Bluehost Web Hosting Review – Is it Worth the Cost?

Bluehost is a web hosting site that provides a variety of services.

It is a popular web host that’s also one of the most affordable. This Bluehost web hosting review will examine the platform’s capabilities and determine if it is the right choice for you.

Bluehost Web Hosting Review

Their prices are very affordable.

You also get a few bonuses for no cost.

It means that your total cost to launch a website is much less than what you would have to pay for it with other competitors.

Bluehost has been a famous Web Host, especially for WordPress sites, over the years.

Its homepage and the many products it offers will tell you a lot about why it is so popular.

Bluehost provides many hosting products, not just website hosting.

Let’s Get Started.

These are the various hosting options that Bluehost offers, with one of the most popular choices for most users.

Let’s break the list down into a few categories.

1. Hosting for Professionals

Bluehost’s professional-level hosting is the last tier. Here are two main products:

• Dedicated web hosting servers
• VPS Hosting

If you need to have a complete virtual machine available, dedicated servers are the best option.

That is the most powerful and expensive type of web hosting available to most companies.

It is a unique concept that revolves around virtualization hosting.

VPS stands to be a virtual private server.

You’ll have access to web hosting that acts as a virtual machine on an older, more powerful server.

This setup is great for building web apps and other web-based products.

2. Managed WordPress Hosting

The managed hosting package is a better option than the basic one.

It takes care of all technical aspects of hosting setup and WordPress maintenance.

These WordPress hosting plans offer managed WordPress, which is a more sophisticated package.

Bluehost also offers a custom-made solution for WordPress websites that run WooCommerce.

These plans include WooCommerce-specific elements (WooCommerce itself and WooCommerce payment processing tools, security and extras).

You will get more control under the hood with managed plans, which is beneficial for sites that have a strong position on the market and receive more traffic.

Managed WordPress hosting means that you won’t need to worry about maintaining your website. Instead, you can focus on content creation and promotion of your site.

It is the right place to consider if you are looking for a host for your WooCommerce store.

3. Web Hosting for Beginners

This plan is part of its web hosting portfolio.

New users, who don’t know much about web hosting and want to start a website, often choose these plans.

Bluehost offers two primary services that are considered entry-level hosting:

• Basic WordPress hosting
• Shared web hosting

Although it might seem that the former is superior if you use WordPress for your website, they both have the same elements inside.

Features and Pricing

Bluehost is the most affordable solution in the line-up, and it’s also the most loved by customers.

It offers many hosting plans and tiers, each with a different set of features.

I’ll be reviewing Bluehost’s Basic Web Hosting plan for this Bluehost review.

Bluehost Pricing

Bluehost offers a very affordable service starting at $2.95/month.

The first thing to know is that this price includes a 3-year contract. You will also have to pay $106.20 upfront.

You can start with shorter contracts, but prices will go up. Here’s the complete breakdown:

• 12 Months – Basic: $4.95/month; Plus and Choice Plus: $7.45/month; Pro: $18.95/month!
• 24 Months – Basic: $3.95/month; Plus and Choice Plus: $6.95/month; Pro: $15.95/month!
• 36 months – Basic: $2.95/month; Plus and Choice Plus: $5.45/month; Pro: $13.95/month!

Bluehost’s focus is on two things: The basic features and server capabilities most users will require.

These features are easy to use and easily accessible.

Although all the entry-level plans look very similar, there are some subtle differences.

Bluehost does not offer month-to-month payment options.

But what are you getting for these prices?

One is not “stronger than the other.” They can handle the same load, both in terms of computing power and the website’s size.

These differences can be attributed to the website’s size and the number of websites you can run.

All other plans allow you to run unlimited websites and use unlimited disk space.

This is great because Bluehost will only cost $5.45/mo to create 2+ websites.

The Basic plan enables you to host one website. You also have a limit of 50 GB disk space.

Here are some other benefits.

The Basic Plan:

• Get $100 in Google Advertising credits plus GMB integration.
• Email hosting – although it’s a bit hidden in the panel
• Bluehost panel access to custom themes
• Access to a domain manager and one free domain name for the first year!
• 24/7 customer support service via chat and phone

Free CDN Integration hookup allows your website to be served from multiple servers on the internet instead of one.

That practically improves up your site’s speed.

SSL Certificates Are Free

There isn’t anything missing.

Bluehost took the time to think about what web hosting features were essential and put them together in this offering.

One month of Office 365 is included in the Choice plan.

You can also access Choice Plus for free domain privacy and automatic backups.

The Pro plan also offers an additional IP address, important for web tools and apps but not for standard websites.

That is especially true for the free domain!

A new domain registration would usually cost you around $15.

Although it isn’t a large amount, it can add up to your website launch costs.

Bluehost is generous in providing this service for no cost.

Note. Keep in mind the renewal fees.

Like most hosting companies, Bluehost will charge a different amount for the first time you sign up and renew after a while.

These renewal prices are much higher.

You can take a second look at the pricing screenshot here.

You can see the price that is crossed out below the paramount price.

That is the renewal price. It’s what you will pay after your initial contract expires.

Easy Usage

Bluehost makes it feasible for the user to do everything themselves without any assistance.

All of this is possible within the Bluehost hosting interface.

Bluehost takes excellent care to make website sign ups and launches as easy as possible.

It realizes that the person who chooses an entry-level plan may not have any experience with web hosting.

After you complete the purchase process on Bluehost and have finalized everything, you will be invited to create your user profile.

Bluehost will immediately ask you questions about how you plan to build your website and whether you would like WordPress installed on your site.

Bluehost will also ask you if you prefer to develop your website in the traditional model (by choosing a theme and changing it) or using Bluehost’s new builder interface.

Bluehost Builder

You will find a few suggestions right there about what you can do to improve your site.

Bluehost Hosting Dashboard

Logging into WordPress from the dashboard is easy – click on the Login to WordPress button at the top right. You’ll see links to other sections in the sidebar.

Marketplace – Bluehost enables you to integrate your site with third-party tools and add-ons easily.

You can also upgrade your hosting level if necessary.

You can easily purchase and install these integrations in this section.

My Sites – Bluehost allows you to have multiple sites on each plan.

That is where you will see them all.

Bluehost Hosting Add-ons

Bluehost allows you to access custom WordPress themes directly from your dashboard.

It also connects to your website so that you can buy and install the themes right from the Bluehost interface. That is a time-saver.

WordPress themes and plugins – Although this is a section under Marketplace, I felt I should highlight it.

Bluehost Hosting Themes

• Advanced – Access cPanel is available here.
• Marketing Tools – This section makes it easier to integrate your website with popular marketing channels like Google Ads and Google My Business.
• Email & Office – Bluehost offers the option to integrate with your website via hosted email, Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. Here you can make everything possible.
• Domains – Here you can manage and buy new domains.

Let’s see what you can do to manage your website, as that is what most people want to do.

The following panel will appear when you visit My Sites and choose your size from the drop-down list.

Bluehost WordPress Panel

The best thing about this is how everything is presented beautifully and without the entire server lingo.

It doesn’t take a professional to understand what’s happening.

Recall that this is a basic, entry-level hosting system that costs $2.95/month. It’s pretty impressive.

You can view the themes and plugins you have installed.

That allows you to monitor your marketing campaigns, back-ups, security, and other activities.

Performance and Load Times for Bluehost

So Bluehost is cheap. Is it fast?

Hosting platforms that are less than one second for US traffic can be trusted.

Bluehost Customer Support

Bluehost will ask you a few questions to identify you and get you connected to a support agent.

Bluehost provides live chat and phone support 24 hours a day.

Bluehost’s main contact page has access to the support chat.

A Bluehost support agent will reach you almost immediately after you start a chat session.

You will find the interaction positive. The agent will give advice and will be willing to help. He will do whatever you ask him to do.

Bluehost Hosting: The Pros and Cons

Let’s examine the pros and cons of Bluehost before I give my final rating.

Pros:

• Support is available quickly.
• It is straightforward to set up WordPress.
• It is easy to modify and perform maintenance tasks.
• The entry price is reasonable ($2.95/mo).
• You get one domain free of charge for the first year.
• Amazingly, load times can be reduced to less than one second

Cons:

• There are mixed reviews. Some users are having problems with their setups.
• Although hosted email can be set up on the platform, it is somewhat hidden.
• You will need to visit the cPanel View and manually set up everything.
• The renewal prices are significantly higher than those for entry-level contracts. That is why it’s better to go for the maximum-term contract as soon as possible.

Accessing Bluehost Affiliate Dashboard

The home page will show you the number of sign ups and clicks you have received in the given period.

You can edit the date ranges to track your affiliate history.

After approving your application for the Bluehost affiliate program, you will receive a confirmation mail with your affiliate link and other helpful tips.

You can also log in to Bluehost’s affiliate panel to obtain your affiliate link, track your account, and keep track of everything.

How Do I Get My Tracking Link?

You will also have access to attractive banners you can use on your blog to promote Bluehost.

Visit the links section of your dashboard to get your tracking link. You can earn commissions by sharing your link on your blog
or other relevant media.

You will receive commissions if any Bluehost user purchases Bluehost services through your affiliate link.

It’s that simple.

Stats

This tab will allow you to keep track of:

• History of payments: This section shows you your payment history.
• Referring Links – This will allow you to see which URLs are receiving clicks and sign ups.
• Campaigns: You can track individual campaign details (if they are created), or you will see default campaign details which include sign ups and clicks date-wise.
• Pay Period: Find out about the Bounty per Sign-up, Net Signatures, Total Balance Due, and many other details.

Details about the acquisition: Each sign up should include the domain name, term, commission amount, and campaign information.

Settings

You can edit the profile you created when you signed up.

If necessary, you can modify your basic information and password.

You can also submit your tax form, which is mandatory before receiving payment.

Click the tax form tab to submit your tax form.

Bluehost Tax Form

Select No if you are not a US citizen or resident.

Once you have selected no, you will be presented with a W-8BEN form.

That is the form you must fill out to receive your payment after you reach the minimum payout.

Enter your name, address, and date of birth.

After completing the form, click on Submit Tax Form.

Bluehost affiliates will send you a confirmation email once your form has been submitted.

Otherwise, you can send a mail to affiliates@bluehost.com from your end to double-check your form status.

Conclusion of Bluehost Hosting Review: Why Choose it Over Other Hosts?

Bluehost offers a $5.45/mo plan that will allow you to manage all of your website ideas.

Its first hosting plan that allows unlimited websites is the Bluehost XL Hosting Tier.

It is an excellent option for budget-minded people who want to launch a site and do so inexpensively quickly.

Bluehost offers all the essential hosting features that you would expect.

The performance is also excellent.

Although the initial indicators were positive, they weren’t carried out over a prolonged time.

If you want to create your own website, and host your articles and blogs, then read about Wealthy Affiliate and how you can create a website for free in just 30 seconds!

Did you find this article useful?

Feel free to share your thoughts. We would be happy to hear from you!

Stay tuned for more Work from Home Business ideas.

Any/all links on this site may be affiliate links, and if you make a purchase through one of them, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Read the full affiliate disclosure here.

Mark

CEO and Founder of The Retired Affiliates