How to sign up with Bluehost
Here’s how to get up and running with your Bluehost account…
1. Choose a hosting plan
The first step is to select a hosting plan that will meet your needs. Bluehost offers a range of hosting options including…
- Shared Hosting
- WordPress Hosting
- VPS Hosting
- Dedicated Hosting
If you’re not sure which plan is best for you, we recommend starting with the cheap shared hosting plan, which starts at just $2.75 a month.
Here is some further reading to help you choose the right hosting plan for your project…
- What is WordPress hosting?
- Different types of hosting plans explained
- VPS vs shared hosting
2. Create a new domain name
With all the Bluehost plans, you get a free domain name for the first year.
Once you have selected your hosting plan, select Create a New Domain to choose your free domain name.
Type your chosen domain name into the domain search, and Bluehost will then display a list of available domain extensions or similar available domain names.
(If you have registered a domain with a third-party domain registrar then you can use this domain name instead of creating a new one with Bluehost. To do this, you will need to point your domain name to Bluehost’s nameservers – a process that Bluehost can walk you through).
For help with choosing the right domain name for your new website, check out these articles…
- How to choose a domain name
- Nine helpful blog name generators
- Guide to domain extensions
3. Enter Bluehost account details
Next, Bluehost will ask you to fill out some personal information to create your account. Or, you can sign in with Google to speed up this process.
4. Confirm hosting plan details
Bluehost will now display your plan details. Check them carefully, as by default Bluehost adds several premium ‘extras’. These include…
- Domain Privacy Protection (from $11.88 a year)
- SiteLock Security (from $23.88 a year)
- CodeGuard Basic (from $2.99 a month)
- Bluehost SEO Tools (from $23.88 a year)
Unless you already know that you need a certain service, we’d recommend de-selecting all of these add-ons. None of them are essential and you can always add them later if needed:
Under Account Plan, you can also set the number of years you want to sign up for Bluehost. The minimum commitment is 12 months, but you can get a bigger discount if you commit to multiple years upfront.
5. Enter your payment details
The last step in the Bluehost sign-up process is to enter your payment details and confirm the order.
Remember, Bluehost provides a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if you are unhappy with your plan or the hosting service after purchase, then you can ask for a refund.
Bluehost will now go ahead and set up your new hosting plan and domain name. You will then receive an email with payment confirmation as well as your new account information, including login and password details.
How to install WordPress on Bluehost
Once you’ve purchased your hosting plan, you next need to install WordPress on Bluehost. Again, this is a relatively quick and easy process, helped by Bluehost’s user-friendly interface and its one-click WordPress install feature.
1. Log in to Bluehost
To get started:
- Log in to your new Bluehost account.
- Go to the My Sites tab.
- Click the Create Site button in the top-right corner.
2. Enter your website info
Next, you need to enter some basic information about your website, including the Site Name and Site Tagline. Don’t stress too much – you can always change these later:
3. Choose your domain name
Use the Domain drop-down to select the domain name that you chose when you created your Bluehost account.
You can also choose whether or not to install some of Bluehost’s recommended plugins.
4. Click “Next” to install WordPress on Bluehost
Bluehost will now install WordPress for you, create your new WordPress website, and display your log-in details.
To open your new WordPress website, click the Login to WordPress link.
How to set up your new WordPress website with Bluehost’s tools
First, we should note that you don’t necessarily need to follow the steps in this section. It’s totally possible to make your own website using the regular WordPress dashboard.
However, if you’re not sure where to start, Bluehost provides its own dashboard in the Bluehost area of your WordPress dashboard that can help you get up and running with your site.
In the Bluehost area, you can…
- Add new pages and posts
- Manage your menus
- Create an eCommerce Store with WooCommerce
- Create a staging environment to test your website
- Disable the Bluehost ‘Coming Soon’ page and launch your website
Most of these are core WordPress features – just put together in one convenient spot for you to access.
The Bluehost dashboard is a particularly useful tool for those new to WordPress, and who may need some direction on how to get started. Here’s how to use it…
