How to Start a Blog with Bluehost

How to Start a Blog

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Everything you need to know to start a blog!

If you’re a writer, creator, or someone who has a great idea for an online business, Bluehost is one of the top web hosting services for starting a blog and building an online presence.

I’m going to walk you through the Bluehost platform, its features, design, and set up, so you can decide if blue host is the right choice for you and your ideas.

I’m also going to provide you with some additional tools and resources you can use to get the most from your Bluehost experience.

Let’s get started.

What is a Blog?

A blog is a website, but with a little more update. I like to think of it as a personalized website experience.

Websites are more static in nature. They’re generally used to provide online information to its visitors about a business, service, person, or product, and are updated more so on an as needed basis.

Blogs, on the other hand, are a much more interactive online experience. In general, it’s regularly updated with new content by you, the creator, giving you more opportunities to interact and connect with your readers.

Why do I Need a Blog?

If you’re a writer, creator, or someone who has a great idea for a business, you need a place to showcase your work online.

Sure, you can use social media to get your brand and ideas out there, but let’s be honest those are platforms controlled by other people and businesses.

A blog gives you full control over your message, your monetization, your brand, and your business.

What is Bluehost

To start a blog, you need an online ‘space’ with built-in features, like WordPress, webmail, and WooCommerce, to help you set-up, store, and monetize your business idea. Bluehost provides that space.

Home to over 2 million websites worldwide, Blue host is an all-in-one web hosting provider that gives you the full capability to create, design, and manage your blog or website.

Is Bluehost Right for Me?

Bluehost is right for anyone looking to establish an online presence.

Chances are, if you’re here, you’re already interested in starting a blog or setting up an online business. Bluehost was created with you in mind. It’s great for anyone looking to pursue a full-time creative career option, or for those looking to start small with a side hustle.

It’s a great fit for:

Writers who need a place to publish their work online
Creators who want to get their products out there to a larger audience
Individuals who don’t have a tech background, but want to build a blog
Anyone with a great idea for an online business

Bluehost offers great services for both your personal and professional blogging needs. Let’s dig a little bit deeper into all the features and services that comes included with Bluehost.

What's Included?

Bluehost was created with the business-minded blogger in mind.

It’s beginner friendly, and includes a wide-range of tools, options, and resources to guide you through building a fully-functional, professional blog.

Some of the main features it includes are:

Webmail – Create a professional email address that matches your domain name (for example, mine is info@passionwriteslife.com)
Free Domain Name for First Year – Picking a domain name can be both exciting and challenging. Bluehost gives you your domain name free for the first year of service.
WooCommerce – Bluehost is fully compatible with WooCommerce. Great if you plan on opening a shop or have an idea for a product you’d like to sell.
Free SSL certificate – SSL (secure Sockets Layer) protects you and your audience’s personal information, credit card transactions, logins and more. A SSL certificate comes included with every Bluehost plan.
Theme Builders and Templates– Through WordPress, you can choose from a wide selection of theme templates with built-in features. Even if you have a non-technical background, you can still create a stunning blog.
WordPress –WordPress is blog builder tool you use to design your blog, write posts, manage comments, make updates, and more. Bluehost offers easy integration with WordPress.
24/7 Support – Bluehost offers customer support via phone, chat, or ticket 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Free Resources – If you have any questions or need help, Bluehost has a huge resource base including free tutorials, guides, videos, and support forums.

Special Features

In addition to what comes included standard in all of their plans, Bluehost has many additional features that go above and beyond the regular web hosting experience.

Bluehost understand as a writer, creator, and business owner, that things happen. They are completely equipped to deal with the unexpected, and from personal experience, their customer service team is friendly, knowledgeable, and always available to walk you through any issues or questions you may have.

Special features include:

Free Domain Name Change – This was key for me, as a new blogger, I struggled with what to call my blog. I came up with a name, and then after a few months, decided I wanted to change it. With Bluehost 24/7 support, I was able to call and get my domain name changed with no problems.

Easy Renewal Option – Because their plans last for so long, Bluehost sends you an email reminder when it’s time to renew.

Easy to Use Dashboard – Bluehost has an interactive dashboard that is beginner-friendly, and you can access all areas of your account – website, email, domain, billing, cPanel – all from a single log in.

Pricing

Bluehost offers a wide range of affordable plans and pricing options to fit all your blogging business needs.

If you’re just starting out, Bluehost’s basic plan is all you need. The Basic Plan is 3.95 per month and lasts for 36 months. Plans are paid in full and up front.

Bluehost also has a Plus, Choice Plus, and Pro plans are for you if you have multiple sites, or need additional storage space for your site.

Bluehost also offers a 12-month plan, but you get the best value for your money at the 36-month plan price. Both plans are both extremely affordable, so pick which one works best for you.

Other pricing incentives include:

30-day full refund
- If for any reason you decide that starting a blog isn’t right for, Bluehost offers a full refund within the first 30 days.
- If for any reasons you decide to cancel after 30 days, Bluehost still offers a prorated refund.

How to Start A Blog in 5 Easy Steps

Sign up is easy, fast, and only takes a few minutes. I’m going to walk you through signing up with Bluehost, registering your domain, and installing WordPress in just a few minutes.

1. First, go to Bluehost.com to sign up.

2. Select your Plan – Click the green ‘Get Started’ button. From there you will see a list of pricing plan options. Select the plan that works best for you. (If you’re a new blogger, I recommend the basic plan. It’s has everything you need to get started.)

3. Enter Your Domain Name – After your select your plan, you’ll then be taken to a screen to enter your blog name.

4. Create Your Account

Under Account Information enter your personal information.

Under Package Information, select that plan you would like (I recommend the 36 months plan)

Under Package Extras you can uncheck all the boxes if you prefer. The basic plan already includes site protection.

Next, you’ll be asked to create a password. Choose something that’s secure to protect your information.

Congrats! You are now an official blog owner! Let’s install WordPress.

5. Install WordPress – After setting your password, click the Login button. This will take you to select your WordPress Theme. Choose any of the free themes available to get started. This is just to get you set up, so feel free to select any theme. You’ll be able to look through all the WordPress themes and choose a different one later. Once you pick your theme, click ‘Start Building.’

The next page will ask you to select if your site is ‘Business’ or ‘Personal.’ Choose which one works best for you. You’ll then be asked a few more questions to complete the setting up process.

That’s it! You now have a new blog with WordPress!

You Bought it, Now Blog it! (What's Next)

You’ve bought your blog, now it’s time to build it.

If you’re familiar with WordPress, then jump right in.

If you’d like a little more help, Create and Go Launch Your Blog Biz Course is a great companion purchase with Bluehost.

Created by two bloggers who’ve launched two successful six-figure blogs, Create & Go offers a variety of online blogging courses designed specifically to help new bloggers start a blog, market it, and monetize it.

I built my blog using their blogging course. Check out my review post here for more information.

Now that you have a blog with Bluehost, my final advice is to trust yourself and follow through on what you’ve started. If you’ve made it this far, then you know you have an idea worth pursuing.

Best Blogging Wishes!