In this tutorial, I will show you how to start a new WordPress blog on Bluehost.
Even if you have zero experience with blogging or websites, you can totally do this. I have written a full detailed step by step guide on how to start a blog and now I will share with you a detailed breakdown showing you exactly how you can sign up to Bluehost and start blogging today.
If you feel you do not have time or you need more in-depth help? I can help you! Head over to my design services page and drop me a message and let me know what assistance you need.
In this step by step tutorial, I’m going to show you:
- How to sign up for an account with Bluehost
Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links, meaning I receive a commission if you decide to purchase using my links, but at no additional cost to you. This simply means you will get great pricing and a free domain name through my link.
All you need to start your own blog is:
- A hosting Plan – Which we are going to get today using Bluehost.
- Domain Name – This is what your website is going to be called, this is what people type into their browser to find and visit your blog. If you sign up with bluehost today you will get one free year.
- Once you have your hosting plan and your domain then you can download WordPress which will be your blogging platform where you will be writing all your blog posts.
Table of Contents
What is a Blog Host and why do you need one?
I always liken hosting to buying a piece of property on land, your hosting provider is your landlord and they give your blog a virtual space for you to live on and grow your blog. In return, you need to pay them a monthly mortgage towards it and they take care of the upkeep of the server on which you are hosting your blog. Your hosting provider provides you with web space and stores your blogs files, data and website code on servers, this allows the blog to be accessible to anyone online around the world.
Who is Bluehost?
Bluehost is a premium web hosting service that offers shared, VPS, and dedicated servers. From business owners to individuals who need full functionality on a small budget, Bluehost provides customers with a complete web hosting solution. It was founded in 2003, Bluehost is one of the largest and most respected web hosting providers in the world. It is the top-recommended WordPress hosting provider by WordPress.org. It supports more than 2 million websites worldwide.
There are so many advantages of hosting your website with Bluehost namely:
- You get a one-year free domain name registration.
- Unlimited Emails (You never have to pay extra to open email addresses with bluehost)
- Bluehost offers an anytime money-back guarantee if you are not satisfied.
- You can cancel at anytime without penalty to receive a prorated refund. Which means if you buy a three year plan and after the first year you decide that you do not want to host with bluehost anymore they will give you back your money for the remaining two years with no problem.
- The bandwidth is unmetered meaning that you can have so many people on your website at any given time and the likehood of it crashing are very low.
- Their support is unmatched. They ahve fast and reliable customer service 24/7 via phone, chat and tickets.
- They have training videos and their knowledge base is a wealth of information which can make it easy for you to build a successful website.
- Their basic plan starts as low as $2.95 and with that they give you a SSL certificate for one year.
- With Bluehost you have access to WordPress.org which is a self hosted platform meaning you have total control of your website and can do whatever you need to do including monetization.
Okay let’s get started, If you want to jump straight ahead to Bluehost and sign up you can click here to start a blog on WordPress.
How to start a WordPress blog on Bluehost
Step One: Create a new bluehost account
The first page to appear will most likely look like the screenshot below. The price you will pay for hosting will depend on the current sale that is being offered at the time of your click. By using my Bluehost link, you are guaranteed the lowest price available.
Click on the ‘Host Your Site’ button to begin the process.
Step Two: Chose your hosting plan
On the next page, you will be able to choose your hosting plan. I suggest you go for the basic option especially if this is your only website as you can always upgrade later.
Step Three: Set up your domain
Once you have selected the basic option, the next page you will see is the domain page. If you have already chosen your domain name then you can simply enter your existing domain name here. Even if your domain name is hosted elsewhere you can still enter it then the domain transfer can happen once you are all set up with Bluehost.
If you have not chosen a domain name, fear not, you can always complete your sign up then register your domain at a later point. Bluehost will give you a credit toward your domain name so you can register it when you are ready.
If you haven’t chosen a domain name think about your niche and try and find a name that is easy to write, easy to remember and simple to spell. You can go to namecheckr.com where you can enter your brand name and check if it’s being used anywhere on the internet including social media handles.
Step Four: Pay for your Hosting Account
The next page is where you will create your Bluehost account. Simply fill out the details about yourself under account information. For the packages, they offer either 12 months or 36-month terms. The best value would be signing up for the 36 months as it is better value for money over the long run but if you are just starting out and unsure of whether you want to commit long term you can sign up for the 12-month plan which is still pretty affordable.
For package extras, this is totally optional for you. I advise you to deselect the two options already selected as you can get other free tools that do the same thing like Wordfence and Yoast. Codeguard basic is an addon service that can be used for: Monitoring – CodeGuard monitors your site daily for changes and sends a change alert email to notify you if there are any. The site lock security essential is a website security monitoring tool for small and medium-sized businesses. SiteLock monitors websites for the following issues and vulnerabilities and alerts you of any issues: Search Engine/Browser Blacklisting. Spam Blacklisting.
The last part would be entering your payment information! Once your payment has gone through click SUBMIT and congratulations! You’re ready to start a blog.
Step Five: Install WordPress in Bluehost
Bluehost offers a One-Click Installation for WordPress which is fantastic. After you have created your password, Bluehost will lead you through a series of questions in order to figure out what kind of a blog you want. If you get to this point and for any reason, you do not understand what you need to do, reach out to me and l can help you. Reach out to me on my Contact Page and I will get back to you.
Once you have followed the Bluehost instructions on setting up WordPress, you now have a Blog! Yipeee Let the fun begin!
At this point, you may be wondering what is WordPress?
There are two WordPress blogging platforms. WordPress.com and wordpress.org
The one you will install is the wordpress.org one.
WordPress is a self-hosted blogging platform that is completely free, you only pay for hosting it. With WordPress comes themes and plugins which are very essential in building your website.
- Themes – Change the way your website looks without having to get a custom made design.
- Plugins – Change how your website operates. You can find a plugin for almost everything you want to do on your website, there are over 50 000 plugins to choose from.
Now that your WordPress is installed, it is time for you to log in and publish your first post.
I have written a step by step guide on how to use WordPress and how to publish your first post.
Let’s go read that one next.
How to use WordPress and publish your first post.