How to Edit Your Bluehost Website: Complete FTP Tutorial

Edit Your Bluehost Website Without Limits

Bluehost is one of the most popular web hosts, but their built-in tools have limitations. Need to edit HTML? Customize beyond their templates? Fix a bug in your code?

FTP gives you direct access to every file on your Bluehost server. With Strickland AI, you can edit files in your browser—no software installation needed.

Step 1: Get Your Bluehost FTP Credentials

Bluehost makes it easy to find your FTP login.

Using Bluehost cPanel:

2. Click **Advanced** in the left sidebar

3. This opens cPanel

4. Scroll to **Files** section

5. Click **FTP Accounts**

Your main FTP account uses:

Creating a New FTP Account:

For better security, create a dedicated FTP user:

2. Click **Create FTP Account**

3. Enter a username and password

4. Set the directory (usually /public_html)

5. Click **Create**

Use these new credentials with Strickland AI.

Step 2: Connect with Strickland AI

Now connect Strickland to your Bluehost site:

2. Click **Add Website** on your Dashboard

3. Select **Connect via FTP**

4. Enter your Bluehost credentials:

- **Host**: ftp.yourdomain.com

- **Username**: Your FTP username

- **Password**: Your FTP password

- **Port**: 21

5. Click **Test Connection**

6. Success? Click **Connect**

You're now connected to your Bluehost site!

Step 3: Understanding Bluehost File Structure

Once connected, you'll see your server's file system.

**Bluehost directory structure**:

```

/home/username/

├── public_html/ ← Your website files

│ ├── index.php ← Homepage

│ ├── wp-content/ ← WordPress content

│ │ ├── themes/ ← Theme files

│ │ └── plugins/ ← Plugin files

│ ├── wp-config.php ← WordPress config

│ └── .htaccess ← Apache config

├── mail/ ← Email files

└── logs/ ← Server logs

```

**Important**: Your website files are in **/public_html**. This is where you'll make most edits.

Step 4: Edit Your Website

Strickland AI offers two powerful editing modes:

Visual Mode

Perfect for non-developers:

Code Mode

For developers and power users:

**To edit a file**:

2. Click the file you want to edit

3. Make your changes

4. Click **Save** (saves to Strickland)

5. Click **Publish** (pushes to Bluehost)

Step 5: Working with WordPress on Bluehost

Most Bluehost users run WordPress. Here's how to edit common elements:

Edit Theme Files

2. Edit **style.css** for styling changes

3. Edit **header.php** or **footer.php** for layout

4. Edit **functions.php** for custom code (careful!)

Edit Plugin Files

2. Find the file you need to modify

3. Make changes and publish

**Warning**: Editing core WordPress files (wp-includes, wp-admin) is not recommended. Updates will overwrite your changes.

Common WordPress Edits

Step 6: Preview and Publish

Always preview before publishing:

2. Toggle **Mobile view** to check responsiveness

3. Test all interactive elements

4. When satisfied, click **Publish**

Changes go live immediately on Bluehost.

Troubleshooting Bluehost FTP Issues

"Cannot Connect to Server"

"Login Authentication Failed"

"Access Denied" or "Permission Denied"

"File Saved But Not Visible"

Bluehost vs. GoDaddy FTP Differences

| Feature | Bluehost | GoDaddy |

|---------|----------|---------|

| cPanel | Yes (most plans) | cPanel or custom |

| Default path | /public_html | /www or /public_html |

| SFTP support | Yes | Varies by plan |

| FTP accounts | Unlimited | Limited on basic |

Security Best Practices

2. **Create dedicated FTP users** - Don't use main cPanel login

3. **Limit directory access** - Restrict FTP users to specific folders

4. **Change passwords regularly** - Especially after team changes

5. **Enable 2FA on Bluehost** - Extra account protection

FAQ

Can I edit my Bluehost site without FTP?

Yes, Bluehost has a File Manager in cPanel. But it's clunky and lacks features. Strickland AI gives you a better editing experience with visual editing and AI assistance.

Is FTP access included with Bluehost?

Yes! All Bluehost hosting plans include FTP access. You just need to get your credentials from cPanel.

Will editing files break my WordPress site?

If you're careful, no. Always backup first (Strickland does this automatically). Avoid editing core WordPress files—stick to themes and plugins.

Can I undo changes?

Yes! Strickland AI saves version history. Click **History** on any file to see and restore previous versions.

What files should I NOT edit?

Get Started Now

Connect your Bluehost site to Strickland AI:

2. **Enter your Bluehost FTP credentials**

3. **Start editing in seconds**

No credit card. No software to install. Just direct access to your website files.