I still remember the time – not too long ago – when installing WordPress equals to fiddling with FTP client, scribbling PHP scripts, meddling with MySQL databases and doing all those ghastly geeky things which are not for the faint hearted.

But even with all of the past fuss, WordPress was (and still is) the ultimate blogging platform for everyday folks like us.

Today, almost every part of the installation has gone from manual to automatic. With the help of the installer script that basically does a WordPress auto install, you can have WordPress up and running with just one click. Most web hosting services have included at least one script in their cPanel. The most popular two are Fantastico and Elefante.

A Better WordPress Auto Install Alternative

But “most web hosting services” means “not all web hosting services”. For those who use webhosts without this one-click-install luxury, their options were only to install manually or move to another service.

Luckily, that too is a problem of the past because there’s a web service called SimpleScripts that can help us install and upgrade WordPress easily on almost any hosting platform which meets the system requirements. SimpleScripts can also install many other popular web applications such as Joomla, ZenCart, Roundcube and Drupal.

SimpleScripts is available in two versions, free and pro. The free version has a limit of three installation while the pro version has no such limitation but will cost you US$15 per year.

Besides providing users with easy, one-click WordPress auto installs, SimpleScripts will also send email notifications every time the installed web app has an available upgrade.

Using SimpleScripts

To use the service, you first have to register. Just click on the signup link at the top right corner of the web page.

The registration process requires you to provide your email address and the web hosting service. There are a number of supported hosting companies in the drop down list. Choose “Other” if the one that you use is not there.

After clicking on the “Create Account” button, you will get an email with your login information and you are ready to begin.

Choose “Wordpress” from the script list. You can see that SimpleScripts has already provided its users with the latest version of WordPress. This is another advantage of using this service over other similar installer scripts which are usually not updated frequently enough.

The installation is easy as 1-2-3:

1. Click install
2. Fill in the necessary information (domain and FTP) and
3. Click “Update”

If all of the information you provided were correct, and if your hosting service met the system requirements, your WordPress should be installed successfully.

You can also use SimpleScripts to upgrade your existing WordPress installation. To do this, choose “Import” instead of “Install” in step one.

Choose the “I need to update my FTP information” link under the “Install” button if the WordPress you want to upgrade is different from the one that you’ve already installed, or if you want to install a new one in a different location.

I personally like this service better than other similar installers simply because it puts the user in control yet being easy to use.

Have you tried SimpleScripts? Or do you know other free ways to auto install WordPress? Share using the comments section below.