Did you know that WordPress powers 35% of the internet, including large sites like Yahoo & CNN? In this blog post, I'm going to answer the question, “How to Install WordPress Using Bluehost.”
Note: This installation guide is for Installing a site using WordPress.org & not WordPress.com.
Before getting started with the installation, there are a few things we need to discuss.
- How to Get a Free Domain Name
- Bluehost Hosting Company
- Installing WordPress
Step 1. Getting A Domain Name
Every website requires a Uniform Resource Locator AKA URL. Our URL is www.ILoveMakingMoney.com.
One of the rules that I use when choosing a domain name is the radio rule. If you're ever on the radio and they give you 15 seconds to shoutout your website, will people remember it and know how to spell it when they type it in. I Love Making Money (dot com) is easy to remember and easy to spell
Domain names usually costs $10 to $20 per year. I'm going to show you how to get a free domain name when we install WordPress.
How to Get a Free Domain Name
When we install WordPress, our hosting company allows us to register one domain name for free for the first year.
Bluehost
Bluehost is among the largest reputable hosting companies in the world.
They have specialized in WordPress hosting and offer free domain names for one year.
The pricing starts at $2.75 with a top-level domain name included in your hosting package.
You can also choose to purchase a domain name at $11.99 per year independently.
Pros Of Using Bluehost
- Free domain name when purchasing a hosting package
- 24/7 Customer support
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons Of Using Bluehost
- No free domain migrations
Step 2. Choosing A Hosting Provider
The most crucial part while taking your website online is identifying where you'll be hosting it. There are tons of hosting providers available and offering cheap packages with one-click WordPress installation.
You can check out the best hosting company ranked by speed, uptime & customer support in our previous detailed review.
To summarize the top hosting companies, here are some of the best reputable hosting providers;
- Bluehost – Recommended for New Bloggers
- WPX – Fastest WordPress Hosting
- Kinsta – Best Tracking Interface
- Siteground – Easiest Interface & Best Support
Are you ready to install WordPress and start a blog using Bluehost? Let's get started…
Step 1: Pick a Hosting Plan from Bluehost
Choose A Hosting Plan
When you're just starting out, we recommend starting with the basic plan at $2.95 per month and as your blog grows, upgrading to the prime (same price).
You'll be able to save a lot of money if you're able to pay a year's in advance. $2.95 x 12 = $35.40.
Step 2: Register a Domain Name
Choose A Domain Name
If you've already purchased a domain name with another provider, then don't create a new one from Bluehost. Instead, select the option from your sign up page “use a domain you own.”
Enter your domain name in the provided space or skip the step and create the domain later on.
Step 3: Setup Your Bluehost Account
Create Your Account
Enter your details on the next page and untick any add-ons you are not interested in or plan to use. Also, notice the hosting price. You'll be able to save more money if you select the 3-years in advance.
After double-checking everything is in order, create your Bluehost account by keying in your credit card to begin the setup.
Create your password on the next screen and log in to your Bluehost account for the first time.
Step 3B: Connect Your Domain Name
If you registered a new domain with Bluehost, you can skip this step. These settings are already in place if you register a domain name with Bluehost.
If you are using an existing domain name, let's connect it to your Bluehost. At the top left of your Bluehost account, click on ‘domains' then click on the ‘nameservers' tab.
Login to your domain registrar and point the nameservers to the ones provided by Bluehost.
The default Bluehost Nameservers are;
- NS1.Bluehost.com
- NS2.Bluehost.com
Once you find your nameservers, enter the two provided in the appropriate fields and save your options. (see graphic for example)
Domain name propagation takes up to 24 hours; therefore, no need to panic if it doesn't work right away.
Step 4: Install WordPress
With one click installation offered by Bluehost, you can install WordPress and take your site to live in a matter of minutes.
Automatic WordPress Installation
Navigate and locate ‘Install WordPress' under the website section in your dashboard.
In the next step, enter the domain name you'll be using with your WordPress installation.
Enter your site name, email address and password.
Your installation progress will appear at the top right of your dashboard, which typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete.
To begin using your WordPress site, log in to the dashboard, and start customizing it by using free or purchasing premium themes to make it look appealing to the reader.
Common WordPress Installation Problems
| Error Message | Common Cause | Common Solution |
| 404: Page Not Found | Incorrect Login URL | Check if login URL is same as installation URL |
| 403: Forbidden Access | Index.html exists in the installation directory | Find the file in your installation folder & remove it |
| 500: Internal Server Error | Incorrect PHP files permissions | Set the files permission (chmod) to 666 or 644 |
| Error connecting to database | Incorrect database name, password or host | Check MySQL for the correct information |
| Header error messages | Syntax error in wp-config.php file | Check the file with text editor. The first line starts with <?php & the last line contains ?> |
In conclusion, WordPress installation is easy and takes less than 10 minutes to complete. It's one of the easiest & most fun platforms for building websites out there.
Make sure you carefully follow this guide and bookmark this page as to stay you on other ways of installing WordPress.
Frequently Asked Questions About Installing WordPress
You can install WordPress using a one-click auto-installer that's provided by many hosting providers or by using FTP clients such as FileZilla.
To manually install WordPress, download the latest version of WordPress.
Unzip the downloaded files to your computer
Log in to your web hosts Cpanel and get your FTP/sFTP details.
Connect to your server using an FTP client such as FileZilla.
Upload the files to the root directory of your server
Create a MySQL Database and user
Configure wp-config and complete the installation
Login to your WordPress site
The latest version of WordPress is 5.4.2
As a software, WordPress is free to use but to host your site on the internet, you are required to purchase a hosting package
No. You own the content on your WordPress site
It's recommended to update the version of WordPress we use as it contains improved security features.
Updating your WordPress site does not affect the content of your website.
If you know anyone interested in learning how to install WordPress, please share this page with them.
