Bluehost is a notable hosting company. It was established in the year 2003, and is currently operating from Utah. The owners of Bluehost are those who own the Endurance International Group. The same group is behind the names such as HostGator and Domain.com etc.

When it comes to Bluehost, the packages start with their ‘basic’ plan. A basic plan usually comprises five email accounts and merely offers 100MB of storage. In addition, a user gets 50GB of website space, free Website Builder and 1-click installation setup for WordPress among other things.

With a ‘plus’ plan, offerings multiply and are in abundance compared to basic such as unlimited websites, subdomains and storage space etc. But there’s more. There is a ‘premium’ offering as well –courtesy of Bluehost. Consider it as plus plan with backup functionality and domain privacy.

Let us now delve into how you can get started with Bluehost hosting and learn about its features that has made it a renowned name in the website hosting industry.

Gearing up for Bluehost account

You can begin by entering your desired domain that you would like to register for. In the case, where you already own a domain name, simply enter it when asked. You also have the option to transfer a particular domain to Bluehost, if you’d prefer although, that is not a requirement. You can always update the name at a later date.

What follows is an account creation page, where you will be required to enter your personal details including name, email address and contact number. Upon scrolling down a little you will be provided with the option to select the desired plan and this is the part where you are able to scan for pricing and decide the plan which suits you the best.

No matter which plan you opt for, remember Bluehost accepts payments for 36 months in advance. So there’s that. Next, check to see which payment method is more appropriate to you. By default, ‘Pay by credit card’ is selected. Under ‘More payment options’, you can select the desired payment method such as PayPal.

The best part, however, is that you can choose, whether you want a particular plan to be renewed automatically. Choose ‘do not renew’ and by the end of the term, you can either select a new plan or cancel – it’s all up to you. In order to cancel, a user is required to call on the phone number +1 855 984 4546 to schedule the account for deletion or request termination.

Putting it to practice

Now that the account is set up, the following step is to move towards creating the website. You will be immediately taken to the screen where you can set a new password and access the customer management panel.

Welcome email fills you in with all forms of relevant information such as mail server info, FTP logins as well as a temporary URL is assigned to you. You can bask in the temporary URL until you get a domain and DNS for yourself, up and running (if you don’t have it in place, already).

That way a user is able to access his files, use Bluehost control panel for a wide array of website management functions such as management of FTP, email and so on.  Where a site is already live, it will naturally save user the time plus, you don’t have to manually look up for control panel in Bluehost. Simply utilize the FTP for uploading files whenever you need to.

Ever heard of Weebly? Yes, Weebly – a free website builder. Bluehost has a similar Website Builder in its arsenal. Although, it’s pretty basic but you can employ the WYSIWYG browser-based editor to develop a website that can contain up to six pages and that’s saying something! More functionality is expected in future.

Furthermore, Bluehost bring its users a Mojo Marketplace. What’s that now, you ask? It is a power system that asks for minimal details and in turn, lets you install your desired app without dragging it out in the form of lengthy steps. You also get automated WordPress installation with a Bluehost subscription.

An entire dedicated cPanel area is available for users, especially the experienced ones. If it’s AWStats or Cron Job or PHP Config – you’ll find everything here. Not the perfect website hosting service but Bluehost has proven itself as among the leading hosting provider that is both power-packed and simple to navigate.

How well it fares when it comes to performance?

Performance wise, Bluehost provides effortless integration of help as well as of hosting control panel. When clicking Support button, it opens up a new panel with a search bar embedded therein rather than opening a new page altogether which can become annoying for people.

In the search bar above, enter your query and you will be provided with the list of guides/articles which you can then refer to for troubleshooting any issues you might run into. Though, each article opens up in a new tab.

When compared with competitors in the market, Bluehost’s support centre is well organized and is aimed at speedy resolution of the problems. Search can display articles from between 5 to 50 per page, giving you the option to sort by relevance or most viewed/helpful allowing you to narrow down results.

Resort to live chat if there isn’t anything on the topic that you are searching for which is unlikely because even a vague search such as ‘PHP’ will dish out some very useful articles at your disposal. Where live chat is not available, telephone (as previously stated) is the best way to get in touch with their team.

Bitcatcha and related performance benchmarks have resulted in excellent speeds specifically when connected via the US. Ping timings from other regions can be a bit slow but don’t hold that against Bluehost.

Final word

With average performance, handy features, excellent support and no BS site management tools – Bluehost is a winner. Can be a pricey option for those on a budget, but with company’s 30-day money back guarantee and resourceful online help, it is not at all a bad bargain.