Hi there, I can recommend the Instant WordPress Unleashed guide that they sell on the website. https://www.instantwp.com/unleashed/
I purchased this when I first started using InstantWP and its has saved me a lot of time and trouble. I has a chapter all about the problem you are facing, and some cool plugins that will make your life a lot easier when developing locally and then deploying to a live site. I figured the product was free, and I use it all the time, so why not reward the developer.
I realize this does not solve your problem directly – but you must realize that WordPress is database driven, you can’t just upload files like you would with an HTML site.
Good luck ??
