloud plan runs on the Enhance control panel, WordPress installs from the Apps page in one step. Enhance creates the database and credentials and sets the file permissions. This is the WordPress walkthrough; for how the installer works in general, which apps it offers, and the WordPress toolkit that comes with it, see Installing Apps on Enhance.
Prerequisites
Before you start, make sure you have:
- A website already created in Enhance (see Enhance Control Panel Guide if you haven’t set one up yet)
- Your domain’s DNS pointing to your Enhance server (see Pointing Your Domain to Your Server)
- SSL will be automatic - Enhance provisions Let’s Encrypt certificates once DNS resolves
Step 1: Open the Applications Page
- Log into your Enhance control panel
- Click Websites in the left sidebar
- Select the domain where you want WordPress
- Click the Apps tab in the top navigation
You’ll see the Applications page. If this is a fresh site, it will show “No applications” with an option to install one.
Step 2: Install WordPress
- Click the Install app button
- Select WordPress from the application list
- Fill in the short form if one appears, then click Install
What Enhance Does Behind the Scenes
In the few seconds after you click Install, Enhance:
- Downloads the latest stable WordPress release
- Creates a MySQL database and database user with a secure password
- Writes the
wp-config.phpfile with the correct database credentials - Sets proper file and directory permissions (755 for directories, 644 for files)
- Generates unique WordPress security keys and salts
- Installs everything to your site’s document root
You don’t need to create the database or edit wp-config.php.
Step 3: Complete the WordPress Setup Wizard
Depending on the Enhance version, the install form either asks for the site title and admin login (in which case WordPress is ready when the card appears), or WordPress shows its own setup wizard the first time you open the site:
- Select your language
- Fill in your site details:
- Site Title - your site’s name
- Username - pick something other than
admin(security best practice) - Password - use a strong password (WordPress generates one, keep it)
- Your Email - for admin notifications and password resets
- Click Install WordPress
Your WordPress admin panel is at yourdomain.com/wp-admin.
Step 4: Post-Install Optimization
Choose the Right Web Server
Enhance sets the web server per server (Apache, Nginx, OpenLiteSpeed, or LiteSpeed Enterprise), and the choice applies to every site on that server. For WordPress, OpenLiteSpeed or LiteSpeed Enterprise is the best fit, because the LiteSpeed Cache plugin can then use the server’s own page cache. OpenLiteSpeed needs no extra licence.
To see which web server your site runs on:
curl -sI https://yourdomain.com | grep -i server
Install LiteSpeed Cache Plugin
If the site runs on OpenLiteSpeed or LiteSpeed, install the LiteSpeed Cache plugin for server-level page caching. On Apache or Nginx the plugin still offers its optimization features (image, CSS, and JS), but not the page cache:
- In WordPress, go to Plugins > Add New
- Search for LiteSpeed Cache
- Click Install Now, then Activate
On OpenLiteSpeed, basic page caching works as soon as the plugin is active.
Set Your PHP Version
Need a specific PHP version for a plugin or theme?
- In Enhance, go to Websites > select your domain
- Go to Advanced > Developer Tools
- Change the PHP version (8.3, 8.4, 8.5, etc.)
- The change takes effect within seconds, with no restart
Recommendation: Use PHP 8.4, or 8.5 once your plugins and theme support it. PHP 8.1 and older are end of life, and 8.2 only gets security fixes until December 2026.
Set Permalinks
WordPress defaults to URLs like ?p=123. To switch to readable ones:
- Go to Settings > Permalinks in WordPress
- Select Post name (
/%postname%/) - Click Save Changes
Enhance handles the URL rewriting automatically - no .htaccess editing needed (unless you’re on Apache).
Post-Install Checklist
Run through this after every fresh WordPress install:
- Complete the setup wizard (site title, admin credentials)
- Delete the default “Hello World!” post and “Sample Page”
- Delete the “A WordPress Commenter” comment
- Install LiteSpeed Cache plugin
- Set permalinks to Post name
- Install a security plugin (Wordfence or Sucuri)
- Set up Two-Factor Authentication on your WordPress admin
- Configure SPF/DKIM/DMARC if your site sends emails
- Remove unused default themes (keep one as fallback)
- Set your timezone in Settings > General
Managing Your WordPress Installation
Once installed, WordPress appears as a card on the Apps page in Enhance:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Card details | WordPress version, plugin count, and user count |
| Toolkit | Updates, plugins and themes, users, staging, security, and debug settings |
| Admin | Logs you straight into wp-admin |
| Menu (⋮) | Remove the install |
Updating WordPress
The toolkit’s Overview shows the update status. You can update:
- From WordPress: Go to Dashboard > Updates in wp-admin
- From Enhance: Use the toolkit’s Updates area, where you can also set an automatic update schedule
Always back up before updating. Take a backup on the site’s Backups page in Enhance before running any WordPress update. See Enhance Backups for details.
WordPress on Enhance vs cPanel
| Feature | Enhance | cPanel (Softaculous) |
|---|---|---|
| Installation | Apps page, one short form | Softaculous form |
| Database creation | Automatic | Automatic via Softaculous |
| SSL certificate | Automatic Let’s Encrypt | AutoSSL |
| PHP version change | Per site (Developer Tools) | Per domain (MultiPHP Manager) |
| Site isolation | Kernel-level (cgroups) | Account-level (CloudLinux) |
| Web server | Set per server: Apache, Nginx, OpenLiteSpeed, or LiteSpeed Enterprise | Apache or LiteSpeed |
Troubleshooting
“Install app” button is missing
Either the website hasn’t been created yet, or the software installer is disabled on your hosting package. Create the site first with Add website, then contact support if the button is still missing.
WordPress shows a database connection error
- Check the Databases tab - is the database listed?
- Try removing WordPress and reinstalling
- If the issue persists, contact support
The site shows “Not Secure” (no SSL)
SSL certificates are provisioned automatically but need DNS to resolve first. If your domain’s DNS hasn’t propagated to your Enhance server yet, wait up to 24 hours. You can check propagation at GoZen DNS Inspector.
Related Articles
- Installing Apps on Enhance - the installer, supported apps, and the WordPress toolkit
- Enhance Control Panel Guide - full guide to the Enhance dashboard
- Install Joomla on Enhance - Joomla one-click install guide
- LiteSpeed Cache for WordPress - optimize your WordPress performance
- Securing Your WordPress Site - harden your installation
- Enhance SSL Certificates - how SSL works on Enhance
Last updated 21 Oct 2026, 00:00 +0300.