In 2016 when I wanted to start my first blog, the most suggested WordPress host was Bluehost. I’d read a ton of reviews and watched several tutorials and was convinced that any other choice was absurd. Every blogger with what I deemed a “successful” blog was using it. I figured that if I wanted to be successful, I needed Bluehost. So, I saved the startup costs and signed up spending an entire year blogging and then eventually learning a very important lesson. The lesson which I’ll share is why I switched to Lyrical Host and suggest it for all new bloggers.
Disclaimer: This post isn’t to bash Bluehost. It’s simply about my experience with Lyrical Host in comparison. Bluehost is an excellent option for bloggers with a little more experience in my opinion. It should also be noted that I don’t remember the exact pricing at the time, So I’ll be using the price they offer today as my example.
Starting Your Blog
Having you been thinking about starting a blog? Check out my super easy beginners guide here
Why I started my blog with Bluehost
One of the main reasons I started my first blog with Bluehost was because I thought it was an “affordable” option. Everyone who suggested them had a strong focus on the very low cost of $2.95* per month to start. It seemed unbeatable. Plus, as I said before everyone was suggesting Bluehost. So not only did it seem affordable, but it also seemed trusted and like a damn good choice.
The problem (for me) was that even though the low cost was per month, paying monthly wasn’t an option. You had to foot the bill for an entire year or more to start. Which isn’t a problem except nobody mentioned that. Or mentioned that there were additional add-ons that were completely necessary that I’d have to purchase as well. I’m talking about things like SSL’s and Backups, purchasing your domain, etc. While some bloggers were upfront on what you would actually need and use, most didn’t. So the startup cost with Bluehost quickly grew from what I thought would be $2.95* a month to just under $200 for my first year.
I mentioned earlier that I had to save this money. However, not once along the process did I think it was a bad choice or unreasonable. I only thought it would have been nice to know that starting my blog would in fact not cost me $2.95* per month.
What it’s like starting your blog with Lyrical Host
If you’re a beginner blogger I know it can seem like the best choice to go with a company offering $2.95* per month to start a blog vs $19.99. It was kind of shocking to see what I thought was such a high rate that I almost decided to start my new blog with Bluehost again instead of trying Lyrical Host. ( I should probably mention right here that after my first year with BlueHost I stopped blogging because of the cost at renewal which I’ll speak on later so keep reading.)
However, there were two super important factors that played into me choosing to try Lyrical Host over Bluehost for my new blog. The main reason being that they offered monthly payments. The second being that there were no additional costs or add-ons because everything is included in the price. Plus, when it came time to renew there wasn’t going to be any price highjacking. Everything was transparent from the start. I didn’t have to have a bunch of bloggers suggesting Lyrical Host. I could see from the website and the one review I did read that this company was worth a shot, so I took it.
$19.99 per month with everything included in the price plus all the extras Lyrical Host offers like amazing support made the choice 100% worth it.
Want to learn 5 reasons why Lyrical Host is the best? Read about it here.
PIN THIS!
Renewing Your Blog
Renewing Your Blog with Bluehost
Now it’s time for the real tea sis. When it’s time to renew your blog with Bluehost, it’s time to empty those pockets baby. Say goodbye to $2.95* per month. Where that cute price went is beyond me. When I got the bill which they attempted to automatically deduct from my account I was shocked. Like, eyeballs out of their sockets shocked.
As a new blogger I was still learning and hadn’t been making money or learned all the ways how. So, I was already on the fence about renewing. I was also unaware that the renewal rate would be automatically deducted from my account. Or rather attempt to be deducted because ya girl was broke. Plus, I still wasn’t aware of the renewal rate until after they attempted to deduct it. So, yeah not the best experience but also not the point. The point is the price had literally quadrupled. 😲It’s not even an exaggeration. I’m so thankfully I didn’t have that money in my account 😅.
No one who was suggesting Bluehost ever spoke on the price high-jacking at renewal. It would have been so great to expect that because I would have saved for it and been prepared. Instead, I had to give up my first blog. However, it did lead me to Lyrical Host which I’m so pleased with it’s not even funny.
Sidenote: Bluehost makes it a tad bit more noticable that $2.95* per month is an introductory rate. It wasn’t quite like that before.
Renewing Your Blog With Lyrical Host
Since I pay for a monthly plan with Lyrical Host there isn’t much review on renewing. I simply pay each and every month and voila! I’m renewed. However, for each 1 year anniversary Lyrical Host does celebrate the occasion by planting trees in your honor. And honestly, I’m here for it.
Your first “anniversatree” equals 5 trees planted, then 10, 20, 30 and 50 respectively. I love that Lyrical Host isn’t here to take your dollars and go. They use our patronage to support our planet. If you didn’t know, planting trees helps offset carbon emissions produced by our websites and helps toward ending poverty and hunger for small farmers.
From my anniversatree email: Trees For The Future plants fast-growing trees, fruit trees, hardwoods and food crops to provide families with sustainable food sources, livestock feed, products to sell, wood fuel, and a 400% increase in their annual income in four years.
So, renewals with Lyrical Host = no price high jacking and saving the planet. Got it. That’s a no brainer.
Customer Care and Resources
Getting help from Bluehost
When I started blogging, there was so much I didn’t know. Obviously, I turned to my hosting provider for help. Bluehost responded quickly and was always able to get my questions answered when it came to technical things. I mentioned that I thought having Bluehost would make my blog successful but, I was wrong. Bluehost wasn’t able to offer support on how to get views, make money, or have a generally good looking site. They could only help make sure my site was running and other related things.
Me being a bozo is not Bluehost fault – A successful blog is NOT dependent on your WordPress hosting company.
However, this is where Lyrical Host shines in comparison.
Getting Help from Lyrical Host
Lyrical Host offers support that although isn’t always instant, it has always been superior and personable. I often talk to the same people and feel like I’m part of a family. They answer all my questions, walk me through what needs to be done or simply do it themselves. I’ve learned a lot of technical things since being with Lyrical Host. Thanks to their awesome support I’m comfortable going into my control panel CPanel and doing things myself when necessary.
However, Lyrical Host doesn’t just offer technical support that feels like talking with a friend. They actually have a lot of resources to help new bloggers get started. They have free stock photos we can use on our blogs, workbooks to learn things like SEO and getting traffic, templates, trackers and more that really help to improve your skills and be successful. Plus, they have a Facebook group that is super active and very helpful as well.
What Lessons I Learned From Bluehost
The biggest lesson I learned from Bluehost is to pay attention to the asterisk * when you’re signing up for something. Often times there’s some fine print you need to pay attention to. Thankfully, with Lyrical Host there was no asterisk * involved. You pay the price you see and it’s worth it.
Sign up for Lyrical Host here. And make sure you use my discount code: ShayThomasBlogs for extra savings on this stellar service.
