Bluehost Review 2025: Why WordPress Recommends Bluehost – Tested & Reviewed

A hosting provider’s performance can make or break your website experience. Speed, uptime, and overall server reliability directly influence user experience and even search engine rankings. Bluehost has been a recognized name in this space for years, but how does it actually perform in date(Y)?

Bluehost promises a 99.9% uptime guarantee, which is standard among most hosting providers.

Independent monitoring and real-world tests have shown that Bluehost usually lives up to this claim, often delivering uptime closer to 99.95% to 99.98% over extended periods. While occasional downtime is inevitable, most users report stable website performance with minimal disruptions. 

For small business websites or blogs, this level of uptime is more than sufficient.

Bluehost utilizes SSD storage and Cloudflare CDN integration to speed up content delivery. In addition, their servers are optimized for WordPress, making them a decent option for bloggers and small business owners who want quick load times. 

In most US and European tests, websites hosted on Bluehost have shown load times of under 1.5 seconds when properly optimized.

However, performance can vary based on location. Since Bluehost primarily operates US-based data centers, international visitors—especially from Asia or Australia—may experience slightly slower speeds unless a CDN is fully configured. 

Users running image-heavy websites or eCommerce stores might need additional caching or optimization to achieve faster performance globally.

Shared hosting plans at Bluehost can handle low to moderate traffic comfortably, but performance may dip during high traffic surges. This is due to shared server resources being distributed among multiple websites.

For websites expecting rapid growth or heavy traffic, upgrading to VPS or dedicated hosting ensures consistent speed and performance.

Bluehost offers built-in caching and server-level optimizations for WordPress sites. Pairing these with tools like their custom caching plugin or using a third-party solution like WP Rocket can further improve website speed.

Advanced users also benefit from PHP version control (supporting PHP 8.x), which can enhance site performance and security.

Bluehost Security, Backups & Customer Support – Are You Well Protected?

When starting out with web hosting, security and support are often overlooked in favor of price and features. But these “behind-the-scenes” factors are what keep your website safe, backed up, and running smoothly — especially if you’re a beginner. Bluehost takes a balanced approach in these areas, though some premium options come as paid add-ons.

Bluehost includes some essential security features out of the box, but advanced protection often costs extra.

• Free SSL Certificate: All plans come with a free Let's Encrypt SSL, essential for data encryption and SEO.
• Basic Firewall & Spam Protection: Protects against common web attacks and spam bots.
• SiteLock (Paid Add-on): Provides daily malware scans, vulnerability detection, and automatic malware removal.
• DDoS Protection: Built into the infrastructure, ensuring uptime during traffic spikes.
• Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Adds an extra layer of login security.

Note: Features like automated malware removal and advanced security dashboards are only available if you purchase SiteLock Premium.

Backups are vital for restoring your website after a crash or hack.

• CodeGuard Basic (Paid Add-on): Bluehost’s official backup solution. It takes daily backups of your website, databases, and emails.
• One-Click Restore: CodeGuard allows instant rollback to previous versions if something goes wrong.
• Manual Backups: You can create backups via cPanel, but this requires a bit of technical know-how.
• Retention: CodeGuard stores multiple backup versions for quick recovery.

Tip: Some competitors like Hostinger include automated backups in all plans, whereas Bluehost reserves them for paid upgrades.

This is one area where Bluehost shines for beginners — its support team is friendly, available 24/7, and fairly knowledgeable.

24/7 Live Chat & Phone Support: Quick responses via live chat, with average wait times of 2-3 minutes.

Support Quality: While phone support is often praised, live chat quality can vary depending on the agent.

Knowledge Base: A well-maintained library of articles, how-to guides, and video tutorials.

Blue Sky (Premium Support): For WordPress users, Bluehost offers Blue Sky Expert Guidance — a paid add-on for personalized help with themes, plugins, and security optimizations.

Bluehost WordPress Features – Why It’s a Go-To Choice for WordPress Users

When it comes to WordPress hosting, Bluehost has built a reputation that few competitors can match. Being one of the three hosting providers officially recommended by WordPress.org, Bluehost has tailored its platform to deliver a smooth, optimized experience for WordPress websites. From one-click installations to managed hosting, it’s designed to simplify everything for beginners while offering flexibility for advanced users.

Bluehost makes starting a WordPress website effortless. With its 1-click WordPress installation, you can launch your website in just minutes, without worrying about manual configuration or technical hurdles. The custom hosting dashboard is built to work alongside WordPress, allowing you to manage your website, plugins, and themes in a straightforward and beginner-friendly way.

Moreover, Bluehost’s managed WordPress hosting plans go beyond simple setup. They include automatic updates for WordPress core, themes, and plugins, ensuring your site remains secure and up-to-date without requiring manual effort. For developers or users who want to experiment, staging environments allow testing changes or new features before they go live.

Speed and performance are critical for WordPress sites, especially for SEO and user experience. Bluehost’s servers are optimized specifically for WordPress, offering faster loading times compared to standard shared hosting. With SSD storage, integrated Cloudflare CDN, and built-in caching mechanisms, your WordPress site can handle higher traffic loads with minimal delays.

Bluehost also provides PHP version control, letting you switch to the latest PHP versions for improved site performance and compatibility. For eCommerce users, the platform integrates seamlessly with WooCommerce, providing optimized hosting and pre-installed setups for online stores.

Security is another area where Bluehost stands out for WordPress hosting. All plans include free SSL certificates to secure data transfer and build trust with site visitors. Malware scanning and protection, powered by SiteLock or Jetpack Security, is available on higher-tier plans to safeguard your website from malicious attacks.

Additionally, Bluehost’s firewall and DDoS protection add another layer of defense, while automatic daily backups (via CodeGuard, available as an add-on) provide peace of mind in case something goes wrong.

One of Bluehost’s unique offerings is the WordPress Marketplace, where users can access premium themes, plugins, and tools to enhance their site. They also pre-install Yoast SEO, one of the most popular WordPress SEO plugins, to help beginners start optimizing their content for search engines.

Bluehost backs all these features with 24/7 WordPress-focused support, meaning you can get expert help for plugin issues, theme setups, or performance tuning at any time. For more personalized guidance, their premium Blue Sky Expert Service provides one-on-one assistance with WordPress configuration, customization, and troubleshooting.