STEP 1: DOMAIN HOSTING
The first step is to get your hosting in place, so head on over to Bluehost and click on that big green button.
Select a plan. The “plus” plan is the most popular and really does give you the most bang for your buck, but if you want to start with the “starter plan,” know you can always upgrade in the future if needed.
If you haven’t thought about what you want to call your blog, now’s the time. Try your best to match your domain to the title of your blog (e.g. our site name is Designer Blogs, so we chose the domain www.designerblogs.com). If the domain you are wanting isn’t available, try using different variations of your title (it will offer you some suggestions). If you already own a domain that you’d like to use, enter it in the area provided.
Now follow the instructions and enter in your account information, select your package details (the only one I recommend checking is the SiteLock Domain Security because it keeps your personal details private), and then enter in your billing information. Follow the remaining instructions and then your hosting account will be in place!
STEP 2: INSTALL WORDPRESS
Now that you have a hosting account in place for your domain, it’s time to install WordPress. This is where Bluehostmakes things super simple. Navigate to the “Hosting” tab at the top of the page and then click on “Install WordPress.”
Click the big green “Install” button.
Then select the domain you want to install WordPress to (you can leave the “directory” part blank). Then click “Check Domain.”
Click “Show advanced options” and enter in your site title (you can always change this later), choose your WordPress username and password. Check the box about creating a new database and check that you’ve read the terms (be sure to review them first). Then click “Install Now.”
You’ll see the progress of the install at the top of the page.
When the install is complete, click “View Credentials” and write down the login information so you will know how to log into your site. Now WordPress is installed to your domain and you can log in and get blogging! Easy peasy, right?
STEP 3: CONFIGURE SETTINGS
You can log into your site by going to yourdomain.com/wp-admin or by following the link from your credentials. This will bring you to the login area on the backend of your site. Enter in the login info you wrote down from the previous step and then click “Log In.”
First, let’s get your basic settings in place, so in your dashboard go to “Settings” and then “General.”
Enter in your site title, tagline, url, email and the other information it asks for and click “Save Changes.”
Now I highly recommend that you change your permalink settings for SEO purposes, so go to “Settings” and then “Permalinks” and then select the “Post name” option and click “Save Changes.” I also recommend that you click through each of the options under “Settings” to get the additional options set up like you want. You can also visit our tutorials page for additional help in getting the other areas of your site set up.
STEP 4: MAKE IT GORGEOUS!
Now it’s time to get your blog looking fabulous! You have a few options when it comes to the look of your site:
1) You can use one of the free generic themes that are included with your WordPress install. Go to “Appearance” and then “Themes” to find them. As you can see, they aren’t much to look at and there isn’t much variety, but if it’s not in your budget to spend money on a theme right now, then it’s a good place to start.
2) You can purchase a gorgeous StudioPress Theme. StudioPress has a huge collection of professional, minimalist themes that will take your blog to the next level. Click here to view all of their amazing designs.
3) You can hire a blog design company (like Designer Blogs!) to create a fabulous design for you. We offer very affordable blog templates and premade blog themes or if you want a one-of-a-kind blog design, you can consider purchasing a custom blog design or a custom website design. With this option, we do all the work and you just get to sit back and enjoy your fabulous new design!
I hope you’ve found this tutorial helpful. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and I’ll do my best to answer!
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