Bluehost Review

Hosting plans starting at $1.99/mo

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• Bluehost
• Editorial Score8.8
• Performance and uptime
• Uptime guarantee of 99.9% with fast loading speeds and high performance
• 9.0
• Features
• One-click installs, ample storage and bandwidth, free SSL certificates, good security features
• 9.0
• Security
• Strong security protocols, including SSL certificates, regular backups, and malware scanning, DDoS protection
• 9.0
• Scalability
• Good scalability options with shared, VPS, and dedicated hosting, upgrading resources is straightforward but may involve downtime
• 8.0
• Customer support
• 24/7 availability via phone, live chat, email, and social media, quick and efficient support
• 9.0

Overview

rall, it’s a viable option for anyone with limited tech experience who needs a basic, no-frills hosting option.

Best Suited For

Bluehost is best suited for people who are entering the web space for the first time. It’s not the most powerful option, but it comes with a wide range of great tools to help you learn how to create your own website, such as its built-in WordPress website builder.

For larger websites, the higher-end virtual private server (VPS) and dedicated server plans are suitable if not above average.

Hosting Types

Bluehost offers everything from basic shared hosting to high-end dedicated servers.

Shared Hosting

Bluehost has four basic shared hosting plans that are competitively priced and designed for entry-level users. They come with various features to help you get online, including a WordPress website builder, a free domain name for the first year, and a built-in content delivery network (CDN).

There are also four simple WordPress plans that are identical to the shared packages in all but name.

VPS Hosting

Bluehost’s three VPS solutions are on the basic side, but they come with plenty of power for larger websites. You will have full root access, the ability to host unlimited websites, and unlimited bandwidth across the board.

Managed WordPress Hosting

With a managed WordPress plan, you will have access to a selection of WordPress-specific tools. You will also be able to build unlimited websites with unlimited storage, and you will have access to a staging environment and automatic daily backups.

Dedicated Server Hosting

Bluehost’s dedicated servers are basic, but they still offer plenty of power for high-traffic e-commerce and other websites that require the space afforded by their own server. You will get full root access, super-fast RAID storage, and a cPanel control panel.

Hosting Features

Bluehost isn’t the most powerful web host, but it offers a number of attractive features nonetheless.

Bluehost WordPress Website Builder

The Bluehost WordPress website builder is included for free with the four shared hosting plans. It enables you to create a custom WordPress website via a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor.

Marketing Tools

Bluehost also offers a selection of marketing tools that you can use to drive more visitors to your website. These include built-in search engine optimization (SEO) tools, Google Ads optimization tools, and a suite of email marketing features.

Domain Registration & Management

Although it’s probably best known for its hosting solutions, Bluehost is also a leader in the domain registration and management space. You can find and register a new domain, transfer an existing domain to your account, and manage the domains you already own.

Free Offerings

Bluehost’s shared hosting packages all come with a free domain for the first year, a free built-in content delivery network (CDN), and a free SSL certificate. The two higher-end packages also have free domain privacy and free automatic backups.

Uptime and Performance

Bluehost has no uptime guarantee, and its knowledge base clearly states that outages can take up to a day to resolve. But I’ve always experienced acceptable uptime rates when using it, although its shared servers can be a little slow.

It’s also somewhat behind on the security front. You will get automatic updates, a free SSL certificate, and automatic backups with selected plans. However, things like proactive server monitoring and automatic malware detection and removal are only available with a premium add-on.

Technology

Bluehost is a modern hosting provider that uses up-to-date hosting technology. Its servers are built and maintained in-house, and they are regularly updated. It also uses resource-protection technology with its shared packages, ensuring that your site’s performance isn’t affected by other sites on your server.

I also like Bluehost’s more advanced hosting options. Its Linux VPS and dedicated servers come with full root access so you can add and remove programs as required, and there are powerful access-control tools that you can use to control team member access.

The main place that Bluehost falls down here is with its security procedures, which are far from up-to-date with the latest technology and techniques.

Ease of Use

Bluehost targets newbies and beginners with little tech experience, and this is evident when you navigate to its dashboard for the first time. Here, you will find a tidy, intuitive management panel where you can look after everything from your hosting subscriptions to your domain names and email settings.

You will also have access to the industry-leading cPanel control panel for more technical management. Bluehost uses a customized cPanel interface that I particularly like, and it includes everything from basic domain-management tools to the website builder and a script installer.

Support Services

Bluehost offers 24/7/365 live chat and international phone support, but email options are notably absent. I tested the live chat, and I was pleasantly surprised when I was connected to an agent immediately. But this surprise soon faded, as they were only able to provide simple, generic answers to my questions.

On the plus side, Bluehost does have an excellent knowledge base with loads of helpful articles and tutorials. There’s also a resource center containing a variety of educational content.

In Conclusion

All things considered, Bluehost stands out as a beginner-friendly website builder with a lot going for it.

Its basic security and the lack of an uptime guarantee make it a poor choice for larger websites dealing with sensitive information. However, it boasts attractive introductory discounts, a beginner-friendly interface, and a selection of useful features like a free WordPress website builder.

The bottom line: Bluehost is a great choice if you’re a beginner with a desire to create your own personal or small business websites.

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