How to Install WordPress on Bluehost

Introduction

Installing WordPress on Bluehost is one of the quickest ways to put a new site online, even if you have never touched web hosting before. Bluehost includes a guided installer that handles the technical work, so you do not have to manage databases or edit code manually.

In this tutorial, you will create your Bluehost account, connect your domain, run the one-click installer, and log in to your new WordPress dashboard. The final section also shows an optional manual installation method for situations where you need extra control.

What You Need to Start

A few simple things are required before you install WordPress on Bluehost. Getting these ready first makes the whole process smoother.

• An active Bluehost hosting plan (Shared, WordPress, or similar) with your login details.
• A domain name that can be connected to your Bluehost account, either registered during signup or already owned elsewhere.
• Access to the email address used for your Bluehost account so you can receive login and confirmation emails.
• Ten to twenty minutes of uninterrupted time to complete all steps in one session.

If you are still comparing providers, review How to choose the best WordPress hosting so you can choose a plan that fits your long-term goals.

Step 1: Create Your Bluehost Hosting Account

You must create and activate a Bluehost account before you can install WordPress. During this process, you pick a plan, connect or register a domain, and set up secure login details.

Pick a hosting plan

1. Open your browser and visit the Bluehost website.
2. Click the Get Started button on the homepage.
3. Select a hosting plan such as Basic or Choice Plus based on your budget and expected traffic.
4. When prompted to choose a domain, either search for a new domain or select the option to use a domain you already own.

Enter account and payment information

5. Fill in your Account Information with your name, address, and contact email.
6. Review the Package Information area, choose a billing term (for example, 12 or 36 months), and uncheck any extras you do not want.
7. Provide your payment details and finalize the purchase.

Create your password and log in

8. After the purchase completes, follow the on-screen prompt to create a secure password for your Bluehost login and confirm it.
9. Sign in to the Bluehost Account Manager using your email or domain and the password you just set.

On the Bluehost homepage, click Get Started to open the plan selection screen and walk through the signup process step by step.

How to verify: The Bluehost Account Manager dashboard should appear with a left-side menu containing Websites, Marketplace, and Advanced. If login fails, use the Forgot Password link to reset your credentials and try again.

Step 2: Confirm Your Domain and SSL on Bluehost

Before you install WordPress, make sure Bluehost recognizes your domain and that the free SSL certificate is active. This step prevents confusing browser security warnings later.

Check domain ownership and status

1. From the Bluehost dashboard, look near the top for any prompts to verify your email or domain ownership and complete those steps.
2. In the left menu, click Websites to view the list of sites associated with your account.
3. If your domain already appears with a WordPress icon, Bluehost may have auto-installed WordPress. Note this for later and continue to confirm the details.

Confirm SSL is active

4. Click your domain or its Settings / Edit Site option to open the site details screen.
5. Confirm that the domain status shows as Primary or correctly assigned to your plan.
6. Locate the SSL section and check that it shows as Active, Enabled, or similar language.

Inside the Bluehost Account Manager, select Websites in the left navigation and then click your domain to see its current status and SSL details.

How to verify: Your domain should appear in the Websites list with no warning icons, and the SSL section should not show activation errors. If SSL is still provisioning, wait a few minutes before running the WordPress installer.

Step 3: Install WordPress from the Websites Tab

Bluehost provides a one-click WordPress installer inside the Websites section. Using this tool is the easiest way to install WordPress on Bluehost for beginners.

Launch the installer

1. While logged in to Bluehost, click Websites in the left-side menu.
2. On the Websites page, select the ADD WEBSITE or Create Site button on the right.
3. When asked what type of site to create, choose Install WordPress and click CONTINUE.

Enter basic site details

4. Type a SEO and UX, and where you will see it in daily work.”>Site Title, such as your brand or blog name, then click CONTINUE.
5. Pick the domain where you want to install WordPress from the Domain dropdown list.
6. Leave the directory field empty if you want WordPress at the root of the domain (for example, https://example.com). Enter a folder name only if you want a subdirectory install like https://example.com/blog.

Confirm options and install

7. Review any suggested plugins or themes and uncheck items you prefer not to install automatically.
8. Click INSTALL or CONTINUE to start the WordPress installation on your Bluehost account.

From the Websites tab, click ADD WEBSITE, select Install WordPress, choose your domain, and confirm the installation settings to complete this step.

How to verify: After a brief delay, a success message should appear stating that your site was created, along with a Log into WordPress button. Your new WordPress site will also appear under Websites with a WordPress logo beside the domain.

Step 4: Complete the WordPress Setup Wizard

After the installer finishes, log in to WordPress for the first time and complete the basic setup. This is where you tell Bluehost and WordPress what kind of site you are building.

Open your WordPress dashboard

1. On the installation success screen, click Log into WordPress. You can also open the Websites tab and click Log into WordPress next to your new site.
2. WordPress opens in a new browser tab, showing the admin area for your site.

Walk through onboarding

3. Bluehost may display an onboarding screen with options such as AI Site Creator, Import an Existing WordPress Site, or building a brand-new site. For a fresh install, choose the option that starts a new site from scratch.
4. Answer the prompts about your site type, such as Blog, Business, or Store. Any step that does not apply can usually be skipped.
5. When asked to select a theme, either pick a starter theme or skip this step and choose one later under Appearance > Themes.
6. When onboarding finishes, WordPress redirects you to the main Dashboard screen.

From the Bluehost Websites list, use the Log into WordPress button anytime you want quick access to the WordPress admin dashboard.

How to verify: The left side of the screen should show the WordPress admin menu with items like Posts, Pages, Appearance, and Plugins. In the browser address bar, you should see your domain followed by /wp-admin.

When you are ready to add content, follow How to create a blog on WordPress to publish your first article.

Step 5: Test Your New WordPress Site on Bluehost

Now that WordPress is installed, check that the front end of your site loads correctly and that SSL works as expected. Simple tests at this stage help you avoid bigger problems later.

View your site like a visitor

1. Open a new browser tab and type your domain name, for example https://example.com.
2. Press Enter and wait for the homepage to load.
3. Look for a padlock icon in the address bar and confirm that the URL begins with https://.
4. Scroll down to check for default WordPress content such as the “Hello world” post or a starter homepage.
5. Click a sample post or page and make sure internal links work correctly.

Fix common first-visit issues

Sometimes Bluehost displays a “Coming Soon” page instead of your new WordPress homepage. If that happens, log in to WordPress and either disable any coming soon plugin or publish your homepage so visitors see the real site.

Visit your domain in a fresh browser tab again after making changes so you can confirm that the WordPress homepage appears as expected.

How to verify: Your site should load quickly over HTTPS, and the links you click should not return 404 errors. If something looks wrong, double-check that the correct domain is attached to your site in Bluehost and that SSL still shows as active.

To keep your site secure from the first day, read Beginner WordPress security best practices guide and WordPress seo complete beginners guide and apply those tips to your new installation.

Step 6: Optional Manual WordPress Install on Bluehost

Most people should rely on the one-click installer. A manual WordPress install is useful when you need extra control for migrations, custom setups, or advanced troubleshooting.

Download WordPress

1. Visit the official WordPress.org Download page.
2. Download the latest WordPress package as a ZIP file and save it to your computer.

Upload and extract WordPress files

3. In your Bluehost dashboard, click Advanced to open the cPanel view.
4. Choose File Manager.
5. Open the public_html directory or another folder where you want WordPress installed.
6. Click Upload and upload the WordPress ZIP file from your computer.
7. After the upload completes, select the ZIP file in File Manager, click Extract, and confirm the extraction path.

Create a database and user

8. Back in cPanel, click MySQL Databases.
9. Create a new database and note the database name.
10. Create a new database user with a strong password.
11. Assign this user to the database with All Privileges selected.

Edit wp-config.php

12. Open File Manager again and locate wp-config-sample.php in your WordPress folder.
13. Rename the file to wp-config.php.
14. Edit wp-config.php and update the database settings to match the database and user you created.

Your database settings will look similar to this example:

define( 'DB_NAME', 'your_database_name' ); define( 'DB_USER', 'your_database_user' ); define( 'DB_PASSWORD', 'your_secure_password' ); define( 'DB_HOST', 'localhost' ); 

Run the manual installation wizard

15. In your browser, visit your domain or the folder where you installed WordPress to start the installation wizard.
16. Enter your Site Title, Username, Password, and Email when prompted.
17. Finish the wizard and then log in to your WordPress dashboard with the credentials you just created.

In cPanel’s File Manager, you should now see the extracted WordPress files in the correct directory, such as public_html.

How to verify: After the manual setup wizard completes, visit https://yourdomain.com/wp-admin and sign in with your new admin account. The dashboard should load, and the public site should behave like the installation you tested in Step 5.

Conclusion: You Are Ready to Go

Review what you have accomplished

By following these steps, you have installed WordPress on Bluehost, logged in to your new admin dashboard, and confirmed that the site loads securely over HTTPS. Hosting, domain, and WordPress are now working together to serve your content.

Plan your next actions

The next phase is all about customization and growth. Choose a theme, configure essential plugins, and start publishing content that matches your goals.

To ensure you do not miss any important launch tasks, compare your progress with the WordPress migration checklist for blogs and adjust your setup where needed.

Further Reading

Recommended guides for new site owners

• How to install a WordPress theme
• Beginner guide to WordPress speed optimization
• Beginner Guide to WordPress Speed Optimization
• WordPress seo complete beginners guide
• WordPress migration checklist for blogs

Frequently Asked Questions

General Bluehost and WordPress questions