This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy for more information.
I am SO excited today because I am going to help and show you how to start a WordPress blog on Bluehost!
First of all, if you don’t know who I am, my name is Ling, and starting my blog has changed my life!
I started my very first blog, Finsavvy Panda, a small personal finance blog where I teach my readers how to save money, make extra money, and achieve financial independence.
Before I started my blog, I actually didn’t really know what “blogging” was and this term was a little foreign, and it sounded strange to me.
Blogging was so new to me and during that time, I had no single clue on how it works. I was just told that with a low initial investment, starting a blog has the potential to earn a great amount of income.
I was hooked, got really excited about the idea, and looked into how bloggers get paid and make money with their blog posts.
After starting my blog, and learning how to get traffic, connect with readers, and monetize a website, I earned my first $5,000 per month within a year.
Today, I’m so glad and feel very fortunate that I started my blog with Bluehost as a beginner with NO prior knowledge about blogging, and NO technical, writing, or coding experience!
Starting my blog with a self-hosted Bluehost plan has changed my life! If I didn’t go self-hosted, I wouldn’t have been able to quit the job I disliked and my blog income wouldn’t have taken off to over $20,000 every month today!
Here are some quick screenshots of my blog earnings when I was still a complete beginner and new to this world:
$40,102.36 from just ONE source of income!
$2,455.64 from another source – one month of display advertising earnings!
$1,385.70 from another source of monthly earnings!
$2,015.20 from another source!
I am very happy with Bluehost because my blog has always been up and running in great shape! And, in this tutorial, I am going to show you how to start your blog using Bluehost too.
Don’t forget to save this blog post here on Pinterest so you can refer back to this detailed tutorial page on how to start your very first blog and make money!
I also offer my exclusive FREE 7-day email course to teach total beginners like you how to start your blog from scratch. I show you the EXACT steps I took to start a blog all the way to building traffic and earning a full-time income with NO tech and NO writing experience.
My e-mail course has helped thousands of people start a profitable blog and I would love to help you too. Sign up below to learn how!
Bluehost Blog Hosting Plans
In this section, I am going to go through Bluehost’s basic web hosting plans for beginners.
There are 3 options you can choose within the Bluehost basic plan – the 12, 24, or 36-month plan.
Whenever you’re ready, you can use this exclusive page for Finsavvy Panda readers to get 60% off with Bluehost and follow the step by step instructions below to get started – this can be found in the section, “How To Start A WordPress Blog On Bluehost.”
All of these plans are great deals and affordable for any beginner, and whichever plan you decide to choose will depend on your goals.
I personally started two of my blogs with Bluehost’s basic plan to get the best value and biggest savings!
I will go through these different plans in more detail in a bit.
But let me first tell you why you should start a WordPress blog with Bluehost:
- It’s powered by WordPress and any beginner (who has no experience with building a blog) will find it easy to use the platform
- There are no tech or coding skills required (I am NOT techy at all, and honestly, if technical or coding skills were required, I would have not started any of my blogs)
- It’s the #1 recommended web hosting company by WordPress
- Bluehost offers 24/7 through online support chat, phone, or e-mail (I use these free support services all the time whenever I need help with something)
- You’ll have a self-hosted blog meaning you actually own your own website (this is very different compared to the free ones you can sign up for)
What Does A “Self-Hosted Blog” Mean?
If you are wondering what a “self-hosted blog” is, in simple terms, it means that you are the owner of your website. Yes, you are the boss!
This is different from a “free” blog like the ones on the Blogger platform where you don’t actually own your blog. So, whatever you write on those free blogs, they can actually take down your content without giving you any prior notice.
It’s always best to invest a small amount of money in a self-hosted blog Bluehost because for one, you want to own your website. Why wouldn’t you want to be the owner and have full control for such a low price?
Secondly, if your intention is to make money with your blog, then it is best to go self-hosted because advertisers, affiliates, and companies you want to partner up with will take you seriously when you are the owner of your blog.
Again, I am so happy that I started my blog with Bluehost because if it weren’t for going self-hosted, I wouldn’t have been able to quit my job and earn a full-time income from home!
I honestly don’t know anyone who is actually earning an income using a free blog.
Here are just one of many e-mails I received from a reader (with her permission to post this) who regrets not signing up for a self-hosted blog right from the beginning. Now she also has to go through the hassle of transferring her content over, which is not a simple task:
Hey Ling, I have a blog on Blogger where I write about my travels and experience in Asia. I applied for Google Adsense because I want to start making money but they replied with some issues and now I think I should have listened to you several months back communicating with you when you suggested me to go with a paid domain like Bluehost… I don’t know if you remember me. I just wish I listened to your words, but I will now go and get a Bluehost plan for my blog. The problem is now I have to next find out how to move my blog posts and files over and I don’t know what to do. Please tell me how I can do this? – Amaya
As you can see, she waited several months to experience this mistake of not going self-hosted right off the bat. On top of that, she also needs to spend the time to figure out how to transfer her blog posts over.
So, here is a quick summary of why you should start a self-hosted blog (and NOT a free one).
- Bluehost is the #1 recommended web hosting company for total beginners and you don’t need any technical or coding experience to start.
- Time will be wasted trying to build a free blog and then realize later that you get rejected by advertising, affiliates, and companies you want to partner with.
- It will be inconvenient and a hassle to transfer your work over from the free platform to your self-hosted WordPress.
- You may lose your work if the free website decides to take down your content, plus you won’t get any prior notice.
- You will be the owner of your own blog.
- Going self-hosted is a must if you are serious about making money with your blog.
How To Start A WordPress Blog On Bluehost
Now that you know it is essential to go self-hosted, and NOT use a free blogging platform, especially when your intention is to monetize your blog, I am going to go through the different basic Bluehost plans with you where you can start your blog (the right way) for as low as $2.95 per month.
Again, the special page here will lead you to Bluehost’s 60% off regular price hosting plans – this is exclusive for Finsavvy Panda and Blog Savvy Panda readers. You’ll also get a FREE domain name, which is valued at $15 when you start your blog here.
If you ever have any questions about starting your blog or the steps in this tutorial, please send me an e-mail at ling@finsavvypanda.com. I am very excited for you to start your blog and I want to see you make progress with your blog, so I will answer any questions you have. 😊
Now, let’s get started and guide you through this easy tutorial.
Step 1: Choose the Bluehost basic package
If you are a beginner who wants to start a blog with just one website (and yes, I recommend only one website if you are new to this), you can select the “basic” package. This is the exact same package I personally chose when I started my blog.
You can ignore the “plus” and “choice plus” because you don’t need those unless you’re planning to start more than one blog, which again, I don’t recommend for a beginner.
You can always upgrade later when you feel like you want some extra features.
I personally did not go for any extra features until I started earning over $8,000 per month with my blog.
Step 2: Choose Your Domain Name
Next, choose your domain name (AKA your blog name).
If you haven’t decided on your domain or blog name yet, you can click on “I’ll create my domain name later” based on the screenshot below.
The great thing with this option is you can get started immediately and build your blog without having to decide on a domain name yet.
And yes, the domain name is free at $0 when you decide to host your blog using Bluehost! Along with the 60% off hosting, this is a $15 value that you get for free when you use this page to start your blog!
Step 3: Create Your Account
In this step, you are going to create your account by filling in your account information.
All you have to do is fill out your first and last name. You don’t have to fill in a business name if you don’t have one yet (this is optional).
Be sure to select the country you live in along with your address, phone number and email.
Step 4: Package Information
Hang in there because you are almost done!
Now, select your account plan.
It could be the 12, 24, or 36-month plan. These are all paid upfront in the form of a one-time payment.
I personally recommend the 12-month plan because as mentioned, you don’t have to spend a lot of money upfront to try out blogging. You can test the waters and see how you like it within your first year!
Whichever plan you decide to choose will depend on your goals and your situation. These are still very great prices and are a low-price and great investment for beginners who want to try out blogging and potentially earn a great income.
Note that depending on where you reside in your country, the pricing in your currency will be automatically converted based on the current exchange rate. If you live in countries like Canada, the U.K., Australia, or anywhere in Europe, you’ll see your own currency. But if you reside in other countries not listed here, you should see this in terms of US Dollars.
Bluehost 12-Month Blog Price:
As you can see, if you choose the 12-month plan, your investment for the first year would be only $36 and that includes the free domain name, which makes starting your blog very cheap and affordable!
Who is the 12-month package right for?
I have many readers who go for this package because they want to try out blogging for one year to test out the waters without spending a lot of money upfront. It’s only $36 for the entire year to get started!
So, the great thing is you will pay a lower upfront amount (and you’ll save 60% off the regular pricing today) with the 12-month plan.
Step 5: Package Extras
Referring to the same screenshot above again, in the “Package Extras” section, you’ll see options like the following:
- Codeguard Basic
- Bluehost SEO Tools Start
- SiteLock Security Essential
You don’t need any of these extras. You can simply ignore them for now and make sure you uncheck or clear those checkboxes so you don’t get charged for extras. There’s no need to pay extra especially when you’re a beginner. Plus, you can also change these options later down the road if you decide you want extra features.
Step 6: Payment Information
The final step is making your investment in the plan you selected.
You can choose to pay by credit card or other payment options like PayPal.
If you don’t have or use a credit card, you have the option to pay with PayPal by clicking on “see more payment options”. It is free to sign up for a PayPal account.
Step 7: Choose your password
Next, choose a password for your account, confirm it, and then log in.
Make sure you write down your password on a sheet of paper so you don’t forget!
Step 8: Install WordPress Powered By Bluehost
You’re almost done and this is the fun part because you’re just minutes away from starting your blog!
Now that you’ve purchased your hosting plan that comes with a free domain name, the final step is to install WordPress!
Bluehost makes this super easy with their 1-click WordPress Installation button.
Once you’ve clicked it, wait until WordPress is installed.
Bluehost will ask you to choose a theme, which you can play around with now or later. There are a lot of both free and paid pre-made templates for you to choose from so time your time to browse around and select the one you feel fits your personality.
Because you are a beginner, you don’t need to purchase a paid theme yet. I recommend testing the waters and play around with the free pre-made themes before you invest your money into a more premium theme.
It’s just easier when you get the hang of this before you jump to the next level.
Step 9: Start Building Your Blog
Now that you’ve selected the theme you want, you can select “Start Building.”
Next, Bluehost will ask: “What kind of site can we help you set up?”
You can choose either “Business” or “Personal.” It doesn’t really matter which one you select.
Going forward, you can log in to your WordPress dashboard and learn at your own pace.
Bookmark this link so that you can easily access it when you want to log in.
The link to your WordPress dashboard is: https://yourblogname.com/wp-admin/
If you have any questions, feel free to contact Bluehost support. They offer 24/7 via email, online live chat, or by phone.
Once you’ve started your blog using this tutorial, e-mail at ling@finsavvypanda.com and let me know!
I am always excited to hear from you and answer any questions you have about blogging. You can also feel free to leave any comments or questions in the comment section below. I will get back to you. 🙂
Additional Blogging Resources for Beginners
I also highly recommend you browsing around and checking out these helpful articles in this archive packed with valuable information to help beginners like you start your blog.
If you ever want a one-stop-shop with simple step by step instructions (with screenshots and images) on EXACTLY where to go and what to do after starting a WordPress blog on Bluehost, I recommend this really affordable e-book, The Treasure Map To Blogging Success in Just 30 Days, to avoid confusion and overwhelm. This is a profitable roadmap to help beginners like you build a solid and successful foundation before moving on and diving deep into learning traffic and monetization strategies.
You can also check out here how much does it really cost to start a blog to give you guidance, and honesty, of what to expect as a brand-new blogger. This is the path I personally took to see my income grow to over $20,000 per month!
I have many students who went through The Treasure Map To Blogging Success in Just 30 Days ebook and they were able to quickly set up and launch their blogs the correct way (yes, there is a correct way) and avoid silly mistakes that most beginners commonly make. They were able to do this much faster than the average person who has no roadmap or guidance. This is honestly the guide I wish I had when I first started my blog because it would’ve saved me SO much time, money, and hassle!
I hope you found this blog post helpful in starting your WordPress with Bluehost!
Happy Blogging!
Hello Ling! I’d like to know about Bluehost plans. Did you change your basic plan or are you still on it? I was told by support that if the number of visits to the site is more than the basic plan offers (15k visits), then the site may break. You have (if I’m not mistaken) more than 50k visits. I’d like to know if everything is working properly? Do I need to change my basic plan if the number of visits is more than 15k? Should I choose another plan that offers more visits? Thank you.
Hi Vira
I upgraded my plan only when I surpassed 100K monthly pageviews, and that was several years back. I assure you that with Bluehost’s Basic plan, you won’t encounter any issues with 15,000 monthly visits. In my experience, upgrading to another plan is only necessary when your website reaches over 100,000 monthly pageviews. Some bloggers do it at 50,000+ traffic. I have personally hosted two blogs with Bluehost, and only after they both exceeded 120,000 monthly pageviews, each, did I decide to make the upgrade. My other smaller sites are hosted with the Bluehost basic plan becuase you really don’t need extras at that stage.
I hope this helps! If you have any further questions, feel free to ask.
Thank You so much! <3
Hey Ling!! Can I share affiliate links along with Adsense advertising on my blog posts? Will there be any harm from this?
@Mohd
Yes, you can definitely share affiliate links along with Adsense advertising on your blog posts. In fact, many bloggers do this to diversify their income streams and maximize their earning potential.
However, it’s important to note that Google does have strict policies when it comes to the use of affiliate links and advertising on your blog. For example, you cannot promote any affiliate products or services that violate Google’s policies, such as products related to adult content, violence, hate speech, or anything illegal. On top of that, you must disclose to your readers that you are using affiliate links and that you may receive a commission if they make a purchase through one of your links.
As long as you follow Google’s policies and guidelines for the use of affiliate links and advertising on your blog, there should be no harm in using both. In fact, it can be a great way to increase your earning potential and provide valuable resources and recommendations to your readers.
I hope this helps, and I wish you all the best in your blogging journey!
Hi ling hope you doing well your info about blog is just amazing and helpful thanks
I’m so glad you find my tutorial and blog posts helpful! ❤️
Hi Ling.
I really enjoyed your step by step tutorials on how to set my own blog. I also found your advice highly enlightening. And it was just like walking a long journey with the confidence that you have a well versed guide and mentor besides you. Thanks lots Ling.
So glad you found this tutorial helpful. Leave me a note to let me know you’ve started your blog! I’m always happy to help!
Hi Ling,
When do you feel is the right time to launch one’s blog?
@Jennifer
There’s actually no right or wrong time to launch. I always recommend my readers to launch their blogs immediately right away when they have their first blog posts ready.
I know a lot of people are hesitant to hit the publish button but I can assure you that no one will be able to find your blog at the very beginning since you’re not promoting them on social media or Pinterest yet, so it’s OK to publish that first blog post and just have it live online.
For my first blog, that’s what I did and I just slowly added more blog posts on the go. I did that for my second blog as well.
I also am doing that for this blog you are reading here now. Your blog is always going to be a work in progress no matter what.
So go ahead and just launch it and publish an article on the go. Even without an about me page yet.
I highly recommend going through my ebook, Treasure Map To Blogging Success in 30 Days for for details. 🙂
I hope those helps!
It did help. I already have your book and it’s wonderful.
I have been trying to add my about me link in my blog home page (that portion of the blog homepage with little space for about me summary) and it hasn’t been fruitful 😅
@Jennifer
I think you’re referring to the side bar with your profile image? That is considered a widget – this one is around page 160-165. You’ll have to drag and drop the widget from left to right side. That is an image. And the text is a separate widget for you to mention a little about yourself. It’s easier when you look at my screenshots from the book.
As for menu link, it should show up when you create a page called about me. That is in the ebook as well. Chapter 5 covers this from the menu to the creation of “about me” page.
I hope these references help. Sometimes it takes a while to play around with the functions to get familiar with it. Also, it may be dependent on the blog theme you choose since not all themes are created equally.
Just keep learning. I know you’ll get the hang of it!!
Thank you very much for all this information on blogging
Now I can say I have a little understanding of what blogging is and will like to venture in it soonest as soon as possible!
@Beauty Nma – that’s great to hear you have an understanding of what blogging is. Let me know once you follow this tutorial and start your blog! I’d love to hear from you!
Hi Ling,
I am a wife, mum and a fan of healthy eating and I also workout. I don’t have that dream magazine body to show though I have managed to maintain a relatively healthy lifestyle over the years. I know alot about the importance of healthy home cooked meals and exercise.
I am a bit intimidated by the insecurity of my body since it’s not yet well toned. and have a flabby belly. Can I still blog about health and fitness. I wanted to niche down to women over 40 years. What do you think?
I also wanted to ask about web design. Does the host plan come with the design or at least a low cost offer for the same?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thanks.
Regards
Hi Jeniffer
The awesome thing is you know your niche is for women over 40 looking for health and fitness tips. You can definitely share your healthy recipes and workout routines!
You don’t need a magazine body to build a successful blog. I see lots of people who actually start their blog and they progress over the months and years by improving themselves and people still follow their advice. Especially when you’ll be sharing recipes, you don’t need a perfect body for that. People will land on the page and want to look for instructions on how to make the healthy recipe, not how toned or fit you are.
Once you start your blog, you can select a pre-made theme, tweak the settings to your liking and start publishing your blog posts immediately. There are both free and paid themes but you don’t have to go with a paid when you’re a beginner who’s just learning. I was earning a full time income on the basic hosting plan with a free theme. I only upgraded afterwards when I started getting more traffic and wanted to reinvest the money I made into my blog to improve it.
I hope this helps!
Let me know once you start your blog! I’m excited to see it up and running! 🙂
Hi Ling!
I’m Sarah from Malaysia! First of all, I would like to thank you because of your very inspirational blogging. While I am doing my research on how to start blogging and creating websites, I found yours and it felt really helpful. And I think this is a chance so I have already subscribed to your Blogging Course for about one month ago, but I just could not start for some reason. Right now, I’m serious, super excited, and really want to start blogging with help and guidance from you!
One of my goals is to create a blog where I can write and share with the world my thoughts. I think it will benefit people or readers in the future (maybe..) yet, I don’t know where and how to start. And I think, this will be a great platform to monetize either to find extra little cash just for fun or maybe could help settle my debts (I hope so..)
p.s: Apologize if my writing is not that good, I’m still learning 🙂
Hi Sarah!
I’m glad to hear you are feeling inspired and serious about starting your blog! 🙂
Let me know if you have any specific questions about starting your blog. When you’re starting your blog, I recommend thinking about what you want to blog about and choosing a topic you enjoy talking about.
If you’re looking for a really comprehensive blogging guide for beginners that will provide you with guidance, I recommend The Treasure Map To Blogging Success in 30 Days ebook:
https://www.finsavvypanda.com/blogging-success-ebook/
I am really excited for you and can’t wait to see you build your blog.
P.S. I could understand your English perfectly based on your comment. I have no concern and you are good to go! You can also install an app called Grammarly. I use it for literally everything and it’s been a lifesaver for me! 😀
Hi Ling!! I came across your blog around 1-2 weeks ago on Pinterest and I love your writing style and your tips!! You are really an inspiration and I’m always so happy to see articles from you because you give so much value and I think you know the pain points of your audience very well!!
I actually wanted to open my blog since December 2020, but I had some relationship problems and postponed it. However this month I’m ready to open my blog, I think by next week or max 2 weeks I’ll have my blog live!
But I have some troubles with my niche.
I thought about my mission statement and it sounds like this: “I’m on a mission to inspire women to have their own businesses and become independent while encouraging them to find their soulmate through exploring different cultures”
Basically, I want to give tips for women that want to date interculturally, are travelers and don’t want to depend on a man financially.
Does it makes sense to combine the 2 topics on 1 blog? Should the content be like dating and business tips (generally) for women? I thought it should be like that , but I feel quite unsure.
I’d be so glad if you can give me your opinion!
Thank you!!
Hi Denise!
I’m so happy to hear you find my information helpful and valuable for people like you!
By the sounds of it, you already know that you want to write for women and help them become more independent, which is awesome!
I do recommend trying your best to stick with one particular topic (e.g. either travel, business, or relationship) since you want to be seen as the blog that talks only about that specific topic for women. However, it doesn’t hurt to combine a few topics as long as you are able to tie them back to each other and make them related. I was thinking hard about this and I can’t imagine how travel, business, and relationships can be tied together naturally. In your situation, I feel that it is best for you to choose either:
– Travel for solo women (you can still write about finding a soulmate through exploring different cultures here by making your posts relate or tie back to travelling and learning about different culture + experiences)
– Starting a business for women and specific to what type of business
– Relationship tips for women
I know so many people want to include all their topics like a lifestyle blog because it’s challenging to feel tied down to one topic. That’s not impossible, but it can be a little tricky and will depend on how you put a spin on it.
I have a post here that will help you with what to blog about and how to choose a niche:
https://www.blogsavvypanda.com/what-to-blog-about/
I hope this helps! I can’t wait to see you start your blog and what topic you decide on! 🙂
Hi there, I am yadpreet from India. You post excellent content on your blog. I came across your blog last year in june maybe july and read post about how to start blog to earn money but i didn’t invest in it but i came across the same post this year again and i am serious now about starting a blog but i have some questions about ad displaying bcz i live in India but ads are not allowed in my country on pinterest yet. Once i make my blog do i have another programs on pinterest to monetize my blog. What can i do other displaying ads to earn money. Plz reply..and thanks for inspiring to starting my blog..🤗
Hi Yadpreet
I see tons of people including my readers from India earning money with their blogs using display ads. So I’m not sure what you mean by not allowing it in your county?
What you’re doing is you’re writing blog posts that get lots of searches or are popular and the aim is to get traffic back on your blog where you can earn money when you have ads displayed on your site. You can drive traffic through various platforms like Pinterest, Google or other social media. I’ve been using Pinterest as one traffic source to drive pageviews which allows me to earn money online. Other ways to make money blogging include affiliate marketing, sponsors, selling your own digital products like ebooks printables, and offering your services.
I hope that clarifies. 🙂
Hi Ling
Thanks for your reply earlier.
By not allowed to display ads i mean that pinterest only have some countries which are allowed to display ads on it.I am from india and it’s not in the list.But can i only earn from affiliate marketing without displaying ads on my blog?
Yes, you can choose to use only affiliate marketing to earn money using your blog. You can pretty much monetize your blog in whatever way you want. 🙂