Bluehost Web Hosting Review 2024
BlueHost.com
- Price per month: Starting at $1.99
- Money-back guarantee: 30-day
- Uptime: 99.99%
Is Bluehost a Good Choice?
When considering website creation, the Bluehost website builder is a straightforward editing tool layered over WordPress. It offers reliable managed WordPress hosting, over 300 themes, and customizable content blocks, making it a strong contender for those looking to build a WordPress site. While it may lack the flexibility of standalone site builders, it remains a solid option for WordPress enthusiasts.
Overview of Bluehost
What is Bluehost?
Founded in 2003, Bluehost is a US-based web hosting provider recognized for its managed WordPress hosting solutions. These plans come with WordPress pre-installed and automatic updates, ensuring your website runs smoothly.
In 2021, Bluehost introduced its WordPress website builder to streamline the website creation process, even for users without coding skills. The builder allows you to toggle between using ready-made page sections and the traditional WordPress editor. While it might not be as intuitive as other site builders, it’s a user-friendly choice for WordPress.
Using Bluehost
Getting started with Bluehost is simple. The platform is designed with user-friendliness in mind, featuring a checklist to guide you through initial setup. Switching between the site builder and the standard WordPress editor is easy, although newcomers to WordPress might encounter a slight learning curve.
Key Features
Managed WordPress Hosting
Every website builder plan includes Bluehost’s managed WordPress hosting, providing unlimited storage and bandwidth, a free SSL certificate, and a complimentary domain for the first year. Your WordPress installation and plugins are automatically updated.
Unlimited Websites
A significant advantage of Bluehost’s site builder is the ability to create an unlimited number of websites, each with its own WordPress dashboard and domain.
Creating a Website with Bluehost
Setting up a website on Bluehost involves more steps than some other builders. Initially, you’ll access your hosting dashboard and create a new WordPress site, logging into the WordPress dashboard before selecting a template.
You can choose from more than 300 pre-installed themes or any WordPress-compatible theme, though only Bluehost themes work seamlessly with the site builder. Changing themes later can be cumbersome, requiring a complete redesign.
The Bluehost website builder allows you to add premade sections containing various elements—text boxes, images, buttons—making it easier to design than the standard WordPress editor. However, it is not a drag-and-drop interface, and rearranging content elements isn’t possible without coding knowledge.
Once your site is built, it can be migrated to another host, allowing you to retain the structure you’ve created, though you’ll lose access to the Bluehost editor.
Multimedia Management
Bluehost utilizes WordPress’s robust media management system, making it simple to upload and organize photos, videos, and other files. The platform supports simultaneous uploads and provides access to a library of stock images, enhancing your design options.
Marketing Tools with Bluehost
Bluehost includes several essential marketing tools, such as the CreativeMail email marketing plugin, which lets you manage contacts and launch unlimited email campaigns for free. You also benefit from WordPress’s blogging capabilities, including post scheduling and social media sharing.
SEO Functionality
The Bluehost builder enhances your site’s SEO by simplifying the process of adding meta titles and descriptions. You can also access a vast array of WordPress plugins to further improve your site’s SEO. However, a built-in traffic analytics dashboard is not available, though you can integrate Google Analytics easily.
E-commerce Features
For those looking to sell online, Bluehost integrates with WooCommerce, enabling the sale of products and digital downloads. While WooCommerce offers extensive customization options, some advanced features require paid extensions, depending on your plan.
Support and Assistance
Bluehost provides 24/7 customer support through phone, email, and live chat, along with a comprehensive knowledge base and resource center. While there’s no specific section for the website builder, the resource center includes tutorials on using the builder effectively.
Pricing Overview
Bluehost offers competitively priced hosting plans, though the rates advertised are often introductory prices. Plans are billed in 12- or 36-month terms, and there’s no free trial, but significant discounts are available for the initial term. For tech-savvy users, dedicated and VPS hosting options are also offered.
Conclusion
The Bluehost website builder simplifies the process of creating a WordPress site. With over 300 templates and premade sections, it offers a user-friendly way to build a website. Coupled with managed WordPress hosting, it supports the creation of multiple sites while keeping your software updated.
Ultimately, whether Bluehost is the right fit depends on your desire to use WordPress. While it may not match the design flexibility of platforms like Wix, it provides excellent blogging, media management, SEO, and e-commerce tools. This makes it a practical choice for individuals and small businesses focused on flexibility and scalability over design freedom.
Frequently Asked Questions
