My Bluehost Reviews Series: In-Depth Web Host Review – Part 1

UPDATE APRIL 25, 2011

I’ve transferred all of my websites to HostGator.   The reason I did this was I needed far more CPU resources than what Bluehost offers.  HostGator offers hosting that caters to users who need greater hosting power.  I wish Bluehost offered this, but they don’t.  The transfer went smoothly (HostGator transferred all my sites for me for free).

This is a good development because I’m getting much more traffic to my websites than merely 6 months ago.  Bluehost essentially told me I had to go because I was using too much of the shared server.  I still recommend Bluehost for starting a website, but if you require some serious hosting power, then check out the VPS and dedicated servers offered by HostGator.

END OF APRIL 25, 2011 UPDATE

There are many website hosting services available. I consider myself fortunate for getting started with Bluehost. Many sites I publish is hosted with Bluehost. I also use HostGator for other sites. Part I of this Bluehost reviews series sets out why I’m delighted with Bluehost … it’s not the technical features (which are many), but it’s their outstanding customer support that keeps me loyal. If you want to see the Bluehost features, click here to “In-Depth Bluehost Review Part 2″.

My Personal Bluehost Customer Support Example #1

When I started building websites, I had no idea what I was doing. I just wrote and wrote and wrote. As time went on, I discovered techniques for improving my SEO, conversion, and website design.

I remember distinctly having two websites with about 50 to 60 pages of content I spent months writing. Then I decided I wanted a different domain name for one of my sites. My problem was I had no idea how to migrate a website to a new domain.

I had nowhere to go except my web host service which was and is Bluehost. I called them up, was on hold for 10 seconds or so, and was politely introduced to a technical support representative. I explained my situation. He responded with a “no problem” and asked if I had about 20 minutes to take care of the operation. I had all the time in the world if he could help.

This Bluehost customer support rep took the reins and within 20 minutes or so had migrated my entire website to my new domain name without a hitch.

My Personal Bluehost Customer Support Example #2

I’ve done some stupid technical stuff with my websites as I’ve learned building websites. One day I absent mindedly re-installed WordPress on an established website with a lot of content. When you re-install WordPress over a site, you lose the entire site. That’s what happened to me. Months of effort vanished in seconds.

I decided to call Bluehost to see what could be done. Fortunately, Bluehost had automatically backed up that site about a week before. Long story short, the kind Bluehost technical support rep was able to restore my entire site I had lost. This operation took about 50 minutes.

UPDATE: APRIL 10, 2011 – CUSTOMER SUPPORT EXAMPLE #3

Today, I was doubly impress by Bluehost who actually refunded me $189 worth of domain registrations I had forgotten to change from auto-renew to manual renew.  These were domains I had registered, but that did not fit in with my project.  I asked if I could undo the registration and they agreed immediately.

I’m not saying they will do this all the time, but I can’t help but be tremendously impressed.

Despite my oversight in changing my domain registrations from auto-renew to manual renew, I still strongly recommend you set your domain purchases to auto-renew.  I would have had a much bigger disaster on my hands had an active site I publish disappear because I failed to renew it.  Something like, when the domain is registered by another person, cannot be undone.

END OF APRIL 10, 2011 UPDATE

Bluehost’s Prompt Customer Service

Not all hosting companies are equal when it comes to customer support. I know, because before I signed up with Bluehost, I had some domain names registered with another very popular hosting service. Now, in the website hosting business, one goal is to get customers to register domain names with their service because the chances that customer will then open a hosting account with them is high.

But, this previous hosting service completely dropped the ball in two ways with me.

First, I needed a little help with managing my domain names registered with their service. I called them and was on hold for 20 minutes. This was a real drag.

Second, their user interface was pretty complicated. In fact, I could never figure out what I needed to do.

At the time I called this hosting service for help with my domain names registered with them, I was looking for a hosting company to open an account to host my websites. Because I was frustrated with being on hold and the poorly designed user interface, I started researching other hosting services.

I read a blog post by a blogger who seemed to know his stuff. He didn’t go on and on about all the features Bluehost offered (after all most hosting services offer pretty much the same features). Instead, this blogger went on and on about how Bluehost’s customers service was so great. He specifically commented about rarely being on hold for telephone support longer than a minute.

I was practically sold at that moment. I did a little more research and learned that WordPress recommends Bluehost for hosting WordPress websites and blogs. That did it – I was sold – but was going to give Bluehost a test call about their customer service.

I called their sales department and wasn’t on hold longer than a few seconds. I asked some questions; they answered my questions politely. I signed up with Bluehost that day.

Since then, I’ve called Bluehost many times for help. If they are able to help, they roll up their sleeves, dig into my account, and help out. I also use their their live chat support often, which often quickly resolves minor issues or questions I have. At the end of the day, their customers support has a “can-do” attitude and they are sufficiently staffed to provide prompt service and support.

Next: Part 2 of my Bluehost review series setting out the features and benefits for using Bluehost.

Please note that in addition to being a happy Bluehost customer, I’m an affiliate for them which means if you click a link above and/or use a coupon code when purchasing an account, I may receive a commission.

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