In my 6 years of blogging experience, I have used Bluehost for 2. For the first 4 years, I used Digital Ocean and I’m just going to be nice and spare you the rant about the multitude of problems I experienced with them. 

In this article, I’ll help you make a decision on whether Bluehost is a good WebHost for your blog. 

Spoiler alert: I’ve had an overwhelmingly positive experience with Bluehost for the past 2 years

 

Is Bluehost a good WebHost for my blog?

 

Think of the internet as a big piece of land. Just like you would need to buy a piece of land to build your house,  you need to buy a space on the internet for your blog to be set up. A blogging host helps you buy and secure this plot!

Bluehost is one of the best WebHosts due to the many benefits it provides to both newbie or advanced bloggers.

 

1. Bluehost is affordable

 

Blogging is a business. As such, one of your goals should be to keep your expenses as low as possible. Plus, you might not have all the money in the world to invest in the beginning. For all the great features it provides, Bluehost is the best WebHost for your blog business as it truly is affordable. 

You can get started at only $2.75 per month. This deal also includes a FREE domain name (which goes for at least $15), custom email address, and free daily backups for your blog, at no extra cost to you!

Your domain name is your website address. For example, my domain name is thewealthtribe.com.

 

2. Free domain name

Cha-ching! You start off by saving $15! Bluehost will give you a free domain name for one year to go with your hosting plan.  

I’ll show you how to get this gift in a few! 

 

3. Unlimited storage and email addresses 

If you want to appear professional to your readers and future buyers of your digital products such as e-books, webinars, and courses, you should have a professional email address such as yourname@yourdomain.com

With other web hosts, you’ll have to pay extra for such email addresses, but Bluehost provides this for FREE too. When do these freebies stop flowing??! 

 

4. Blog security 

The freebies don’t stop! You’ll get a FREE SSL certificate that ensures your blog is safe from spam experts and hackers. 

“An SSL certificate is a bit of code on your web server that provides security for online communications. When a web browser contacts your secured website, the SSL certificate enables an encrypted connection. It’s kind of like sealing a letter in an envelope before sending it through the mail.” – thawte.com

 

5. Daily automatic backups

Imagine building your blog for years, then losing all your content (articles, images, videos, etc)  in seconds because you forgot to back up? Bluehost will never let you go through that!

Bluehost backs up your blog every day which makes it easy and fast to restore your blog in case anything goes wrong.

 

6. Unlimited websites

With the Bluehost Plus plan, you get unlimited websites. Yes, as many as you’d want! You may not think that this is a useful benefit if you’re a beginner blogger, but as your blog and business grow, it becomes a necessity to have additional websites and domains.

 

7. It’s easy to use

Even your grandma could do it! Bluehost understands that internet jargon and the complexity of tech might be the reason you’re yet to start blogging. They have an easy-to-use interface, you’ll have your site up and running in less than 5 mins! I’ll show you how in a few.

 

8. Bluehost is recommended by WordPress

WordPress and Bluehost are 100% compatible, meaning you’ll have fewer technical errors (read headaches!) to deal with. And, If you sign up for Bluehost, you get WordPress for FREE. What more could you ask for?

 

9. Impeccable customer support

They have fast and impeccable 24/7 customer service, which is something you need because you’ll need reliable technical support once in a while. 

 

10. 30-Day Money-back guarantee

Don’t we all just love this? You’ll get a full refund if you cancel within 30 days, which is enough time to start and get your blogging business going. 

Keep in mind that if you claim a free domain, they’ll deduct the cost from your refund. This is only fair because they can’t take away your domain!

 

11. It’s easy to install WordPress and get started blogging!

It’s high time I showed you how!

 

How to start a blog for free on Bluehost

 

Here’s a quick overview of the process: 

 

Step 1 – Sign up for blog hosting

Step 2 – Install WordPress

Step 3 – Pick a theme for your website

Step 4 – Start blogging!

 

To set your blog website, you need two things:

 

• A Blogging Platform – The place you will make edits and write your blog posts (articles).

 

• Hosting – A space on the internet where your new blog lives. 

 

Step 1 – Sign up for blog hosting

 

My number #1 blogging host recommendation is Bluehost. It’s is very popular with bloggers and other sites because they’ve been in the business long enough to understand everything you need to get started and thrive in your blog business.

They host over 2 million websites!

I’m sure at this point you’re wondering…

 

Why do you need a self-hosted blog?

You may decide to go for a free blog from free services such as Blogger, Tumblr WordPress.com.  Do you take people/websites who have websites that look like this: thewealthtribe.wordpress.com or thewealthtribe.blogger.com seriously? Because I don’t and most people won’t take you seriously or perceive you as a professional if you start such a blog. 

Unless it’s your personal online journal and you have zero ambitions to turn your blog into a money-making business, DON’T start a free blog.  

Having a self-hosted blog through Bluehost is your best bet. Paying for self-hosting immediately makes you the owner, the boss which gives you 100% control to monetize it and turn it into a successful business.

Commit to set yourself up for success from day 1.

Step by step Bluehost and WordPress set up

If you get lost as you go through this process, email me at agatha@thewealthtribe.com or leave a comment at the end of this article. I will help you.

Click here to begin then click the Get Started button as shown above.

Next, select your web hosting plan. The basic plan is fine if you’re a beginner in blogging. You can always upgrade your plan later if you need more services.

Next, you’ll set up your website address (domain name). For example, my domain name is thewealthtribe.com.

If you already have a domain name, you can type it under “use a domain you own” as shown on the right below.

If you’re a beginner and don’t have a registered domain, type in the domain of your choice in the first box as shown below.

Fill in your account and billing information.

You will get more value from your money if you use the 36-month plan – this will lower your monthly costs and you don’t have to think about making hosting payments for over 2 years!

Note: Bluehost will charge you for an entire year upfront – that’s what enables them to charge under $4 a month.

I use the 36-month plan. Of course, this is optional. Choose the plan that works for you.

Next, fill in your payment info.

Congratulations! You’re the official owner of a blog and top tier hosting plan!

Bluehost will send you a welcome email to confirm your new account.

Create a strong password for your account. Don’t share it with anyone, that’s the key to your new blogging business!

Next, log in to your brand new Bluehost account and start familiarizing yourself with your dashboard.

If you feel lost or confused at any time during the sign-up process, you can ask for help from the Bluehost Customer Service team via the Live Chat (a blue button on your right)

If you need help designing your blog, choosing a theme, connecting Bluehost to WordPress or anything else to do with blogging, head over to this detailed article.