How to Start a WordPress Website on Bluehost

During my freshman year of college at Ohio State in 2013, I began learning about online business and how people were making over 6 figures per year. They were simply starting a WordPress website around a passion they had, driving lots of traffic to their website, and converting traffic into customers by selling digital products.

This was huge seeing examples of people making good money from their blog. It gives you a confidence boost when they lay out what to do step by step.

I made the leap and decided to start a WordPress website with no technical knowledge of websites or coding. Turns out it was the best decision I’ve made as it’s changed my life forever and allowed me to earn thousands of dollars.

I now blog full time while also selling real estate part time and investing the income from both of these businesses into rental properties to further build my passive income.

I even bought an apartment building at age 22 that has over $180,000 of equity profit built into the deal whenever I decide to sell some day!

My goal is to achieve financial freedom by age 30, supporting my family’s cost of living through blog income and rental income from real estate investment properties.

I’ve been tracking my real estate business on my blog Under30Wealth.com if you’re interested in the personal finance niche of blogging.

Ask Nick Foy, however, is dedicated to teaching others about websites, WordPress, blogging, internet marketing, social media, email marketing, and how to earn income online using all of these tools. Learn more about my step by step eCourse – Profitable Blogger here.

So you’ve made the right decision to stop by this epic guide on how to start a WordPress website from scratch with no prior technical knowledge or coding skills. (which you won’t need thanks to the WordPress platform your website will run on)

Below you’ll get access to discounted pricing with Bluehost who I’ve partnered with if you decide to use them as your hosting company just like me. A free domain name is also included when you sign up for hosting with them along with the discounted pricing you’re receiving.

Click here to start a website on WordPress and then use the tutorial below for the simple step by step directions that guide you through the set up process in less than 20 minutes or so.

Before we jump into the tutorial, here are some common questions I get that are important to share with you.

How Much Does a Website Cost?

If you’re looking to start a WordPress website for cheap, then choosing Bluehost for your hosting needs is who I’d recommend. I’ve been using Bluehost to self host my websites for over 3 years now and have had an amazing experience with them. In 2016, Bluehost ranked as one of the top web hosting companies and by using the links in this guide you can get started with hosting for as low as $2.95/month. Also if you use my link you will get a free domain name ($15 value) for free. When considering the total cost of hosting + domain name, you can run a website for $50 or less per year. That’s insanely cheap.

I’ve created the 30 Day Blog Challenge that helps you set up a WordPress website from scratch and start making money from it within 30 days.

I was able to start making a few dollars per month when I first started experimenting with online business, which paid me back for my hosting costs. The $50 it costs to run a website for a year is very minimal and my 30 Day Blog Challenge will help get you up and running so that you can make back your expenses right away and start profiting months after.

You’ll also be part of the community who will help push you to achieve the ultimate milestone: build a blog that earns over 6 figures per year.

From time to time we will do mastermind retreats for the top students in the challenge so when you’re ready, be sure to join us and grow with us!

What If I Just Use a Free Website Like Blogger?

NOOOOOO! Don’t do that.

There are free website options out there but these have more negatives than benefits.

With a self hosted WordPress website you own your website and have complete control over it. With a free website, you are on someone else’s platform and do not get control over your website. You are restricted to the themes and plugins you can use on your website which greatly reduces your website’s functionality and professional appearance.

You need a self hosted website if you plan to run your website as a business and to make money off your website. This is an important reason why I recommend starting a WordPress website with Bluehost and shelling out the couple of dollars per month.

Read more about why you should have a self-hosted website here.

Why Should I Use Bluehost to Run My WordPress Website?

There are many web hosting companies out there, but Bluehost is honestly one of the best and why many bloggers choose Bluehost for their web hosting needs. Here are some additional reasons:

• Bluehost makes it very easy to create a WordPress website. Anyone can follow my tutorial below and have a WordPress website set up in 20 minutes!
• Bluehost web hosting offers great technical support. Anytime I’ve called them, I’ve had my problems solved.
• Bluehost is extremely affordable (as low as $2.95/month) allowing you to have a website for less than $50 per year depending on the plan you choose.
• You get a FREE blog domain ($15 value) when you sign up for at least 12 months of hosting.
• WordPress through Bluehost is FREE.
• You will be self-hosted, which has many benefits including the ability to monetize your blog.
• You will appear much more professional to readers, companies, and so on if you are self-hosted on Bluehost than being on Blogspot or some other free platform.
• Bluehost offers money back if you decide it’s not for you. Also, reach out to me via email if you have any questions regarding Bluehost.

Now that we’ve gone over some of the starter questions beginners have about websites, let’s get started with our detailed tutorial below.

This tutorial will be using Bluehost as the hosting company and you’ll build your blog using WordPress. Once you sign up for your hosting account, you’ll be shown how to login and install WordPress.

If you’re going to use Bluehost then proceed below and begin this tutorial.

Click here to select your hosting plan and use the tutorial to guide you as you go.

How to Start a WordPress Website on BlueHhost

Check out my video tutorial on how to create a WordPress website and then use the article’s steps below to assist you as well. By following these steps, you should be set up with your WordPress website in 20 minutes or less. If you have any questions feel free to email me: Nick@asknickfoy.com

Step 1: Purchase Hosting and Domain Name

First, you’ll need to brainstorm what you want your domain name to be. A domain name, if you don’t know already, is simply the URL someone types into their web browser to come to your website like AskNickFoy.com. You can read this article about it here.

Once you have an idea click here to sign up for that domain name and create your WordPress website. If the domain isn’t available because someone else has already purchased it, then try out a few other ideas until you find one that is available.

You can get your domain name directly through Bluehost making the process very easy. If you do this, your domain will be FREE for 12 months if you purchase at least 12 months of hosting from Bluehost. I usually purchase 3 years of hosting at a time to get the lowest monthly rate for hosting. It’s an upfront fee but I plan to have my website and online business for many years.

If you bought your domain from another website like GoDaddy or Namecheap, then there will be an extra step involved later where you’ll need to connect the domain name servers to your hosting account by going into the settings. For now, head over to http://www.BlueHost.com/ to purchase your hosting plan.

Once you are on BlueHost.com click the big green button that says “Get Started”

You’ll see a page laying out their 3 plans. Look over each of the 3 and notice their differences because you’ll want to make sure you get the right plan in case you have multiple websites that need hosting.

You can read the differences of each but I definitely recommend the middle plan titled “Plus”

I personally use this plan because it allows unlimited domain names so I can run multiple sites such as the ones I’ve created below on the same hosting account for no extra charge:

• Under30Wealth.com – My personal lead catching website on real estate
• GolfPracticeGuides.com – Golf Practice Guides, Lessons, and Accessories

Click the green “Select” button once you’ve decided on your hosting plan.

On the next page select “register a new domain” and enter your desired domain name. If you already have a domain from previous years enter it to the right or make sure the “I already own this domain” is checked if you are on a mobile device.

You have the option of making your domain URL end in something other than “.com” if you desire but it’s not recommended. Using a .com domain is the best option and if the .com for your domain name is already taken, then come up with a different name. You don’t want to have the same domain as someone so don’t settle for a different ending (.com, .net, .org). Have a few domain name ideas written out ahead of time in case one is taken.

On the next page you’ll fill out all of your information:

Select the billing cycle you want.

If you purchase a longer duration of hosting, your monthly price will be lower. I usually go with 3 years because I know I’ll have my website for many years but if you’re unsure then start out maybe with the 12 month plan or 24 month plan.

Un-check all of the unnecessary “up-sells” they are offering

Make sure to uncheck all the unnecessary options below the account plan that BlueHost may or may not have automatically check marked. You’ll notice the cost of hosting should decrease down to a lower amount after un-checking all of these add on costs.

Enter all of your billing information to finish your sign up process.

Check the “I have read and agree to the terms and conditions” and then click the green next button. Congrats! You’ve completed the first steps of buying a domain name and purchasing a web hosting plan through Bluehost.

Step 2: Log-in to Your Bluehost Account

Check your email for a welcome email from Bluehost and make sure to save it because it will contain your username and password as well as a link to the cPanel.

Log-in to your Bluehost account and you’ll see this pop up that gives you some beginner steps you can take. For now I would exit out of it so you see your account home screen. Then click on the menu item that says “cPanel” and it’s recommended you bookmark the cPanel once logged in for making future access easier.

Step 3: Connect Your Domain and Your Hosting

If you bought your domain through Bluehost, you can disregard this step and move on to installing WordPress. If you bought your domain separate from Bluehost then you’ll need to add it to your Bluehost account as an “addon” domain which is easy to do. You’ll also need to enter the server addresses into your domain name manager settings. Once you do each of these two things you’ll be ready to install WordPress in Step 4.

How to modify your DNS Nameservers when you are using Go Daddy for your domain and Bluehost for your hosting:

1. Log into the GoDaddy.com Account Manager.
2. Select Manage Domains from the Domain Names drop-down menu or the Manage Your Account list.
3. Select the domain name you wish to modify using the checkboxes and then click Set Name Servers.
4. Enter your updated name server information in the spaces provided under the blue Name Servers heading on the right side of your page and click Save Changes at the bottom. Your entries should look like this: ns1.bluehost.com; ns2.bluehost.com.

Here is the support article GoDaddy provides you to assist you with these steps.

You will then need to add the domain you bought (such as through GoDaddy) as an addon domain to your Bluehost web hosting. You can do this by clicking on “Domains” when logged into your Bluehost web hosting account and then clicking on “assign.” Follow the steps and it is very easy!

If you used Namecheap to buy your domain name, watch this tutorial on connecting your namecheap purchase to your Bluehost account as an add-on domain.

Step 4: Install WordPress on Bluehost

Once you’re on the cPanel page, find the box of icons that contains the Install WordPress icon (orange) and click it. You’ll also want to look around your cPanel for the following list of icons as these will be the only ones you’ll ever use most likely:

• Email Accounts
• Install WordPress
• File Manager
• MyAdminPHP
• Password
• Billing
• Customer Support

Installing WordPress

Once you’ve found the WordPress icon, click on it and you’ll see the install page.

Hit the green button that says Install and select the domain name you want to install it for from the drop down menu if you don’t see it selected.

Click Install once you have selected the domain you want WordPress to go to. (if you have multiple domains)

It will begin installing for a minute but while it does it will re-direct you to an advertising page which you can ignore while the installation bar fills up to 100%. If they ask you to input a username for your account make sure to pick something unique and don’t use the word “admin” as this is the most used word and hackers will love this.

After WordPress completes its installation, you’ll see a page saying they sent you an e-mail with the details and you’ll also be able to click view on that page to see your login details and login URL.

Step 5: Login to Your WordPress Website Dashboard

Next go to your WordPress Dashboard and log-in to your website. The dashboard is simply your domain followed by “/wp-admin” so for example domainname.com/wp-admin

You’ll also find the URL to login to your admin dashboard in the email they sent you with your password. Copy paste this password and use the email address that you signed up for your hosting account with.

Also, bookmark the URL of your domain name with the slash wp-admin so you can access your log-in dashboard easier in the future but it’s also pretty simple to just add the short url extension to your domain name’s url.

This takes you to your blog dashboard where you can begin editing your website. Once logged in you can go to General Settings on the left side of your dashboard and change your blog title.

The posts and pages tabs are where you’ll add your first blog post and web pages.

The appearance tab is where you’ll find a free theme for your website until you upgrade to a paid professional theme which is recommended. Check out the Genesis Theme Framework as they have some professional themes that look great on websites.

I also recommend Avada which is the theme I currently use for many of my websites, including AskNickFoy.com.

Step 6: Begin Customizing Your WordPress Website & Learning Your Dashboard

All other steps are handled in WordPress from here on so no worries about having to use your cPanel for anything anytime soon until you’re ready to set up an email for your domain name. We cover this in another tutorial here.

Your next steps will be to navigate around the WordPress dashboard learning how to add pages, posts, and plug-ins to your website. Use YouTube or Google searches to learn how to use WordPress if you have trouble.

You can also stop by my YouTube channel which is full of tutorial videos on WordPress along with other topics related to online business you’ll want to learn at some point when your website is all set up.

Also be sure to read our next post: How to Set Up Your Brand New WordPress Website

It’s another epic guide like this post, giving you step by step instructions and videos of how to use WordPress and what to do next to get your website looking professional. You’ll find a 1 hour tutorial video as well that I made showing you every feature in WordPress and what each does so you are up to speed on where things are and what they do.

Concluding Thoughts About Setting Up Your WordPress Website on Bluehost

In this final section of our epic guide How to Start a WordPress Website on Bluehost you’ll find some key resources that will help you out in your future as a website owner. If you ever have questions, need my opinion on something, or need help, feel free to email me at Nick@AskNickFoy.com. I’d be happy to assist you.

Step by Step Tutorial to Set Up a Website with Bluehost

Here is the 10 minute tutorial again if you want to watch it after reading each of these steps and have a better understanding of what to do.

List of Plugins Recommended to Add to Your WordPress Website

1. Yoast SEO – gives you a checklist to optimize your blog posts for Google search engines so they have a better chance of ranking higher in the search results
2. Pretty Link – allows you to create custom links and clean up nasty looking links to something easier to remember
3. Social Media Share Icons – add social media buttons to your website so people can share your posts and help you get more exposure and traffic
4. Wordfence – a security plugin that protects your website from hackers. You’ll need to find a tutorial to see step by step how to set it up properly.
5. W3 Total Cache – gives your website faster load times. Speed is important to keeping readers on your website and not annoyed with slow performance.
6. Backup to Dropbox – ensures your website has scheduled backups to Dropbox so you can be at peace of mind that your files are all backed up in case your website every has issues and needs restored.

Visit My Resources Page

Visit our resources page for a full list of everything we recommend you use in your online business and on your WordPress website: The Ask Nick Foy Ultimate Resource Page

You Will Do Great

Lastly, I want to say how excited I am for you to get started with your first WordPress website! Being an online business owner is very rewarding and running my blog has completely changed my life. I’m excited to see what your website becomes!

Be great today,

Nick Foy

P.S. Once your website is set up, you need to start building an email list. Learn how to get your email list going in this step by step tutorial: The Ultimate Guide to Starting an Email List 

P.S.S. If you want step by step lessons, worksheets, and videos on how to build a money making blog from scratch in 30 days or less, then you may want to check out my eCourse – Profitable Blogger.

It comes with everything you need to get started and teaches you not only how to start your blog but also how to drive massive amounts of traffic to it and converting these website visitors into email subscribers or customers so you can start making money quickly form your blog. Plus lots more. Get started today!

Click here to learn more about Profitable Blogger

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