How to Create a New WordPress Environment on WP Engine

So you’ve decided to go with WP Engine as your hosting company. Great choice! But now what? Creating a new WordPress environment on WP Engine is an essential skill for anyone looking to launch a website with unparalleled speed and performance (click here to see why WP Engine is an amazing hosting company).

In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through the step-by-step process of how to create a new WordPress environment on WP Engine. Let’s dive in!

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Step 1: Sign Up or Sign In to WP Engine

The easiest way to create your WordPress environment is to do it right after you sign up for a new account. But if you’ve already done that, you can head back over to wpengine.com and sign in. 

Head on over to wpengine.com and sign yourself in.  Once logged in, you’ll be directed to the WP Engine dashboard.

Step 2: Create a New WordPress Environment

Follow these steps to set up your WordPress environment for your new site:

1. Add a New Environment: Click on the “Add A New Site” button.
2. Choose whether you’ll be building a new site from scratch, migrating a site, copying a site from another environment or accepting a transfer from someone who has already built your site.
   1. New Site: You are building this site from the bottom up.
   2. Migrating a Site: You currently have a site built on another hosting provider and want to transfer it in to WPEngine
   3. Copying a Site: You already have a copy of the site on your WP Engine hosting account, and want to create a duplicate copy (like a staging site)
   4. Accepting a Transfer: Someone else has built out a site for you on WP Engine, and you are just transferring it to your account
3. Decide what type of site you want to start with
   1. Blank Site: An empty WordPress website with no optimization (this is what I usually choose since I will add the Hello Theme, Elementor and WP Rocket as a base and not Genesis)
   2. Genesis Pro Starter Site: A WordPress site with all the basic Genesis building blocks. 
   3. WooCommerce Site: A new site with WooCommerce pre-installed (my second choose, for when I’m building an eCommerce store). 
4. Name Your Environment: Give your environment a unique name. I like to use the business name, so I can easily tell each environment apart, such as “Firefly Web Studio” or “Carnelians and Sage”.
5. Select the Type of Environment:
   1. Production: The live version of your site (I choose this if I’m building out a new site and the main URL of the site isn’t live yet. Just for ease and testing).
   2. Staging & Development: On WP Engine, staging and development sites are interchangeable. They are both sandboxes, where you can test out different things and do maintenance, without the effects being seen by live users (everything happens behind the scenes). Neither can be taken live, and must be pushed to production when the time is right. I use one of these options when I already have a live site, and just want to make some changes or if I’m doing maintenance. 
6. Click “Add Site”. Wait for 5-10 minutes until WPengine to build out your new environment! 

Step 3: Configure and Optimize Your New Environment

Now that you have created your WordPress environment, it’s time to configure it to meet your specific requirements. 

1. Access Your WordPress Dashboard: Click on the environment you just created in the WP Engine dashboard. This will take you to your WordPress admin dashboard.
2. Choose a Theme: Select a WordPress theme (like Hello Elementor) that suits your website’s design and functionality. You can choose from thousands of free and premium themes available.
3. Install Essential Plugins: Install essential plugins like Elementor, RankMath, Securi, and WP Rocket to enhance your website’s performance and functionality.

Customize Settings: Configure your WordPress settings, including permalinks, general settings, and reading settings.

Don’t forget to set up your site title, tagline, and time zone too!.