How to Start a WordPress Blog on Bluehost in 2025

Q: How much does it cost to start a blog on Bluehost?

You can start your blog for as low as $1.99/month with the Basic plan if you choose a 12-month term, plus tax.

Starting a blog in 2025 is one of the smartest ways to build a personal brand, earn passive income, or grow your business online. And when it comes to launching your blog on WordPress, Bluehost is the easiest and most beginner-friendly platform to get started—especially if you have no technical background.

In fact, Bluehost is:

Officially recommended by WordPress.org
Used by millions of bloggers and entrepreneurs worldwide
Offers hosting + free domain + 1-click WordPress install
Perfect for starting your blog in under 30 minutes

This step-by-step guide will walk you through exactly how to start a blog using Bluehost—even if you’re starting from zero.

By the end of this tutorial, you’ll have:

Your own custom domain name
A secure WordPress site live on the internet
A clean theme and blog structure ready to publish
All the tools you need to grow and monetize

Read Detailed Review of Bluehost Hosting Services

Table of Contents

Step 1: Choose a Niche and a Blog Name

Before signing up for Bluehost, take a moment to define what your blog will be about.

Ask yourself:

What topics am I passionate about or experienced in?
Is there an audience searching for this?
Can I create content regularly in this niche?

✅ Popular blog niches in 2025:

Personal finance and side hustles
Health & fitness (especially mental health and self-care)
Food, travel, and lifestyle
AI tools and productivity
Digital marketing or SEO
Career tips or remote work

Once you decide your niche, brainstorm a blog name that:

Reflects your topic or personal brand
Is easy to remember and spell
Has an available .com domain (we’ll check this in the next step)

Tip: You can use tools like Namechk or LeanDomainSearch to find name ideas fast.

Step 2: Sign Up for Bluehost and Claim Your Free Domain

Once you’ve finalized your niche and blog name, it’s time to get your website online. Bluehost makes this super easy, even if you’ve never built a site before.

Here’s how to sign up step-by-step and get your free domain for the first year.

🔹 Step-by-Step: How to Sign Up for Bluehost

👉 Go to Bluehost.com

Click on the “Get Started” button. You’ll be taken to a page showing Bluehost’s shared hosting plans.

🔍 Which Bluehost Plan Should You Choose?

Here’s a quick breakdown of the best plans for beginners:

Plan	Best For	Promo Price (12 mo)	Renewal
Basic	1 blog, personal site	$1.99/mo	$11.99/mo
Choice Plus	Multiple blogs, backups, privacy	$3.95/mo	$15.99/mo
eCommerce Essentials	Blogs + product selling	$6.45/mo	$18.99/mo

✅ Recommended: Choose Basic if you’re starting one blog.
If you’re planning to run multiple websites or want daily backups + domain privacy, go for Choice Plus.

Explore what you get in each Bluehost tier with this full Bluehost plan pricing walkthrough. And if you’re ready to buy, apply this discount Bluehost coupon code for an instant cut on your bill.

Click “Select” on your preferred plan.

📝 Set Up Your Domain

You’ll now see a screen where you can:

Create a new domain – Enter the blog name you came up with in Step 1
Or, use a domain you already own

📌 Tip: Choose a .com domain if it’s available. It’s the most trusted and brandable extension.

Click Next to continue.

🧾 Enter Your Details and Finalize Your Plan

Fill out your basic information—name, email, etc. Then review the package information.

Uncheck any extras you don’t need right now (like SiteLock or CodeGuard) to keep costs low.

✅ At this stage, you’ll see the final pricing based on your term selection. To get the best deal, choose 12 or 36 months for maximum savings.

Complete your payment and click Submit.

🎉 Congratulations! You’ve now registered your hosting and secured your domain name.

In the next step, we’ll install WordPress and get your blog online in minutes.

Step 3: Install WordPress and Launch Your Blog with One Click

Now that you’ve signed up for Bluehost and claimed your free domain, it’s time to bring your blog to life. The best part? Bluehost automatically installs WordPress for you—no technical steps, no downloads, no headaches.

Here’s what happens next:

🚀 Automatic WordPress Installation

Once your payment is processed, Bluehost will take you to the onboarding screen.
You’ll see a message like:

“Welcome to Bluehost. Let’s get started with WordPress.”

Click “Create Your Site”, and Bluehost will do the rest:

It sets up your hosting server
Installs the latest version of WordPress
Secures your site with a free SSL certificate
Connects your domain automatically

In under 2 minutes, you’ll have a fully functional WordPress dashboard ready to customize.

✨ Choose a Blog Template

After installation, Bluehost gives you the option to select a free WordPress theme. You can:

Choose from beginner-friendly themes like Astra, Kadence, or Hello Elementor
Skip this step if you want to install a theme later from the WordPress dashboard

Don’t stress about design at this point. Focus on getting the structure live—you can always change your theme later with one click.

🧭 Access Your WordPress Dashboard

After theme selection, click “Log into WordPress”. You’ll land on your WordPress admin panel, also known as the wp-admin dashboard.

This is where you’ll:

Write blog posts
Install plugins (like SEO or caching tools)
Customize your design
Add menus, pages, images, and more

✅ From now on, you can always access your dashboard at:
yourdomain.com/wp-admin

💡 Quick Tip: Bluehost also provides a simplified control panel on their end where you can manage:

Site backups
Performance settings
Staging (test) sites
Security and caching tools

Step 4: Choose the Right WordPress Theme for Blogging

Your WordPress theme is the visual foundation of your blog. It controls how your content looks, how fast your pages load, and how easy it is for visitors to navigate your site.

Luckily, Bluehost and WordPress offer thousands of themes—both free and premium—to suit every niche and blog type.

🎯 What to Look for in a WordPress Blog Theme

When selecting a theme for your Bluehost-powered blog in 2025, make sure it’s:

Mobile responsive – Looks great on all devices
Lightweight and fast – Doesn’t slow down your site (important for SEO)
SEO-friendly – Built with clean code and schema support
Customizable – Easy to tweak without coding
Compatible with Gutenberg and/or page builders like Elementor
Regularly updated – Works with the latest WordPress versions

✅ Best Free WordPress Blog Themes (Beginner Friendly)

Theme Name	Best For	Why Use It
Astra	Any blog niche	Fast, customizable, SEO-optimized
Kadence	Lifestyle, travel, personal blogs	Lightweight with built-in layouts
GeneratePress	Tech, finance, niche blogs	Minimalist and lightning-fast
Neve	Portfolio & freelancers	Simple, flexible design
Blocksy	Bloggers using Gutenberg Editor	Modern UI, header/footer builder

All of these are available directly in your WordPress dashboard under Appearance > Themes > Add New.

🛠️ How to Install a Theme

Go to your WordPress dashboard
Click on Appearance > Themes > Add New
Search for your preferred theme (e.g., “Astra”)
Click Install, then Activate

You can now start customizing the design, layout, fonts, and colors using the Customizer or the theme’s settings panel.

💡 Pro Tip: Start with a clean theme, then add branding (logo, color palette) later once your content is live.

Step 5: Install Essential Plugins to Grow Your Blog Fast

WordPress plugins are like apps for your blog. They extend your site’s functionality and help you with SEO, security, performance, and content growth—without needing to code.

Once your WordPress blog is live on Bluehost, installing the right set of plugins can save you hours of work and supercharge your growth from day one.

🧩 How to Install a Plugin in WordPress

From your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New
Search for the plugin name
Click Install Now, then Activate

That’s it. The plugin is now active on your blog!

✅ Must-Have Plugins for Every New Blog

Plugin Name	Purpose	Why You Need It
Yoast SEO or Rank Math	SEO optimization	Helps your content rank on Google
WPForms	Contact forms	Add contact or subscription forms easily
UpdraftPlus	Backups	Automatically backs up your blog
LiteSpeed Cache (or W3 Total Cache)	Speed optimization	Makes your blog faster and improves UX
Wordfence Security	Site protection	Scans and protects your blog from attacks
Site Kit by Google	Analytics + Search Console	Connects your blog to Google tools
Pretty Links	Affiliate link management	Cloaks and tracks affiliate URLs
Jetpack	Site stats + features (optional)	Offers backups, downtime alerts, CDN

💡 Pro Tip: Don’t install too many plugins—just what you need. Extra plugins can slow your site down or create conflicts.

With these essentials in place, your Bluehost-powered blog is not only live—it’s optimized for speed, search, and security.

Step 6: Write Your First Blog Post and Launch with Confidence

You’ve set up your blog on Bluehost, installed WordPress, selected a theme, and added essential plugins. Now comes the most exciting part: writing your first blog post and officially launching your site!

Whether you’re sharing personal stories, how-to guides, or niche expertise—your first post marks the beginning of your blogging journey.

📝 How to Write Your First Blog Post in WordPress

Go to your WordPress dashboard
Navigate to Posts > Add New
Enter a title (e.g., “Welcome to My Blog” or “10 Things You Didn’t Know About XYZ”)
Use the block editor to add paragraphs, images, headings, and lists
Preview the post to make sure everything looks good
Click Publish

Congratulations—your blog is now live!

✍️ Tips for Writing a Great First Post

Introduce yourself or the purpose of your blog
Keep the tone personal, helpful, and engaging
Use headings (H2, H3) to break up sections
Add at least 1 image for visual appeal
End with a call-to-action: invite readers to comment or follow

🚦 Don’t Wait for Perfect—Just Start

Most new bloggers delay publishing because they think their blog isn’t “ready.” The truth? You learn by doing. Your blog doesn’t need to be perfect—it just needs to be live.

Focus on writing helpful content regularly, optimizing for search, and promoting your blog. Over time, you’ll improve your writing, grow your traffic, and build authority.

Conclusion: You Just Started a Blog on Bluehost—Now What?

Congrats! 🎉 You’ve taken one of the smartest steps in 2025—starting a self-hosted WordPress blog on Bluehost. Whether you’re blogging for passion, income, or business growth, you now own your corner of the internet.

Here’s what to focus on next:

✅ Publish your first 5–10 high-quality blog posts
✅ Learn basic SEO and install tools like Yoast or Rank Math
✅ Share your blog on social media or Medium
✅ Build an email list using WPForms + Creative Mail
✅ Explore monetization (ads, affiliate marketing, digital products)

And most importantly—keep learning and publishing consistently.

🔥 Want to Save More?

Use this exclusive deal below to get started with Bluehost hosting + FREE domain + WordPress pre-installed:

👉 Get Bluehost at $1.99/mo + Free Domain + SSL

FAQs: Starting a Blog with Bluehost

Is Bluehost good for blogging in 2025?

Yes! Bluehost is officially recommended by WordPress.org and offers free domain, SSL, and easy WordPress installation—ideal for beginners.

Do I need coding knowledge to use Bluehost?

No coding required. Bluehost handles setup, WordPress install, and gives you a beginner-friendly dashboard.

Can I start a blog on Bluehost for free?

While Bluehost is not free, it’s highly affordable (starting at $1.99/month) and includes a free domain and SSL certificate—offering massive value.

How much does it cost to start a blog on Bluehost?

You can start your blog for as low as $1.99/month with the Basic plan if you choose a 12-month term, plus tax.

Can I make money with a Bluehost blog?

Absolutely. Many Bluehost users monetize with affiliate marketing, display ads, sponsored posts, and digital products.

How to Start a WordPress Blog on Bluehost in 2025 (Step-by-Step for Beginners)