Bluehost Agency Hosting: Choose a Plan & Buy

To buy Bluehost agency hosting, go to Bluehost’s hosting page, pick a plan (Choice Plus or Pro are the usual agency picks), choose your billing term and extras, then create an account and pay. The whole checkout takes about five minutes, and you’ll get a welcome email with your login and next steps.

What Bluehost Agency Hosting Is

Bluehost doesn’t sell a separate “agency� product under that exact name. What people mean by “agency hosting� is the shared or cloud hosting plans that agencies use to host multiple client websites. Bluehost’s shared plans (Basic, Plus, Choice Plus, and Pro) and its cloud hosting plans both work for this. The key difference is that the higher tiers add more websites, more storage, and better performance, which matters when you’re running several sites for clients.

Bluehost is one of the three hosting companies officially recommended by WordPress.org, so it’s a common choice for WordPress agencies. Its control panel is custom but straightforward, and it includes a free domain for the first year, free SSL, and 24/7 support.

How to Choose the Right Plan

Bluehost’s shared plans are the most popular for agencies on a budget. Here’s what each one includes (as of 2024):

Basic: 1 website, 10 GB SSD storage, 50 GB monthly backups (not included), free CDN. Good for a single client site.
Plus: Unlimited websites, unlimited SSD storage (subject to fair use), free domain, free CDN. The minimum for most agencies.
Choice Plus: Everything in Plus, plus domain privacy and automatic backups for the first year. The most common agency pick because backups are essential for client work.
Pro: Everything in Choice Plus, plus a dedicated IP and higher performance resources. Best if you have many high-traffic sites.

If you need more power, Bluehost’s cloud hosting plans start at about $30/month and scale up to $100+/month. They offer more CPU, RAM, and storage, and are better for sites with steady traffic or resource-heavy plugins. For most small agencies, Choice Plus is the sweet spot: it’s not too expensive, and the included backups save you from having to set up your own.

Step-by-Step: Buying Your Plan

Go to Bluehost.com and click “Hosting� in the top menu, then “Shared Hosting.�
Choose your plan (Basic, Plus, Choice Plus, or Pro) and click “Select.�
Pick your billing term: 12, 24, or 36 months. The longer the term, the lower the monthly price, but you pay upfront. Bluehost’s advertised prices are almost always for the 36-month term.
Choose a domain name: either register a new one (free for the first year) or use one you already own.
Review the add-ons. Bluehost will try to sell you extras like domain privacy, SiteLock, and CodeGuard. Some are useful, but you can uncheck them. Domain privacy is often included free on higher plans.
Enter your account details and payment information (credit card or PayPal).
Check the total, including taxes and any add-ons, then click “Submit� or “Complete Purchase.�
Check your email for a receipt and a link to set your password and log in to the control panel.

What Happens After You Pay

Once you’ve paid, Bluehost sends you a welcome email with your login details and a temporary password. You’ll log in to your control panel (the “Bluehost dashboard�) where you can install WordPress, create email accounts, and manage your domain. If you registered a new domain, it becomes active immediately, though DNS propagation can take a few hours to a day.

For agencies, the next step is usually to create a separate user account for each client site, or to use a tool like ManageWP or MainWP to manage multiple WordPress installs from one dashboard. Bluehost itself doesn’t have a built-in multi-site management tool, but its shared plans allow unlimited websites, so you can install WordPress on each one and manage them individually or via a third-party tool.

Common Problems and How to Avoid Them

Hidden renewal prices: Bluehost’s introductory prices are low, but renewal prices are much higher. For example, a plan that costs $3.95/month for 36 months might renew at $11.99/month. Always check the renewal rate before you buy.
Add-on upsells: During checkout, Bluehost pre-checks some add-ons like SiteLock and CodeGuard. Uncheck anything you don’t want. You can often add these later if needed.
Backups: Only Choice Plus and Pro include free automatic backups (for the first year). On Basic or Plus, you’ll need to set up your own backups, either via a plugin or a manual backup service.
Performance on shared hosting: Shared plans can slow down if your client sites get a lot of traffic. If you notice slowdowns, consider upgrading to cloud hosting or a VPS.

Costs and Renewal Rates

Bluehost’s pricing changes frequently, but as a general guide, shared plans start around $3–$5/month for the 36-month term, and renew at $10–$15/month. Cloud plans start around $30/month and renew at $50–$100/month. Domain names renew at about $15–$20/year. There are no setup fees, and you can cancel within 30 days for a full refund (excluding domain name fees).

For an agency, the real cost isn’t just the hosting fee—it’s the time you spend managing backups, updates, and security. That’s why many agencies choose a plan that includes backups and domain privacy, even if it costs a bit more.

Alternatives to Bluehost for Agencies

If Bluehost doesn’t fit your needs, several other hosts are popular with agencies:

SiteGround: Known for excellent support and managed WordPress features. Their GrowBig and GoGeek plans allow multiple websites and include staging environments.
WP Engine: A premium managed WordPress host with great performance, but more expensive. Good for high-traffic client sites.
Kinsta: Another premium managed host, built on Google Cloud. Excellent performance and developer tools, but pricey.
Hostinger: A budget option with good performance and a custom control panel. Their Business plan allows 100 websites.

Each has its own trade-offs. Bluehost is the most affordable for unlimited websites, but its support and performance are average. SiteGround and WP Engine are more reliable but cost more per site.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I host multiple client sites on one Bluehost plan?

Yes, if you choose the Plus, Choice Plus, or Pro plan, you can host unlimited websites. You’ll need to add each domain to your account, and you can install WordPress on each one. There’s no built-in tool to manage them all together, but you can use a third-party management plugin or service.

Does Bluehost include free backups?

Only the Choice Plus and Pro plans include free automatic backups for the first year. After that, you’ll need to renew the backup service or set up your own. Basic and Plus plans don’t include backups, so you should install a backup plugin or use a remote backup service.

What’s the difference between shared and cloud hosting at Bluehost?

Shared hosting means your sites share server resources with other customers, which is cheaper but can be slower under heavy load. Cloud hosting uses a network of virtual servers, giving you more dedicated resources and better scalability. For agencies, cloud hosting is better if you have sites with steady traffic or resource-intensive plugins.

Can I get a refund if I don’t like Bluehost?

Yes, Bluehost offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on shared and cloud hosting. If you cancel within 30 days, you get a full refund, but domain name fees are non-refundable. After 30 days, you’ll be charged for the remaining term.

Do I need a separate IP address for each client site?

No, shared hosting uses a shared IP address by default, which is fine for most sites. A dedicated IP (included with the Pro plan) can be useful for SSL certificates or if you need to access your site via IP, but it’s not required for normal operation.

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