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You cannot talk about web hosting services without mentioning Bluehost. It is part of a major international corporation- Endurance International Group (EIG).
Besides Bluehost, this corporation owns other web hosting providers like iPage or HostGator and a massive global market share.
It is not surprising that most online reviews on Bluehost are positive. The company has huge financial muscles to finance its marketing campaigns to highlight its fabulous features.
You will see features like good processes, scalability options, and customer support highlighted if you have read some of these reviews. The problem is that these reviews are sometimes not balanced, with few highlighting Bluehost’s actual flaws.
Before we highlight the advantages and disadvantages of Bluehost, let’s consider its products and features.
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Bluehost’s Products
Before discussing the Bluehost pros and cons, let’s explore everything you need to know about the company, including its features and pricing.
You will find numerous Bluehost products that you can incorporate into your website. Let’s examine some of them.
1- Domain Names
Bluehost’s domain name may not be the cheapest in the market, but it is reliable since you buy directly from them. The platform has a lightning-fast search, enabling you to find your perfect domain quickly.
The domain name from Bluehost allows you to conceal your personal information from spammers and identity thieves. Furthermore, they help clients find a perfect domain name that stands out.
Your Bluehost domain name also shows your visitors where you are located; they do not need to peruse the “about us” section for this information. With the Bluehost domain, you have peace of mind because you are confident in high-quality products.
2- Shared Hosting
Most people prefer Bluehost shared hosting to dedicated hosting because it is cheaper. Shared hosting is enough unless you work on a massive project or want a highly configured server.
Bluehost shared hosting gives you access to all features, guidance, and tools necessary for launching a unique WordPress website.
It is probably the most economical way to establish your website before building it. Other benefits of shared hosting include:
- Protected resources- even if you share the server with other sites, your website’s performance remains protected and unaffected.
- Excellent domain manager– you can easily purchase, update, transfer, and manage the domain in a single place.
- Bulletproof SSL certificate– your website is secure, which means sensitive data and eCommerce transactions are protected with encrypted connections.
- Access to Google my business– your customers can easily see your business location and hours of operation.
Bluehost’s shared hosting pricing plan is relatively cheaper, ranging from $2.95 to $13.95 per month. Most entrepreneurs can manage these prices and keep their businesses running.
3- WordPress Hosting
WordPress endorsed Bluehost in 2005 because it is probably the best hosting option that knows and understands how to optimize WordPress websites effectively. It also comes with unique perks, such as staging areas.
With over 30% of the world’s websites powered by WordPress, a hosting platform that fully optimizes the site is ideal for beginners and established companies. WordPress offers valuable tools, themes, and plugins, allowing you to build any website imaginable.
Bluehost WordPress hosting offers the following benefits:
Numerous themes and plugins- You will have unlimited access to a library of themes and a marketplace of plugins that allows you to customize your website as you deem fit.
Reliability– Bluehost is a stable company, and its product and services have superior design, speed, and performance for your WordPress website.
Open source– Bluehost optimizes over 80 open-source platforms, making them the world’s leader in providing open-source solutions.
The prices for Bluehost WordPress have dropped considerably low, starting at $4.95 per month. In the past, it was pricy, starting at $24.95 a month; you can say the platform is now more pocket friendly.
4- VPS Hosting
If you are wondering what VPS means, don’t worry; you will know it here. It stands for Virtual Private Server, meaning that if you have a VPS hosting from Bluehost, you are given a dedicated server for your website files and data.
A dedicated server improves your website’s loading speed even if many people access it simultaneously. If your website is likely to experience more traffic or you want higher site performance, VPS hosting from Bluehost comes in handy.
VPS is also used by those who want to enhance site security without installing additional plugins. Your site may share a server with other websites; however, there is a virtual that separates your projects from others.
VPS is suitable for businesses that want unique server configurations. The prices range from $19.99 to $59.99, depending on which plan you want.
5- Dedicated Servers
Bluehost also offers dedicated servers with extreme site speeds, a free SSL certificate, unlimited storage upgrade, and a free domain for the first year.
With dedicated servers, you do not need to push the limits on how to customize, manage, and optimize your resources.
Bluehost helps you manage all the updates. A dedicated server also allows you to have multi-server management where you can add VPS, Shared, and Dedicated hosting to your account.
Bluehost’s dedicated server prices range from $79.99 to $119.99, depending on the plan one chooses.
See also: Siteground And Hostinger: How do they differ, and which one is better for you?
Bluehost’s Pros and Cons
Bluehost is a massive company with over 2 million sites globally using its services. It looks like the company is performing well; nevertheless, we want also to highlight its weaknesses.
Pros Of Using Bluehost
Bluehost offers tremendous benefits; here are the top pros of using Bluehost:
1- Fast Loading Speed And High Uptime
Since many internet surfers prefer sites that load instantly, Bluehost is doing all it can to fulfill this expectation for its clients. Most sites hosted by Bluehost have a loading speed ranging from 0.00 seconds to 9.17 seconds.
Its speed test is also quite impressive but often inconsistent. Down.com shows that Bluehost performs well on its uptime test, averaging 99.94%.
Nevertheless, it does not offer an uptime warranty like other hosting companies.
2- Reliable Security
Website security is an essential factor for anyone who goes live. You need to protect your data and that of your audience, hence the reason for choosing a secure host. Blue host offers the following security feature.
Free SSL certificate– Secure websites have an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate. The certificate guarantees your audience that the information they share on your site will not land in the wrong hands.
Fortunately, all Bluehost plans are loaded with a free SSL certificate. Your visitors will not get a warning on their end about the security concerns of your site. However, if you want a premium SSL certificate, especially for an eCommerce site, you may have to pay for it.
Anti-spam protection– Besides protecting your contacts with a password, Bluehost email services also come with three security levels- Spam Hammer, Spam Experts, and Apache Spam.
Two-factor authentication– Bluehost also allows you to set up a 2FA to prevent unauthorized access to your account. Your phone is used in the login process, limiting unapproved access to your site, Bluehost account, and cPanel.
3- Unified WordPress Integration
Bluehost and WordPress are partners in crime. Once you pay for a Bluehost plan with WordPress hosting, the process is as smooth as possible. You can easily install WordPress through cPanel.
Furthermore, Bluehost provides automatic WordPress updates, ensuring you always have the latest version with all its security features. No wonder WordPress recommends Bluehost website hosting services to its clients.
4- Large Storage
Bluehost is known for its generous storage capacity. Depending on your preferred plan, you can have storage ranging from 50GB to unlimited space to keep your website files.
Assuming your website only deals with WordPress blogs and images, then the 50GB space is sufficient.
5- Scalable Hosting Plans
You can start with the basic strategy when beginning your start-up; however, as the business grows, you can choose to increase with Bluehost.
It is possible to scale from Shared hosting to VPS hosting and then move to dedicated server hosting when your website traffic increases exponentially.
6- 30-Day Money-Back
Bluehost promises stellar products and services to its clients, but if you are not satisfied with what they provide, you can request your money within 30 days of trial, and no questions will be asked.
7- No Hidden Cost
Bluehost plans are highlighted on their website, and there are no additional costs. Ensure you visit their official website for updated information since some outdated reviews have old pricing plans.
8- Unmetered Bandwidth
Bluehost’s unmetered bandwidth means you get a certain amount of bandwidth; however, it allows you to transfer as much data as you wish at that rate.
Depending on your plan, the server speed may be limited, but you can process unlimited data if you have unmetered bandwidth.
Cons Of Using Bluehost
After examining several benefits of Bluehost, you could wonder if anything could go wrong with it. Consider these drawbacks.
9- High Renewal Rates
Bluehost’s premium plans are pricy, and renewal fees add to the pain, but they compensate for the pricing with several beneficial features and great storage options.
10- Less Control Over Automatic Data Backups
Bluehost does not take responsibility for lost data, failed backup, and data integrity.
It runs backup for 30 days, after which the backup is replaced with newer ones. Site owners should download these backups before they are overwritten.
See also: Is SiteGround Suitable For Beginners? (Here’s the truth!)
Final Words
Bluehost is undoubtedly one of the best web hosting providers in the world. Its huge customer base and financial muscles mean it has what it takes to offer impressive services.
Although it has its shortcomings, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.