Multiple WordPress Sites on One Hosting BlueHost
WordPress is the number one content management system (CMS) used on the internet today. Its popularity is only expected to grow as more and more people discover its simplicity and versatility. If you’re looking to launch a blog or website, you’ve probably already considered what platform you’re going to use.
While you could feasibly launch a WordPress blog using just your phone or computer, doing so would be rather tedious. The good news is that WordPress is completely cloud-based, which means you can use a range of devices, from desktop computers to mobile phones, to access your blog regardless of where you are. This makes WordPress a great choice for anyone wanting to blog or website.
In this guide, we’ll discuss how to set up multiple sites on a single host, using Bluehost as an example host. Bluehost is an extremely popular choice for new blog owners who want to get up and running as quickly and painlessly as possible. Not only does Bluehost offer a free domain, but it also comes with a premium package that includes features like free backups, free domain privacy, and free caching. Most importantly, though, is that Bluehost is extremely simple to use and set up.
Why Bluehost?
Launching a new site is a lot of work, and it can take a while to get going. The good news is that once you do, the income can be relatively stable, at least in the short term. Once you’ve established your blog, your efforts can be focused on expanding your audience instead of building up the content on your site.
The above paragraphs explain why so many people choose to blog. To get started, you’re going to need a web host that understands what a blog is and that can support multiple sites. Bluehost is the perfect choice for this purpose as it comes with all the necessary tools you need to create a professional-looking blog without any trouble at all.
How To Set Up Multiple Blogs or Websites On Bluehost
The first step to setting up multiple blogs or websites on Bluehost is to sign up for a free account. Once you’ve done this, you’ll be taken to a page that explains the various features that come with your account. A good portion of these features are dedicated to supporting multiple sites, so take a look at how to set these up effectively.
1. Create Your First Site
To create your first site on Bluehost, simply enter the domain you’d like to use for your site in the box that appears and click the button to continue. You’ll then be brought to the WordPress dashboard, which will explain the features and tools at your disposal. From here, you can click on the Get Started button to continue to the installation process.
As mentioned, Bluehost is the perfect choice for those wanting to blog. This is because it comes with a one-click install for WordPress, and from there, you can launch a fully functioning blog in no time at all. To add another site to your account, simply repeat the above steps and enter the domain for the second site in the second box.
2. Configure The Second Site
Once you’ve got your first site up and running, you’ll want to make sure that it’s configured properly. For many, this means adding a storey to their blog, which can be done by clicking on the Settings tab located at the top of the WordPress dashboard. Here you can find the settings for your two sites, which you can configure independently.
From here, you can alter a number of features for your second site, like the email it uses for notifications, the pingdom analysis tool, and more. You can also activate the Jetpack plugin for the second site to get a taste of what the extra functionality within WordPress offers. Once you’re happy with the settings on your first site, you can move onto the next step.
3. Install And Set Up The Plugin
After you’ve configured your two sites, you can move onto the next step which is to install and set up the Jetpack plugin for your second site. This plugin will make adding additional functionality to your site easy and painless. Once the plugin has been installed onto your second site, click on it in your WordPress dashboard to be brought to the settings page. Here, you can find a number of handy tools to make your blogging experience easier. For example, you can set up automatic email sends for blog posts, schedule posts to go live at certain times, and track the performance of your blog.
You can also use the Jetpack plugin to upgrade WordPress, which is something you should do at least once a year. Having said that, staying on top of security issues is an important consideration whenever you’re carrying out major changes to your site’s code. When upgrading WordPress, you’ll often be presented with a number of security questions that need to be answered before you can go ahead with the process.
4. Install And Set Up The Theme
Another important step to taking your blog or website to the next level is to install and use a theme. As the name would suggest, a theme is used to decorate your site with a unique and stylish look that draws the attention of readers. Bluehost comes with a variety of themes that you can use to decorate your site. To get started, simply click on the Appearance button located at the top of your WordPress dashboard and select Themes from the drop-down menu.
Here you can discover a collection of themes that are quick and easy to install and use. Once you’ve made your selection, click on Install The Theme and you’ll be presented with a brief installation wizard. Simply follow the on-screen instructions to get your blog up and running in no time at all.
On this same page, you can also find and install a variety of plugins that can be used to enhance your blog’s functionality. With plugins, you don’t necessarily need a theme as many plugins work in conjunction with existing WordPress themes to provide additional features.
5. Configure Email Marketing
If you’ve got a sizable audience, it’s likely that you’ll want to consider setting up email marketing. With email marketing, you can harness the power of the crowd by sending out notifications to people who’ve signed up to receive them. These notifications can come in a variety of forms, such as weekly or monthly newsletters, offers and discounts, and more. You can use tools like MailChimp to quickly and easily set up and send out these emails.
WordPress makes it easy to integrate email marketing into your blogging experience. The best part is that you don’t necessarily need a third-party tool to provide this service, you can do it all from within the WordPress dashboard. To set up a regular email newsletter for your blog, simply click on the Email Marketing button located at the top of your WordPress dashboard and select Create New List.
Here, you can create a new list that you can use to send out email notifications. You can also configure the email frequency for your list, as well as define how you want your emails to look. When you’ve finished defining your list, click on Create List and you’ll be brought to a similar page where you can define the content for your newsletter. You can use this same page to send out your first email to your list.
6. Customize Your Site’s URL
If you’ve ever shopped online, you’ll probably be familiar with the frustration of trying to figure out what URL (uniform resource locator) to use for your website or blog. This step is critical as it sets the stage for how others will find and access your content. To help remove this frustration, Bluehost allows you to customize the URL of your site, no matter which domain you use. To make this process easier, simply click on the Settings button within your WordPress dashboard and select the General section from the drop-down menu. Here, you can change the URL of your site to whatever you like.
You can use this same section to find and replace the words `.blog` and `.com` with your own custom domain name.
7. Generate An SEO-Friendly URL
The last step of the configuration process is to generate an SEO (search engine optimization)-friendly URL for your blog or website. To do this, simply enter the URL of your blog or website in the box that appears and click on the button to generate a new URL.
Here, you can select from a number of options that will help make your URL more SEO friendly. These include creating category pages for your blog, getting your content indexed quickly by using a GEO (global entry order) file, and more.