Are you trying to create a WordPress website to start your blogging business, but the technical stuff makes you procrastinate? I know the feeling!
If you haven’t done it yourself before, looking at it from the outside can feel overwhelming and hard. But the truth is, you only need an up-to-date & easy step-by-step guide to walk you through how to do it quickly!
In this guide- How to Start a WordPress Blog on Bluehost, I will walk you through ALL the steps (including all the tiny details) and give you all the information you need for each step so your success is guaranteed!
This guide is also up-to-date. As you can see, I went through all the steps myself and added all the screenshots, leaving nothing unclear.
So, if it’s time to start your blog or build a website for your business, then this is the guide for you!
How long will it Take You to start a blog?
If you follow the steps in this guide, choosing a domain, purchasing a hosting plan, installing WordPress, and installing a theme can all take about 15 minutes.
What is WordPress org vs WordPress com and Which is Better to Start Your Own Blog
There is a lot of confusion around these 2 platforms. What’s important to know is that they are very different from each other.
WordPress.org is a formal WordPress organization. You can use this website to download WordPress for free, read reviews about WordPress plugins, ask questions, be part of the WordPress community, and more.
Using WordPress org is FREE. When you use WordPress (an open source), you can self-host your website. In this guide, we will do exactly that! We will use free WordPress.
We will install WordPress and host your site on Bluehost.
If you follow this guide, you will be the sole owner of your website, and this is the best way to do it.
WordPress com is a commercial company that offers WordPress builder and hosting services.
To use their website builder, you will have to pay an annual fee, and you are considered as ‘renting’ a space for your website. That means that you can’t use WordPress as you like, and you have a lot of restrictions.
For example, you can’t install WordPress plugins, you are not allowed to show ads on your site, you can’t use e-commerce features on your site, and more restrictions. Simply put, this is not the way you want to start a blog!
What you need to start a self-hosted WordPress blog on Bluehost –
A domain name – this is your website name. A domain can only be purchased from an authorized domain registrar.
Some domain registrars also offer hosting and other services (such as Bluehost), making it easier to have everything you need to start a blog in one place and build your site much faster.
A hosting provider – hosting is the service you need for your website to appear in the browser, so when you type the URL (the address of your site) in the browser, you can reach your website.
Bluehost is one of the best hosting companies for beginner bloggers. Their plans are incredibly budget-friendly and include everything you need to start, and we will go over all these components in this blogging guide.
Installing WordPress—WordPress is an open-source content management system (CMS). This means that anyone can use and customize it, and you will never have to pay a third party to use it (unlike if you are using Wix or Squarespace, for example).
The days when you had to install WordPress yourself are long gone! Today, most hosting providers offer a ‘one-click installation’ using their dashboard, making it much easier to build a site! This is exactly what we are going to do in this guide.
A WordPress theme – After you purchase a domain and a hosting plan and install WordPress on your site, it’s time to install a theme. A WordPress theme is simply the layout and design of your website.
A theme can include multiple templates already designed for different pages on your site, so you don’t need to create any part by yourself.
Some examples of templates which are included in a theme are – a home page template, a post, a page, a contact us template, and more.
The main benefit of a theme is that you can choose the design and style you want and install a beautiful and professional WordPress theme on your site without the need to have any design skill. This will save you thousands of dollars in graphic design services!
How to Start a WordPress Blog on Bluehost – Step-by-Step Tutorial
Step 1 – Get a Blog Hosting Plan
Click here to sign up for Bluehost and get a hosting plan for for cheap + a FREE domain –
As Bluehost is testing its homepage images all the time, you might see a different image with a button saying ‘Start Here.’ Here is another example –
Either ‘Start Here’ or ‘View Plans’ buttons, will all get you to the same page –
Choose the Starter plan – use this special link to get this hosting plan for the lowest price you can find online + a FREE domain –
Here is what Bluehost offers in the Basic Plan –
Ideal for 40k visitors – this is how much traffic you can drive to your site without encountering a long load time on your website. At this stage, 40k visitors a month is more than enough as you are already starting, and it will probably take a few years to get to this point.
Free SSL certificate – An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a protocol designed to encrypt and secure the traffic coming to your website (customer information and online transactions).
Even if you don’t sell anything on your website, it is strongly recommended that you add an SSL certificate to make your customers feel safe when using it. It is also one of the SEO factors that Google considers when ranking your website.
24/7 Chat support is a mandatory thing when you have a website, you never know when you are going to need help and immediate support, no matter what time it is, is a major thing when choosing a hosting provider for your website.
After you choose the basic plan, you will see the below screen where you need to indicate if you already have a domain that you want to connect to your new hosting account or you would like to register a new domain (in case you don’t have a domain yet).
Step 2 – Choose Your Domain Name
Get Bluehost Free Domain
If you don’t have a domain, Bluehost offers you the opportunity to register a domain FOR FREE when you sign up for their hosting plan with this link.
What is Private Registration for Your Domain?
When you add Private Registration, this means that your name and address will be hidden from the public in case someone is searching for the details of this domain owner.
Most new bloggers are not aware of how crucial it is to keep their domain details private and might skip this step. This is a blogging mistake you should avoid.
It’s better to keep your details private right from the start.
Here is an excellent example from Bluehost of what a website owner’s details look like on the website Whois –
Choose a domain name (this will be your blog name) and click on “Search for domain”. If the domain you chose is not available, you will have to go back and try another domain.
Already have a Domain? Here is How to Connect a Domain to Bluehost
If you already have a domain name, then tick the box “I want to use a domain I already own” and enter your domain name.
What is the Cost of Starting a Blog on WordPress Using Bluehost?
Before checking out, make sure that all the listed products are correct. Let’s break down all the products in your check out page so you’ll know what you need and what you can remove.
WordPress Basic Hosting – this is your hosting plan by Bluehost – this is A MUST.
A domain name – this is your new domain, and you need it to create a blog (during the current sale, you can receive a free domain name for the first year) – this is A MUST.
Domain Privacy – this is what we saw before (to protect your personal details like name and address). Domain privacy is good to have (I have domain privacy for all my domains). However, if you want to start your website at a minimum cost, you can remove it now and you can always add it later.
Professional Email – this is in case you want to have a professional email added, then you can leave it (and get a free trial). If you don’t want a professional email, then you can remove it before continuing to checkout.
Click on ‘Continue to checkout’.
On the next screen, fill out all your details.
Once you make the payment, you will need to choose a password for your Bluehost account. Write it down so you can use it later to log in to your Bluehost WordPress blog.
Step 3 – Install WordPress (create your blog on WordPress)
Now that the payment and registration are complete, your WordPress installation will start automatically, and when it’s done, you will see the following notification –
Click on ‘LOG IN TO WordPress’.
Don’t forget to confirm your email address; otherwise, you won’t be able to log in to your WordPress dashboard.
Preventing Google from Indexing Your Site Until Your Site is Ready
Now that you are in your WordPress dashboard, you first must prevent Google from indexing your site until it is ready. Your site is ready when you have finished uploading your content and designing it.
Until everything is done, you don’t want your site to show up in search results.
To do this, click on Settings – and then on ‘Reading’.
Tick the box ‘discourage search engines from indexing your site” –
Important!
When you finish building your site, it is extremely important to come back to this settings page and untick this box so Google can index it; otherwise, your site will never show up in Google search results.
Step 4 – Add a WordPress Theme
Now it’s time for the fun part – installing a theme.
You can install a free WordPress theme by clicking Appearance (on the left menu) – Themes.
How to Install a Free WordPress Theme:
Click on ‘Appearance’
Then select ‘Themes’
Then ‘WordPress Org’ Themes.
Here, you will see all the free templates from WordPress.
How to Upload a Theme to WordPress
If you want a more stylish and professional theme, you can purchase a theme and then upload it to your site by clicking on the ‘Upload’ button.
I personally prefer a paid theme, as paid themes include many features, quality design, and a pack of templates for all the page types you will need on your website. They will help you look like a professional brand from day one and will save you so much time.
You can check the How to Choose a WordPress Theme for Your Website guide here.
Step 5 – Add Your Site Title and Site Description
Add a site title and a site description (showing in the screenshot below as the ‘Tagline’ of your site).
Your ‘Site Title’ is what your readers will see when your home page appears in Google’s search results. The description will appear just underneath this title.
One of the most important SEO site optimization tips is to include the main keyword of your site in the title and description (for example, parenting tips). The title and description also describe what this site is about in simple words.
These meta tags should be short so it wouldn’t cut off in search results.
Step 6 – How to Access My WordPress Dashboard (WordPress Admin)
To access the dashboard of your WordPress website:
- Open your browser
- Type your domain name + add /wp-admin at the end.
Here is an example –
Step 7 – Publish Your First Blog Post
Now that your website is ready, it is time to write your first blog post. It’s recommended to create a website with at least 5 blog posts, so it doesn’t look empty.
Get SUPER EASY blog post ideas for beginners here.
Find a profitable niche that interests you as well. These are the two main factors to take into account when choosing your niche. Remember that even if a niche is profitable, if it doesn’t really interest you, you’ll lose interest in the blogging business quickly and burn out.
Do keyword research using a keyword research tool and write a blog post optimized for SEO. When your post is ready to be published, it’s time to open a blog page and add your content.
Go to your WordPress admin dashboard, click on ‘Posts,’ and then select ‘Add New Post.’ You have two options for this: one at the top of the page and another in the left menu.
Step 8 – Monetize Your Blog
When you start creating and publishing content on your new blog, it is time to monetize your blog.
There are 3 main ways to monetize a blog – affiliate marketing, ads on your site, and sponsorships.
In your first year of blogging, your income will mainly come from affiliate marketing. This is the easiest way to start making money from your blog as you learn how to drive traffic to it. This is also how I made $3530 in my first year blogging.
Step 9 – Legally Protect Your Blog
Your final step, and a crucial one, is to add the relevant legal pages to your website.
Bloggers tend to forget about this crucial step or think” this will never happen to them”; however, the truth is, there are lawyers out there that this is all they do all day (!), looking for website owners who didn’t put these pages on their site and making quick money…
I purchased all my blog legal pages from Amira the lawyer and finished all the legal stuff on my blog in 1 hour and for a few hundred dollars! You can check her blog legal templates bundle by clicking the button below (I purchased the VIP legal bundle as it is the most value).
How to start a WordPress blog on Bluehost – tips to start blogging and Overcome Procrastination
You might feel overwhelmed and procrastinate if you have never built a website.
To overcome that feeling, here are some things that will help you start:
- Remember that you can’t fail here. If you follow this guide and click the same buttons, you WILL get there. 🙂
- The most complicated step in building a website is getting the design right and making your site look professional.
- If you want to make this step of designing your website as efficient as possible and guarantee a professional result, you can always purchase a WordPress theme from companies that also offer a service to install the theme for you (like 17th Avenue themes or Bluchic).
- That way, all you need to do by yourself is steps 1 – 5 of this WordPress tutorial (will only take you 10-15 minutes) and from there you can find a theme that you like and add an installation service and in a few days you are done. The result will be professional and beautiful, and it will only cost you a few hundred dollars.
- Remember that any progress is better than no progress at all. In the worst case, if you feel lost, you can reach out to Bluehost or the theme’s company and ask for help.
Launch your blog today.
I’m rooting for you; you can do it!!
Also Read:
♥ How to Start a Food Blog and Make Money!
♥ How to Start a Beauty Blog and Make Money!
♥ Best AI Website Builders for WordPress! Perfect for Complete Beginners
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