This shift in the consumer psyche is partially due to the increase in available information and guidance, and partially a result of a difficult economy. Consumers are driven to attempt new feats that they’d never otherwise consider, all in the hope of saving a few bucks.  In the realm of web hosting in particular, the DIY mentality shows no signs of slowing down. There’s no question that as these new webmasters become more capable and aware of the possibilities that come with building their own website, they will also become more dependent on their web hosting companies.  And this dependence is – perhaps surprisingly – not a bad thing.

Here are some reasons why:

1. The more people attempt to build their own websites, the more web hosts will develop their services to meet the growing needs of their customers.  There’s no question that as individuals become consumers of the web hosting industry and don’t leave these decisions to professionals, there will be a shift in the desires of web hosting consumers. Top web hosts will continue to show expanded features and services to meet these evolving needs.
2. Those building websites for the first time depend on their web hosts to make the endeavor as simple as possible. The continued growth of this trend will prompt web hosts to simplify their web hosting services in new and innovative ways. This will be a significant advantage for consumers at all skill levels.  Though many web hosts entice consumers by offering the latest technologies such as PHP 5 and PostgreSQL databases, novice website builders are looking for the simplest technologies. The more new website builders rely on their web hosts, the more hosts will simplify and adapt their platforms accordingly.
3. Web hosting is evolving from a strictly technical field to one that comprises a lot of design elements, and consumers at all levels depend on their hosts to provide these services.  Whether via a drag-and-drop website builder or a wide array of website templates, web hosts have begun to help their clients build not only reliable websites, but beautiful sites – and this is a trend that is certain to extend into the future.

One More Thing to Consider

It’s also important to consider that while DIY endeavors are becoming more popular, we are also living in an age where people are overstimulated and over-scheduled. They can only make time for things that are truly critical.  Some web hosting providers have already begun to offer mobile platforms through which webmasters can update their sites on-the-go. All of the top web hosts provide automatic site backups to protect their clients’ information, without placing this burden on the webmaster.

Moving forward, webmasters will likely find it even more difficult to balance the burden of building and maintaining their websites while tending to their family, business or other obligations.  In turn, they will rely on their web hosts even more to provide support services, reliable uptime and easy access – things which can always be improved.  Though this situation may seem paradoxical, it is certainly one that will have long term benefits for webmasters worldwide.

Jessica Stewart is a researcher at Consumer-Rankings.com and specializes in covering the progress of the hosting industry.

Here at Bluehost, we have big plans for 2013. We’re hitting the ground running and want to help you do the same! One of our big, ongoing projects is to bring our website to the next level. To help you do so as well, we’ve put together a few ideas that can serve as great New Year’s resolutions for your website.

If you already have a website, consider these tips on how to improve it for the new year. Remember, technology changes fast, so staying on top of these resolutions will help you have a more successful site!

1. Regularly ensure your website is optimized for search engines. This will make your site easier for people to find and increase  your overall traffic because it will be more likely to appear in search engines results. There’s a range of things to do with search engine optimization. A good first step is to watch our instructional videos on what SEO is and how it works, and how to grow your business with SEO.

2. Look into updating your website design to make it “responsive.” Responsive websites collapse, expand, and re-arrange to optimally fit the window/screen its in. This makes your site look great and be easy to use no matter where it’s viewed.Learn more by watching the Bluehost video about about responsive designs. Remember, more and more people are accessing the web from tablets, phones, and other mobile devices. Ensure your website is presented well in these formats.

3. Consider simplifying and cleaning up the overall design of your site.  Visitors should always be able to find what they’re looking for quickly and easily. Several design elements that used to be common have since been found to distract visitors from finding what they need. Avoid using mixed fonts and instead use a readable, clean font throughout your website. Nix any flashing or moving gifs. Remove heavy drop shadows and gradients and instead consider cleaner, flat colors and objects. Overall, try to examine your website with a critical eye and make any change that enhances both its appearance and functionality.

4. Make your website is as secure and protected as possible. One effective way to do this is to verify that your scripts are always up-to-date. Outdated scripts make a site vulnerable to hackers who exploit vulnerabilities inherent in old software. If you have a Bluehost account, you will see notifications in your cPanel alerting you when core updates are available. Also examine any plugins or themes and ensure they are updated as well. We made a fun video about website security. Feel free to check it out for more tips.

If you don’t have a website, make one in 2013.

Pretty much everyone needs a website these days, whether for a business, to promote your personal brand, to blog, for a family headquarters, etc… If you still don’t have one, here’s s a quick to-do list to help you get started:

1. Set up a hosting account and choose a domain name for your website. Bluehost accounts include a free domain name and it’s easy to get started. And one of the best perks of Bluehost is that you can chat with a real life expert and ask all the questions you need, even before you sign up. Just give them a call at 888.401.4678 or visit bluehost.com to chat with them online. They’re there to help, so make sure to use them!

2. Visit the Bluehost YouTube Channel and watch our instructional videos. We’ve been working hard to build up these resources to help you and have big plans to expand these in 2013. We already have series on how to use WordPress and how to use Weebly. Both show you click-by-click, step-by-step, exactly how to build your very own website.

3. Try it out! Once you’ve watched some videos and done some research, dive in and start building your website. And if you need some help along the way, call us or live chat with us; our 24/7 support team will be there to answer any questions you may have.

These are a just a few things you can do to start the year off right with the help of Bluehost. Click here to learn more about Bluehost’s plans for 2013.

photo courtesy of The Weather Channel

We’ve received many inquires from our customers as to whether our Bluehost headquarters has been affected by the storms caused by hurricane Sandy. Thankfully, our offices are located on the opposite coast and our servers and our staff are clear of the hurricane’s path.

However, our customers in the Eastern United States are affected by the storm and its aftermath. Many are experiencing severe damage to their homes, the loss of valuable possessions, and risks to their personal safety. We understand this is a difficult time and our thoughts are with everyone in harms way.

We want to do what we can to help, so for the next week Bluehost will be extending upcoming expiration dates for all customers located in states where the storms have hit the hardest. This includes: Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Vermont, and Washington D.C. In other words, for the next week, accounts that are expired will not be deleted and expiring accounts will remain active.

We hope this will be one less concern for those dealing with the aftermath of this storm. This delay is planned to extend until Tuesday, November 6, 2012, but if it appears additional time would help, we’ll consider extending it even further.

If you are a customer adversely impacted by Hurricane Sandy and have any questions regarding your account, contact us whenever you want, 24/7 at 888-401-4678. We’ll eagerly do what we can to help.

Stay safe!

We were recently at a conference in Florida explaining some of our services to potential clients. As luck would have it we also got to meet a lot of people who use and love Bluehost as much as we do. It was a blast. One great customer we had the opportunity to chat with was Sarah Metzger, a small business owner. It was exciting to learn more about Sarah, her endeavors, and what her experience has been like working with Bluehost. 

[from left] Steve Handy (Bluehost), Sarah Metzger, and Grant Hansen (Bluehost). 

Sarah is an online media professional and has been leveraging her experience to start a consulting practice. She is dedicated to helping businesses leverage today’s technologies and information outlets to successfully promote their vision. She provides small business owners with tools and guidance so they can successfully grow their online presence.

“I was overwhelmed with the prospect of building my own website for a Coronado Real Estate business I was re-launching with my partner. Building an engaging real estate website was a lot to manage on top of the day-to-day tasks. Bluehost made the entire process so much easier than I had expected and I am so glad I found them. I can’t recall how many countless nights I have been up at 2am on the phone with one of my friendly Bluehost contacts. I don’t personally know any of the Bluehost support team employees but I always get off a call feeling like I talked to an old friend.” – Sarah

She creates WordPress websites that are optimized with high-quality content designed to engage customers and helps her customers through a step-by-step process of defining their brand. How great is that? Go Sarah!

“I am hugely passionate about helping business owners. Bluehost has helped me help other grow their personal projects and businesses. I am eternally grateful.”  -Sarah

It’s such a treat to meet our customers and hear first hand how we were able to play a role in their success. So if you’re a Bluehost customer and you see us at a conference somewhere, we hope you’ll stop by and say hi. We’d love to meet you!

Did you know one out of three women and one out of two men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime? It’s true. More than 562,000 Americans are projected to die of cancer this year alone, with over 40,000 of these deaths due to breast cancer.

These numbers aren’t just faceless statistics, these are people we know. Our friends, family members, neighbors, and colleagues are those who struggle to overcome this tragic disease. Fortunately, thanks to the regular support given over the years to increase awareness and find a cure, breast cancer incidence rates in the U.S. have been steadily decreasing by about 2% per year.

At Bluehost, we want to do our part to help continue and even speed up this trend, so for the entire month of October we pledge to donate a portion of the proceeds we receive from every new customer to the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

The Huntsman Cancer Institute is one of the world’s leading cancer research facilities. They maintain the largest, most comprehensive population database used for biomedical research, consisting of over 12 million records. At any given time, 215 or more clinical trials are underway, pushing the medical envelope of progress.  Thanks to their research, dozens of new treatments are now available as a “best, last hope” for those battling late stage cancers.  Last year, through Phase I clinical trials, HCI was able to offer dozens of new cancer treatments to patients who had been told their prognosis was terminal.

We at Bluehost are excited to be able to make a contribution to the fight against breast cancer. If you’d like to make a difference, consider a personal contribution today. 100% of donations are directed to research (not towards overhead or operating expenses.) Simply click here to help the Huntsman Cancer Institute find a cure.

Many people don’t realize that websites can be hacked.  After all, websites are software, and like any software they can be vulnerable if not protected. Whenever possible, hackers look for opportunities to try and infect websites with badware. Badware is “software that fundamentally disregards a user’s choice about how his or her computer or network connection will be used.” Sadly, because of this, badware is typically used by criminals to expose private information, steal identities, erase valuable data, and destroy reputations. Fortunately, however, there are measures you can take to protect yourself, your site’s visitors and your credibility.

Update Your Software

Start by keeping all your software up-to-date as new software typically provides security patches and fixes. Hackers continue to exploit vulnerabilities in older software for those that use it, so always install the newest version of your software when possible.

Delete Unused Software

Remove any plugins or scripts that you aren’t using. Dormant software is more likely to be outdated than software you rely on regularly. Plus, the more software you use, the more potential openings for attack exist on your system.

Use STRONG Passwords

Use a STRONG password. This may seem obvious, but poor passwords are still a leading cause of security incursion. Do not use the default password. Instead change it to a secure, unique password that utilizes random numbers, symbols, and both capital and lower-case letter. And please don’t use the same password for all your accounts. If a hacker got a hold of your password through one service, all the rest would be compromised!

Avoid Badware Traps

Badware doesn’t just try to attack you, it also tries to spread. Help stop it by not opening suspicious emails and by not clicking on ads that are likely to be spam.

There’s a lot more you can do to protect yourself against badware. Visit StopBadware.org to learn more and support the good fight!