It’s been some time since I used Bluehost, and the corporate has not too long ago unveiled a bunch of latest plans, in addition to asserting a new CEO.
So, after Hostinger, DreamHost, and Kinsta I figured why not do Bluehost subsequent in my One Hour With collection.
I’ve only got 60 minutes, so lets crack on.
Start the clock 0:00
Signing up
Pretty easy and no surprises. I entered my payment details, and pretty much instantly I was directed to the panel with a message telling me WordPress was installing.
Before I had the chance to take screengrabs and read the messages from Bluehost in the pop-up box, WordPress had already been installed. I closed the box and was then asked how I wanted to build my WordPress site.
I was a little surprised to not see more options for templates here – but that’s not a complaint, I quite like the simplicity.
The idea for this site was to offer a plant watering and rental service. I described the site, and then was presented with help options.
06:57
I picked intermediate, but as always I struggled with WordPress, and later regretted not selecting beginner.
I was then given three templates to choose from and picked the first.
Then, I started having the same WordPress page builder issues that I usually have.
It was easier for me this time because I have a little more experience with WordPress – but I still found it somewhat confusing and unintuitive trying to edit and change page elements.
I regretted selecting intermediate when I set up the site. I asked support if there was any way I could get it back but sadly, I would have had to start again from scratch.
20:11
I persevered and I managed to get roughly what I was looking for. I did think there would be a bit more help as standard and that I wouldn’t be using the Gutenberg drag and drop page builder as much. There was WonderBlocks, a selection of template sections for your site.
WonderBlocks is neat tool that lives in the top left corner and contains loads of templates for things like headers, hero images, forms, galleries, testimonials, and a whole bunch of other stuff.
I actually have to praise Bluehost for this – I like this tool a lot. I think the overall user experience is still limited due to the WordPress page editor, but this helps out a lot.
To use one of the templates, you just need to click the plus sign under the template an it adds it to your page. Then you can edit it and move it around.
I used it to create a subscription plan section for my site. I saved a lot of time and frustration doing it this way.
Earlier, I criticised Bluehost for not having any templates and just offering the AI website builder but actually I think it’s better this way. You get a very simple and workable layout from the AI page builder and then you get to customize it with template blocks.
32:45
That’s enough of page building
The control panel at Bluehost is very clean – the most technical things are all hidden from you, and a lot of the site management tools are integrated into the WordPress CMS rather than hosting panel.
While I was in there I did a quick speed test using a free tool from Google – you’d be foolish to use this as the main testing tool, but it’s good for basic diagnostics and from Google itself.
I don’t usually do speed tests when I do a One Hour With because I do more thorougher testing in the full review but I was curious and this took a second. It showed only moderate performance for Speed Index which could be because of what I call plug-in bloat.
I followed Google’s guidance on how to improve Speed Index and disabled third occasion plugins, earlier than operating the pace check once more and instantly seeing a soar in efficiency.
I feel the instruments aren’t essential to have on on a regular basis, as I do not suppose I would like to observe my SEO rating continuously and there are methods to observe web site site visitors with much less overheads. For instance, you may simply paste a Google URL into your web page that screens site visitors fairly than utilizing a plugin.
The Google Workspace integration took my curiosity for some time. Obviously, most of those Google instruments are free and you may (like I’ve beforehand) combine these items into your web site with out paying for it.
For instance, if you wish to take a reserving you should use Google Calendar with a typical Gmail account however you’ll need to make use of the @gmail electronic mail handle. There are some workarounds that embody establishing your individual electronic mail after which configuring the settings which might prevent cash.
I can’t make my thoughts up on what I might do. Obviously it is simpler to only pay Bluehost each month and I do not suppose it is costlier than paying in your personal Google Workspace after which linking the account. In truth, you would possibly get a reduction at Bluehost. Email hosting is a bit cheaper however may not include the identical cupboard space.
In the previous I did not use Google instruments or options apart from on easy websites I’d arrange for leisure golf equipment.
For skilled enterprise web sites, I simply used electronic mail internet hosting from my internet hosting supplier. This is one thing that I’m going to look into at a later date. If I used to be in a rush, I might simply pay Bluehost. It’s nothing that can’t be modified at a later date.
60:00
Overall impressions
My overall impression of Bluehost is good, and this little poke around has reinforced my belief that Bluehost is best for WordPress out of all of the best WordPress hosting choices – no less than for newbies.
Anyone who requires WordPress hosting for an agency or wants extra efficiency just like the best small business web hosting would probably be higher off with SiteGround.
Bluehost is clearly all-in on WordPress, and so just about all the things is geared in the direction of the CMS. Overall, I appreciated the web page constructing expertise. I feel the preliminary templates are slightly bland however the WonderBlocks instrument actually helped add issues to the pages with little or no trouble, and the administration instruments had been additionally very simple.
Lastly, although I deliberated over whether or not I assumed the Google Workspace instruments had been price it, I do like that Bluehost leans on acquainted instruments that are in extensive use, so individuals already know use them and there are already loads of tutorials and useful sources on the market.
I managed to arrange a web site, make some pace optimizations, and get really feel round Bluehost in an hour and that is probably the most I’ve managed to do with most hosts I’ve tried.