How To Setup a WordPress Blog on Hostgator

Disclosure: We are a professional review site that receives compensation from the companies whose products we review at no additional cost to you. We test each product thoroughly and give high marks to only the very best. We are independently owned and the opinions expressed here are our own.

By now you know that blogging has become something of a runaway entrepreneurial success. Many people are making thousands of dollars a month online by sharing personal experiences and talking about the things they love to do. Up to this point, the majority of my income has come from sales of my ebooks. However, I still credit the seeds of my success to the other three blogs I started back in 2011. Today, I’m going to walk you through the steps to easily create your own blog as well.

Throughout this tutorial, you will find my Hostgator affiliate links so that you can take advantage of my discount to go ahead and set up a WordPress blog on Hostgator today!

Get started on setting up a WordPress blog and then continue to the tutorial.

I have made this tutorial available for free because I know the frustration of setting up a new blog. Call this tutorial my little slice of karma. I wasted tons of time trying to figure out how to get my blog setup, and all the information I found was either an advertisement for a course or asking for a fee to walk me through the steps following this introductory paragraph. After transferring from one host to another, I was literally burned out which took me even longer to make the switch to a self-hosted WordPress site.

Why do I even need a self-hosted website instead of a freebie WordPress.com or Blogger.com one? There are many reasons why you should go with a self-hosted website if you’re serious about turning your blog into a business. On top of that list is the freedom to advertise (both sponsored and ads purchased on your site) and the ability to display affiliate links.

WordPress.com does not allow ads unless you’re grandfathered in under an old clause that was in effect many years ago. All of the ad networks and affiliate programs that I belong to require a self-hosted site. Doing so simply looks more professional and sends the message that you’re serious about your business.

Read more tips on the basics of starting a blog and why you should most definitely be on a self-hosted platform.

I chose Hostgator after trying out several host companies. I have found Hostgator has a first class customer service group and were quick to respond to several of my inquiries. My downtime has been literally non-existent which is extremely important when setting up an online business. You get WordPress for free through Hostgator and the process for setting up the WP engine gets handled through your cPanel. Honestly, I can’t think of a single thing that has ever caused me enough stress to move my account away from Hostgator. After going through 2 transfers, I’m glad to have found a company with the level of professional expertise and reliability I need to be successful.

Click here to get started!

Part 1 SignUp for Hostgator

1. Register your domain name. Make sure you’ve thought this one through before taking this critical first step. I’ve covered a few simple ways you can get started with your brainstorm session in the Bloggerly Life Series. At first, I could not come up with a niche-specific name. However, after having lunch with a girlfriend one day, we talked about my ideal reader and that the best niche for Live Well… Be Fabulous was going to be created the Lifestyle group. The Bloggerly Life articles above will give you more tips and pointers on how to conquer the “choose a name” stumbling block. Click here to register your chosen domain name. After completing the signup process, then you’ll need to login into the customer portal with the provided credentials in the welcome email that Hostgator will send you. Make sure you select the option for domain privacy as well. You do not want everybody on the Internet to know your personal details (address, phone number, etc.) which is what will happen if you do not select this service.

2. Set up your nameservers if you didn’t already do so during the setup. I chose to set mine later in the process because I’m both familiar and comfortable with setting up domains. If you’re setting up a new Hostgator account, then you’ll receive several welcome emails that confirm your purchase. Inside these emails, you’ll find information on how to login to your cPanel and billing account (Yes, they are separate). Use the temporary passwords to log in. You can always change your password after logging into cPanel. If you have an existing domain sharing plan such as Baby then you have many goodies available at your fingertips: unlimited storage and the ability to add unlimited domains. Steps

3. Adding a domain to an existing host account. Login to your cPanel and click “Add on domain”. Enter your new domain’s name and hit enter. Create a password. Once you’ve created your password then click on “Add domain”.

4. Redirect your new domain to the main host domain. In my case, theArtsyCraftGirl.com will be redirected to livewellbefabulous.com as shown in the above diagram. The nameservers are the same for both domains.

5. Time to Install WordPress – Here comes the fun part. We’re going to install WordPress on our new domain. Login to your cPanel and scroll all the way down to the section labeled software and services. Click on the quick install icon. A collage of categories will pop up in a new window.  Click “Install WordPress”.

Part Two: Installing WordPress on Your New Hostgator Blog

We have finally come to the exciting part. In showbiz, the announcer likes to take center stage at this point in the game and say… drumroll please! Rest assured that setting up a WordPress blog on Hostgator is relatively simple. The MOJO Marketplace software does the majority of the hard work for you. It takes only a few simple steps to have the backbones for your new business (aka your blog) all setup and ready for customization. These instructions contain a simplified version of the directions found on Hostgator’s website.

1. Login to your cPanel (you’ll receive login credentials in an email from Hostgator), navigate to the MOJO Marketplace icon
2. In the Software/Services section click on the Quick Install button (3rd button from the left). A popup window will appear.
3. In the left menu under Popular Installs, click WordPress and then click Install WordPress.
4. Complete the form that pops up in the next window. Here’s a numerical breakdown of what you’re seeing in the above diagram:
   1. Your base domain name. Don’t mess up and add your host domain name to the subdirectory the way I did the first time around. It took me forever to get the names straightened out.
   2. Subdirectory for your site to load from if desired. Again… please understand what you’re doing here and don’t find yourself stuck with an extra extension on your new domain’s name the way I managed to do.
   3. Choose which email address you’d like to have your password emailed to and make sure the email address is in working condition.
   4. Enter the title of your website. Make sure you don’t misspell anything as this name will be appearing in your site’s header each time it’s loaded.
   5. Enter your preferred username. Make it unique and don’t use something generic such as “admin”. Hackers would love for you to do this. Trust me.
   6. Enter your first name.
   7. Enter you last name.
   8. Click Install WordPress! Important note: Write down, memorize, and cherish your username and password. I lost mine after the install and had to go through several steps just to be able to log back in to my new website.

Guess what? You are now the proud owner of a shiny new WordPress blog on Hostgator. If after signing up for Hostgator and you find yourself stuck, confused, etc. and have questions about plans, pricing, or bandwidth usage then feel free to reach out to me via email and we can work through your questions together.

That’s it! Now comes the exciting part… producing high-quality content! Have fun!

**The article How to Setup a WordPress Blog on Hostgator first appeared on Live Well… Be Fabulous**