Point Bluehost DNS to WP Engine

Last updated on June 28th, 2021

If your domain registrar is Bluehost, this guide will help you configure your Bluehost DNS settings to point to WP Engine. This is a required step to go live with your domain on the WP Engine platform.

Table of Contents

1. Locate DNS Information

2. Log in to Bluehost

3. Remove A Record

4. Configure CNAME Records

5. Verify DNS Records

NOTE: Before proceeding with any DNS changes, be sure to add your domain in the WP Engine User Portal!

Locate DNS Information

In order to configure your DNS records you first need to know what CNAME value to point to.

Login to the User Portal
Click on the Environment name you wish to find the DNS information for
Click Domains
The values will be located within the DNS Details section

NOTE: Click the copy icon to the right of the CNAME value to copy the text, or simply keep this page open as you continue for easy copying.

NOTE: Additional methods to locate your IP address can be found here.

Log in to Bluehost

In a separate tab, log into www.bluehost.com
Select Domains on the left navigation
Locate the domain you will be pointing in the main navigation window
Select Manage
Click DNS

Remove A Record

On your Bluehost DNS editor page you will groups of various record types (Nameserver, A, CNAME, etc). Bluehost allows for CNAME (Alias) flattening, which means you can point both your www and non-www domain to a CNAME record value, in this case your WP Engine CNAME from Step 1. In order to do so, you must first remove any A record, which will be pointed to a static IP address, that could conflict.

Locate the A (Host) section
There is likely a host record here already for @, if so, click the 3 dot menu icon and select Remove
Once there are no records located under the A (Host) section for @, continue to the next step

NOTE: If you are pointing a subdomain (blog.somedomain.com, store.mydomain.com, etc.) this step can be skipped, as your apex record does not need to point to WP Engine.

Configure CNAME Records

In Bluehost, scroll down to the CNAME (Alias) section
If your www host record is already configured as a CNAME (Alias) record, click the 3 dot menu icon and select Edit

OR, if there is no record currently listed for www click Add Record

Configure the CNAME record as follows:
- Host Record: www
- Points to: [Enter your WP Engine CNAME value from Step 1 here]
- TTL: 4 hours
  - 4 hours is the minimum propagation for Bluehost. If you prefer a longer propagation time, increase this value.
Click Save

To add the second CNAME record for your apex domain (non-www), click Add Record

Configure a second CNAME record as follows:
- Host Record: @
- Points to: [Enter your WP Engine CNAME value from Step 1 here]
- TTL: 4 hours
  - 4 hours is the minimum propagation for Bluehost. If you prefer a longer propagation time, increase this value.
Click Save

Now all that’s left is to wait for the changes to propagate! Your completed DNS panel at Bluehost should look like the following:

Verify DNS Records

The last step will help confirm your records have been configured properly with Bluehost.

Login to the User Portal
Click on the Environment name you updated DNS for
Click Domains
A green check should appear next to each domain value if it is configured properly

If you see a grey icon, try refreshing the page in a few minutes. Propagation from Bluehost can take up to 4 hours.
If you see an orange or red icon, refer to this guide to learn what each status means and double check your steps above.
WP Engine Support is available 24 hours, 7 days a week if you require additional guidance.

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