How to Change Your Domain Name on Bluehost: A Step-by-Step Guide

Changing your domain name on Bluehost can seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. Whether you’re rebranding your business or simply want to change your domain name, Bluehost makes it easy to do so. In this article, we’ll walk you through the steps of changing your domain name on Bluehost.

Step 1: Back Up Your Website

Before you begin changing your domain name on Bluehost, it’s important to back up your website. This way, you can restore your website in case anything goes wrong during the process.

To back up your website, log in to your Bluehost account and navigate to the cPanel. From there, click on the “Backup” icon and select “Download a Full Website Backup.” Follow the prompts to create a backup of your website files and database.

Step 2: Purchase Your New Domain Name

The next step is to purchase your new domain name. You can do this through Bluehost or through a third-party domain registrar. If you’re purchasing your domain name through Bluehost, log in to your account and navigate to the “Domains” tab. From there, click on “Register a New Domain” and follow the prompts to purchase your new domain name.

Step 3: Add Your New Domain Name to Your Bluehost Account

Once you’ve purchased your new domain name, you need to add it to your Bluehost account. To do this, log in to your Bluehost account and navigate to the cPanel. From there, click on the “Domains” icon and select “Assign a Domain to Your cPanel Account.” Follow the prompts to add your new domain name to your account.

Step 4: Create a New Folder for Your Website Files

Now that you’ve added your new domain name to your Bluehost account, you need to create a new folder for your website files. To do this, log in to your Bluehost account and navigate to the cPanel. From there, click on the “File Manager” icon and select “New Folder.” Name the folder after your new domain name and click “Create New Folder.”

Step 5: Move Your Website Files to the New Folder

Once you’ve created a new folder for your website files, you need to move your website files to the new folder. To do this, navigate to your current website folder in the cPanel’s File Manager. Select all of the files in the folder and click “Move.” In the “To Directory” field, enter the path to your new folder (e.g. public_html/newdomain.com). Click “Move File(s)” to move your website files to the new folder.

Step 6: Update Your Website Configuration Files

Now that you’ve moved your website files to the new folder, you need to update your website configuration files to reflect the new domain name. This includes your WordPress configuration files, if you’re using WordPress.

To update your WordPress configuration files, log in to your Bluehost account and navigate to the cPanel. From there, click on the “File Manager” icon and navigate to the wp-config.php file in your new website folder. Right-click on the file and select “Edit.” In the file, look for the following lines of code:

define(‘WP_SITEURL’, ‘http://www.olddomain.com‘); define(‘WP_HOME’, ‘http://www.olddomain.com‘);

Replace “olddomain.com” with your new domain name (e.g. “newdomain.com”). Save the changes to the file.

Step 7: Update Your DNS Settings

Video Tutorial

Check out this video for more related info about change domain name on bluehost with Bluehost

If you are just starting out online, then you cannot go wrong with Bluehost shared hosting plan, click here to select your Bluehost plan.