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How To Start A WordPress Blog Using Bluehost

How To Start A WordPress.org Blog or eCommerce Site On Bluehost

If you’re looking for information on WordPress blogs or launching your own blog or website using WordPress (wordpress.org, NOT wordpress.com) with Bluehost, you’ve come to the right place! In this tutorial, you will learn why a self-hosted WordPress blog is better than any other, how to install WordPress and simple step by step instructions on how to create a WordPress blog on Bluehost. You will also learn the advantages of starting your blog or transferring your blog to a WordPress.org site hosted by Bluehost. Try not to feel too overwhelmed; It’s simple and you’ve come this far – you’ve got this!

First of all, there is a difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org. And while WordPress.com does have Business accounts, the limitations are still there and the price will cost you about $300 per year. I paid so much money before I finally wised up and realized my blog and I would be better off switching to a self-hosting service like Bluehost and using WordPress.org.

This blog post contains affiliate links to Bluehost. I am not paid for my opinions, only for referrals. I personally LOVE Bluehost, and would recommend it whether I was getting a commish or not. The reviews of Bluehost and the opinions expressed here are my own.

How to Set up your Blog on WordPress (easy step-by-step tutorial)

Setting up your blog on WordPress with Bluehost is actually really easy. When I first signed up I was a little nervous but soon realized I was totally overthinking it. So, don’t overthink it, it’s easy and takes just around 10 minutes!

You will be SO GLAD you switched over to your own self-hosted site and here’s why:

You’re in Control – You will have total control over your own website. The look, feel and theme capabilities will be endless.
It’s Easy – If you’ve been using wordpress.com, the Dashboard on WordPress.org through Bluehost looks the same! It won’t be like you have to relearn a whole new platform (whew!)
Awesome Customer Service – I have my sites hosted through Bluehost and their customer service is unmatched by ANY provider I have ever used. I have built dozens of WordPress sites and they are hands down, the best.
Make More Money You will have more opportunities to make REAL money with your blog, not just pennies from affiliates who don’t pay much in commissions.
Professional – If you are serious about blogging and making money, you NEED to be on a self-hosted site with wordpress.org and Bluehost. You won’t have to worry about the “Free WordPress” or “Created with a Free Blogger” text at the bottom of your blog or website anymore.
It’s cheaper to self-host your blog or website with Bluehost. On average, you will save about $100-$200 per year in hosting fees. On wordpress.com I would have had to pay $300 per year for hosting alone. Yikes! With Bluehost, I only have to pay $107/year, which includes my domain, hosting and privacy. Totally affordable and worth it! P.S. WordPress.org through Bluehost is free!
Tons of Options – Widgets, Plugins and capabilities you don’t currently have using a free Wordpress.com or Blogger account
More Affiliate options You can use the Amazon, ShopStyle. Rstyle affiliates or other java based affiliate widgets with wordpress.org as opposed to wordpress.com
Analytics. That’s all I’m gonna say. If you think Jetpack stats on your free WordPress site is cutting it, you haven’t seen what Google Analytics can tell you about your readers or customers, and what they’re looking for! Trust me, a free Blogger, WordPress (or even a paid Weebly) site is not going to give you all your Analytics data. And you need this if you want to make money with your blog.

Look at today as the start of something awesome for yourself! It’s a big step in the right direction. And don’t worry, I will teach you all you need to learn about setting up your own blog using Bluehost and WordPress. You will be able to easily create a blog on your own and learn how to start a WordPress blog by the time lunch is over, or breakfast..or whatever time it is where you are right now. Freelance work and blogging totally changed my life and allowed me to work from home and make thousands of dollars, and there is plenty of free space for you to do the same thing. You can start a blog that earns passive income for just a few dollars a month. The small investment is certainly worth huge rewards you will receive! The reason paying for your blog services makes sense is: free blogs can get shut down anytime, especially if you are trying to use it to make money. Paying for your blog and host is the only way to go to protect yourself and your hours of blogs and content.

I have included a link to BlueHost for you that will allow for you to easily choose what works for you: Click here to start your blog on WordPress, (a new window will be opened) then you can come back to this page and I will walk you through the easy step-by-step instructions with the tutorial below.

I love the direction my life has taken since I quit my full-time desk job and started earning more than I did before – just by working freelance and using my blogs as a place to talk about my expertise and travels. It combines a few of the things I love the most: travel and working for myself!

If you’re looking to start a WordPress blog with little money, your smartest choice is Bluehost for your hosting. They are simply the best web host I have personally used – And I have done business with a lot of different services, hosts and website companies! My Bluehost experience has been stellar. Bluehost is one of the top web hosting companies of 2017 and you can start your own blog with them for as low as $3.75 a month! I don’t know any hosting with full capabilities THAT cheap. Not even Weebly. Which, by the way, if you are on Weebly, you can use with Bluehost. I recommend signing up for the 12-month hosting plan through Bluehost. It will save a lot of money in the long run by signing up for at least 12 months.

If you aren’t yet convinced that you can make money with a blog, think again. The new e-commerce strategies are Content with (or before) Commerce. In case you haven’t noticed, all of the top level e-commerce sites now have blogs. Why? People LOVE content and Google LOVES the SEO. Even if the only thing you sell is your expertise as a graphic designer or a consultant in whatever subject you’re an expert in, a blog is an excellent idea and it will pay off if you are utilizing it correctly and if it’s on the RIGHT platform.

Read: How I turned one single blog post into $250,000 AdWords value

So you see, you are as good anyone out there who is making money with a blog. I am living proof and there are more people who will say the same. There is still a lot of white space. But getting in and getting started NOW is important. Don’t settle for the free accounts. You will be limited. I learned this the hard way. I thought I was rocking and rolling with my blog until I switched over to WordPress.org and hosted it with Bluehost. Not only It is well worth it to pay for blog hosting and with such a small outlay, it’ll pay for itself in no time. Bluehost is one of the top web hosting companies in 2017 and you can start your own blog with them for as low as $3.75 a month! I don’t know any web hosting with full capabilities that’s THAT cheap. Not even Weebly. Which, by the way, if you are on Weebly, you can use with Bluehost. I recommend signing up for the 12-month hosting plan through Bluehost. It will save a lot of money in the long run by signing up for at least 12 months.

If you are interested in making real money off your blog, freelancing or turning it into a business, then paying for your hosting through Bluehost is ideal.

The financial benefits of using Bluehost with WordPress.org over a free blog service:

You can post your own advertisements, promotions, banners, affiliate links, direct advertising, etc. on your blog without restrictions-Thus making more money!
Earning substantial income on a free WordPress.com, Blogger or any other free blogging platform is very hard, if not impossible, as you are competing with your hosts’ advertisements. In fact, they are the ones making money from your traffic.
Most advertisers and companies won’t advertise on free blog sites as they seem too amateur unprofessional.

Read: How A Blog Makes Money

There are many reasons for why you may want to choose Bluehost for your WordPress blog and I honestly believe they are one of the best web hosting providers. These reasons include:

It’s easy to use. Yes, ANYONE can create a WordPress blog easily with my tutorial below. Bluehost makes it very easy to create a WordPress blog.
Bluehost web hosting offers technical support.
Bluehost is extremely affordable and they offer cheap web hosting. You can have a blog of your own and the only real expense you need to pay is the cheap blog hosting which starts at just $3.75 per month.
You get a FREE blog domain.
WordPress through Bluehost is FREE.
Bluehost offers a guarantee in case you determine that it is not for you. If you sign up for Bluehost, but you are confused for any reason (such as how to set it up, picking a plan, pricing, etc.), you can always send me an email and I can help you out.
You will be self-hosted. If you want to monetize your blog, then you will want to be self-hosted.
You will appear much more professional to readers, companies, and so on if you are self-hosted on Bluehost than being on Blogspot.

First, you will need to go to Bluehost to do any of this. The best bloggers in the industry use WordPress.org with Bluehost, and you should too because you’re a superstar!

Tip: If you start a blog on Bluehost and are interested in learning more about how to start a blog on WordPress, continue to the tutorial below. Remember, if you sign up for Bluehost and you need help, shoot me an email and I can assist you!

Ok, ready? Click here to start the ball rolling!

TUTORIAL: How to start and create a WordPress blog on Bluehost

In this tutorial, you will learn how to: Start a WordPress blog on Bluehost. Don’t worry, it’s easy and takes just around 15 minutes!
Yes, in case you didn’t notice, I highly recommend Bluehost for blogging 🙂

1. Register your domain name (If you don’t already have your domain, click here to purchase a domain name and create a blog) You can get your domain directly through Bluehost, which will make signing up and the whole process a lot easier. When I first signed up for Bluehost, my domain was registered with iPower and while the transfer over to Bluehost was relatively easy, It did take about 7 days to get moved over to Bluehost. (Side note: This is one of the reasons why I chose to leave iPower because it had pretty horrible customer service and they were charging me $200 year for hosting and services I wasn’t even using. So, take my experiences and go with a provider who is awesome from the get go and save yourself a huge headache!) If you register with Bluehost you will get a FREE DOMAIN name for the 1st year. Easy peasy! 🙂 You’ll get a better rate if you do the 12 mos, too.

If you decide to get the free domain, just continue on to the next step and you can buy your hosting plus get the free domain all in one go!

2. Choose the best hosting package for your blog needs and buy hosting for your blog. To receive the cheapest price to start your blog, you may choose the Basic Plan. Unless you are planning on some serious content, it should be what you need. The Basic Plan is only $2.75 per month if you sign up for 36 months. If you sign up for a 24-month plan, then the price is $3.95 per month. Again, this is very affordable, especially since I was paying in excess of $59 per MONTH for Shopify! NO KIDDING! I did that for over 8 months. I totally wasted over $500 on a website that I ended up scrapping and having to rebuild later. DON’T DO THIS. WordPress has a great WooCommerce plugin that’s FREE and it’s so much easier to use than Shopify’s e-commerce site. Even if you purchase the 12-month plan with Bluehost, your total price is only $59 a year, which pales in comparison to what I paid on Shopify. Ugh, you live and learn.

3. OK, assuming you chose The Basic Plan, which is all you’ll need right now to get started; skip the Plus and Business Pro. (note: Yes, you can always change it or upgrade later if you need to)

4. You will be asked to choose a new domain name now if you don’t already have one registered. Type in your chosen domain name and press Next.
If you do have a domain registered already that you want to use for your blog, proceed to “I have a domain name” and press Next

5. Add Domain Privacy Protection, it’s only about $11 per year and worth every penny! Why? So people can’t find your address and contact info! Keep your private information private.

6. Uncheck any of the extras that are listed, unless you really want the extras. (I didn’t add any on my account sign up, FYI)

When you are ready to create your blog, follow the steps below to buy hosting for your blog:

Go to Bluehost and click the “Get Started Now” button.
Click on the hosting package you want (I chose the pro package because I knew I would have multiple websites/blogs. If you know you’ll only have 1, go with the Basic Plan)
Enter the domain name you registered earlier
Enter your account details and payment information
Next, choose your password (an ideal, secure password is one that contains letters, numbers and special characters/symbols)
Now: Connect your domain and your hosting! You can skip this section if you purchase your domain through Bluehost
NOTE: If you buy your domain through another hosting account such as iPower, Go Daddy or other, then you will need to log into your domain account with them and go to Domains located in the CPanel and either change the DNS or unlock the domain you wish to transfer over to Bluehost. Your domain provider should be able to assist you with this and it shouldn’t take longer than a few days to fully transfer over. While it’s transferring, and once it has transferred, you will be informed by Bluehost of its progress.
Go to the main Dashboard in Bluehost and scroll down to where you see “Website” and press “Install WordPress” on Bluehost. This is probably the most important step that you’ve been looking for. If you want to start a WordPress blog on Bluehost then continue reading:

8. If you need the link to get to this screen above, check your email. You should have received a welcome email from Bluehost, find and click on the button that says “One Click Install.” If you have clicked on the Install WordPress, you will now see a Mojo screen. Press “Continue Installation” to proceed.

9. Select your domain for WordPress installation. Now you will need pick your domain name which is installed from the dropdown menu.

10. Once you’ve selected your domain you want to use, now press “Next”

11. You should now see “Advanced Options.” This is where you choose your username and password for your WordPress website. Use something unique that cannot be guessed easily!

12. Tick the box “Automatically create a new database for this installation”

13. Click “Install Now.”

Voila! You now have created an official WordPress blog on Bluehost! 🙂 Time to celebrate!!!

Now for the fun part: Blogging and picking your own blog theme! There are so many awesome WordPress themes available for free or you can buy one from Mojo Marketplace for around $59. Make sure whatever theme you buy is mobile friendly, though! Have fun and good luck!

Here are some more business, money, travel and blogging-related posts you should read, share or save for later reading:

How to make money while you travel
Here’s What Happened When I Quit my Job
10 Ways to Travel For Free if You’re Broke
How to Make Money as a Blogger: 8 Lessons for Going from 0 to $50,000 per Month
What’s the Cost of Social Media Marketing?
Growth Hacking: What is it?

What Is Influencer Outreach, How To Do It

In a nutshell, Influencer Outreach or Blogger Outreach is the act of reaching out to bloggers or influencers to collaborate or mention your product or posts. And it’s really simple, you just need to follow a few rules.

PR and Blogger Outreach is as equally important as the product you create and vital to promoting your product and maintaining a steady flow of traffic to your website. It is very time-consuming, but highly rewarding when you do get a press write up, mention, blogger collaboration, or editorial placement. If you are financially able, hiring someone to do PR and Blogger Outreach for you is ideal. This task alone can be a full-time job, and if you don’t have the time, you will be missing a very crucial element to success.

So if you can’t hire someone yet, you will need to bite the bullet and DIY it for a while.

How to Do Blogger Outreach

At first it can be very intimidating for someone who has never done PR and Blogger Outreach but I assure you, it’s not that hard, you really just need to know a few do’s and don’ts –and be prepared to work your butt off.

Make sure you understand the amount of time it’s going to require to reach out to the right bloggers, editors, etc. It’s an ongoing effort that doesn’t end, and you will need to make a schedule so you can devote time to outreach as well as creating your content (or a product, whichever it is you do).

Create, Research, Write, Send, Follow-up and Repeat.

I think I must have sent 30 emails out before I got an interview and write up with Fast Company about my bicycle bag project. Be diligent and don’t give up! It WILL pay off.

If you plan to do your own PR, make sure you are currently creating or have created some kind of social media rapport before pitching your product to an influencer or editor, even if it’s just to Comment, Share or Re-Tweet an interesting news article they have written.

Make sure you are targeting the right blogs, magazines, etc.

Know Thy Writer. You can send email after email, but unless you research and “get to know” the writer and learn exactly what they cover, you’re wasting your time. For example, if you’re marketing a yoga wear product, don’t just reach out to general fashion bloggers, find those that focus on healthy living, yoga lifestyle, sustainable clothing, etc.

You can find and conduct research by going through sites such as Bloglovin’, and searching for relevant bloggers, reading their posts and then taking notes of their content that map to your product. Make a spreadsheet to keep track.

You can also contact bloggers in a more “automated” way, by using tools such as BuzzStream or HARO that save the time it takes to do influencer outreach. Another option is to outsource your PR / Blogger outreach by contacting one of many independent, professional Social Media Managers (freelancers) or agencies that represent bloggers who can manage the outreach campaigning on your behalf.

Once you know your target influencers, make a list of the contacts you’d like to reach out to. Emails are the best way to reach influencers, bloggers, editors. Make the emails concise and personal. Sending canned, lengthy, impersonal, copy-and-paste templates are a big ‘no-no’. We know when an email is a copy-and-paste and it’s not only offensive but it just feels like SPAM. If you need a guideline, I have provided one for you to use as a reference point.

Email Examples to Use for Influencer or Blogger Outreach

Hey/Dear/Hello _________, (use first names, never write ‘Dear Editor’)

My name is [YOUR NAME] and I’m the Social Media Community Manager at [YOUR BLOG NAME]. I came across your site and couldn’t help but appreciate a number of your posts. Feel free to add the title of a particular post here that you enjoyed.

[The pitch: With winter upon us it can be difficult to maintain clear and healthy looking skin. The frigid air takes its toll making our exposed skin dry, cracked, itchy and irritated. It’s this time of year, more than ever, when we need to take extra measures to battle back against the cruel cold.] You will want to write your own copy here, based on the subject or project you’re working on.

We’d love the chance to hear about you and your thoughts on [subject (i.e. winter skin care]. Let me know if this is something you’d be interested in and I’ll happily provide you with some more information!

Looking forward to hearing from you soon 🙂

-YOUR NAME

Basic Guidelines for Writing a Blogger Outreach Email

The first email you send should be quick and to the point. Address the person by their first name (PLEASE!)
Include relevant, supporting links.
Be enthusiastic about what you’re presenting, but don’t feel as though you need to write everything all at once.
Make it easy for them to send a quick yes response by ending the email with a “Let me know if this is something you’d be interested in and I’ll happily provide you with some more information!” or a quick, “Is this something you would be interested in?”

If they are interested, they will write back. Remember, keep it concise. If you don’t get to your point within the second or third sentence, you’ve probably lost her. Many of us use Gmail, so what grabs us or loses us is in the main subject line of the email. So make sure your subject line reads like a catchy headline to grab attention.

If and when you hear back from the editor or blogger, have your follow-up email prepared which outlines the details of your collaboration post, product, project, etc.

Again, keep it simple and to the point. Your message needs to be as concise as possible. Everyone is fighting for enough hours and minutes in the day. Don’t write your emails like I write blog posts. 🙂 Follow the KISS rules: ‘Keep it Simple, Stupid’.

A Good Example of a Follow-up Influencer Outreach Email

Hi Ava,

So nice to hear from you! Thanks for taking a minute to get back to me and letting us know that you’re interested. 😀

We’ve been talking a lot about [subject currently being pitched and discussed for blog submission]. To inform the public about [current subject], we created this helpful article but we also want to know what ideas, tips, and techniques you might have in mind.

We’d love for you to join in on the conversation and share a post on your blog that highlights [subject of blog post]. For example: [Provide subject examples, headline suggestions, etc.]

In order to further spread awareness, we’re going to be promoting a number of these posts via social media and putting together a fun Pinterest Board and Instagram posts to go along with the initiative.

If you have any questions about this please let me know. I’d be more than happy to help where I can.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Regards,
(Name Omitted)

This is just one example of a follow-up email you can draw inspiration from if you’re seeking collaboration with a blogger or social media manager. If you are doing PR outreach to gain attention for your product or service, you may want to hire someone or spend a little more time crafting a pitch that grabs attention.

Give it time for a response (up to 2 days), don’t stalk. Follow up with a quick, polite email if you haven’t heard anything back. But don’t stalk. It’s creepy and annoying and won’t earn any kind of brownie points.

Generally, if a blogger is interested and you have given him/her a way to respond quickly with a quick “yes, I’m interested, tell me more!” email, she will write back soon.

Note when contacting magazine editors: If the email addresses are not available online, you can call and ask for the specific editors’ email address if it is a magazine like Conde Nast or Hearst Publications.

Here’s an example of WHAT NOT TO DO When Doing Blogger Outreach

Dear Company,
(Error #1: She didn’t even know my name. I have made my contact info really easy to find)

My name is Name Omitted and I am a fashion student at University Name Omitted. Recently I started a fashion blog (Where’s the link?) and I have been gaining a fair amount of interest in it (How much?). At the moment my followers are still quite low (How low are we talking about here?) however I hope that you can help me! (um.) I would love to collaborate with your brand! (Why?) This could be in a number of different ways.
I have listed some ideas.
1. -Exchange of clothing for posts on my social media and blog. (This would normally be a good idea for a business that produces products – if you have a large following or audience. It’s a win-win for everyone. Clothing costs a lot of money to give away. If you are a blogger or IG influencer without a following, asking for goods in exchange for promoting to a crowd of crickets is not attractive to a company. Build up your following before requesting free goods in exchange for promotional posts)
2. -A discount code that I can share with my followers. (This is a better idea)
3. -I could model a look book for your brand and post this on my social media. (This might be OK. I still need your website, blog and social media links)
4. -You could provide me with a small discount so I could buy a few of your clothes and post on social media. (Not a bad idea)
Or if you have your own suggestion feel free to share that with me! If you are interested I would love to have a chance to speak with you.
I hope to hear from you soon,

Kind regards,
Name Omitted

Her email wasn’t offensive and she was sweet and polite. But I immediately saw where she could improve. (I did write her back, btw, and we did collaborate)

Let’s look at an example of how she could have approached a product exchange collaboration with a well-researched and well-crafted email that would have given her immediate, positive results:

Subj.: Let’s Collaborate!

Dear Ava,

My name is [ NAME ] and I am a fashion blogger and a student at [UNIVERSITY/SCHOOL] studying Fashion Design. I recently discovered your brand on Instagram and I love your colorful collection as well as your brand statement. Although I am new to blogging, I would really love to collaborate with you on an Instagram project. I currently have XXX Followers on Instagram and XXX Subscribers on my blog, with XXX visits per day. You can check out my blog at Insert title and blog link here and my Instagram account: @instagramnamehere

I would love to discuss various ways in which we can collaborate. (i.e. A discount code for my Followers or a discount on your products in exchange for my blog posting and Instagram “look of the day”). If this is something you would be interested in, I look forward to hearing from you!

Best Regards,
[Blogger Name]

Example of a Good PR Product Pitch Email

Dear Whitney,

I wanted to reach out to you because I have a brand new bicycle bag collection that would be an excellent fit for your audience of fashion-savvy professionals. The brand is Carmichael Bike Bags and we are scheduled to launch on 2/12 with an estimated global reach of over 250,000 viewers per week.

We have just recently received a write-up in Fast Company and VeloJoy, and the momentum is growing! In exchange for your mention, we would be happy to add your post link and logo to our website.

If you are interested, please let me know and I can provide hi-res photos and any other info you need. Thank you!

Best Regards,
Ava Carmichael

[Provide links and contact info]

I am interested to hear what has worked for you in your outreach? Leave a comment below ?