Is Bluehost Domain Privacy Protection Worth It? Do You Need It?
Last Updated on February 28, 2023
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Domain Privacy Protection is a Bluehost package extra offered when you are signing up with Bluehost.
In my opinion, Bluehost Domain Privacy Protection is one of the most important Bluehost package extras offered.
In this post, not only will we cover what Bluehost Domain Privacy Protection is, we will cover three common questions asked when purchasing web hosting from Bluehost.
The questions are, is Bluehost Domain Privacy Protection worth it? Do you need Bluehost Domain Privacy Protection? How much does Bluehost Domain Privacy cost?
By the end of this post, you will have a clear understanding of Bluehost Domain Privacy Protection so that you can make an informed decision on whether or not it is worth having.
What Is Bluehost Domain Privacy Protection?
Bluehost Domain Privacy Protection is a package extra add-on offered by Bluehost that protects you so that your personal information isn’t out for the public to get in the whois directory.
Bluehost Domain Privacy Protection protects you from marketers, spammers, scammers, hackers, potential stalkers, harassment, and unauthorized access to your website.
Now let’s go over how Bluehost Domain Privacy + Protection works so that you will have a clear understanding of what it is.
When you register a new domain name from a domain registrar, your personal information goes out to the whois directory.
Regardless of the company you choose to register, your domain name with your personal information goes out to the whois directory as domains are regulated by ICANN, known as The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.
ICANN regulates domain names and the ownership of the domains. All domain name providers have to abide by these regulations.
The information that goes to the ICANN directory is your full name, address, phone number, email address, domain name, and internet protocol address, also known as an IP address.
Bluehost Domain Privacy Protection can protect you from all of this. By going with privacy protection, Bluehost will protect your private information from the whois database so that you don’t have to worry about personally sensitive data getting into the wrong hands.
Instead of the ICANN directory showing your personal contact information, it will show Bluehost’s default contact information for anyone who purchases the Domain Privacy Protection package extra with Bluehost.
Here’s an example.
If someone tries to look up your domain name or get your contact information, it’ll show Bluehost’s information like shown to the right.
Something to note is you still own your domain name if you choose to protect your personal information with private protection. Domain privacy protection just protects your personal data from going out to the public on the whois directory.
Video Tutorial: Is Bluehost Domain Privacy Worth It? Do You Need It?
Benefits of Domain Privacy Protection Bluehost
There are many reasons why you do need to have Bluehost Domain Privacy Protection.
Here are the benefits of choosing Bluehost Domain Privacy Protection.
- Prevention of personally sensitive information being public on the whois database
- Prevention of unwanted phone calls
- Prevention of unwanted postal mail to your address
- Prevention of spam and junk emails
- Prevention of personal data being sold
- Prevention of identity theft
- Prevention of competitors learning more about you
- Prevention of fraudulent domain transfers
- Reduces access to hackers getting into your site and placing malware
- Up-to-the-minute notifications on your phone for important domain changes
- Malware scan detection and removal
Now let’s go in-depth about each of these benefits.
Personal Information Protected
Your personal information will be protected.
Instead of your personal data such as your name, address, email, phone number, domain, and IP address being listed to the public on the whois database, Bluehost’s contact information will be shown.
This will stop spammers, scammers, marketers, competitors, and hackers from getting access to sensitive data about you as your information is masked publicly.
Unwanted Phone Calls
It’s common to receive phone calls from marketers trying to sell you their services. You could experience calls from companies that offer SEO, web design, advertising, marketing, and other business-related services.
I’ve experienced this firsthand, and the calls can get overwhelming as so many can come in.
Unwanted Mail To Address
Companies may decide to send you postal mail to your address to sell you their products and services.
Spam and Junk Emails
It’s very common to receive lots of spam and junk emails. I’ve experienced this firsthand in the past. You can receive lots of unsolicited emails every day.
Personal Data Can’t Be Sold
Your personal information won’t be out to the public on the global whois database protecting you from data theft and your information being sold to others.
Identity Theft
Having your personal information out for anyone to access could lead to your personal information getting into the wrong hands and leading to the theft of your identity.
Competition Knowing More About You
Competitors could get your contact information and access your personal information to get to know more about you.
Fraudulent Transfers of Domain Name
Someone could try to transfer your domain name from your current domain registrar by putting together all your personal information and hacking into an account.
Hackers Placing Malware on Site
Having your personal information along with your IP address out to the public could lead to someone trying to hack into your site and placing malware on your site.
Having malware on your site could even get your site blacklisted from search engines.
SMS Notifications
You can set up and choose to receive text messages via your phone on specific actions that you want to be notified about regarding your domain name.
For example, attempts to move your domain name to another domain registrar, attempts to purchase your domain name, and attempts to re-register your domain name.
Malware Scan Detection and Removal
You can set up a malware scanner for your site, which will scan your site every 24 hours and notify you if any malware is detected.
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How Much Does Bluehost Domain Privacy Cost?
Now that we have covered what Bluehost Domain Privacy Protection is and all the benefits let’s now cover the pricing of Bluehost Domain Privacy Protection.
So how much does Bluehost Domain Privacy cost?
If you go with the Basic or Plus plan when signing up with Bluehost, Bluehost Domain Privacy Protection will cost you $0.99 per month. This Bluehost package extra is billed annually at $11.88.
After a year, you can choose to renew domain protection for your domain.
Does Bluehost Offer Free Domain Privacy?
Now let’s answer the question, can I get Bluehost free domain privacy? Yes, Bluehost offers free domain privacy protection if you choose either the Choice Plus, Online Store, or Pro plan while purchasing Bluehost.
You will receive free Domain Privacy Protection with Bluehost for free for as long as you have your domain registered with one of these plans.
How Do I Get Domain Privacy On Bluehost?
There are two ways to get Domain Privacy on Bluehost.
The first is when you are signing up with Bluehost, and the second is once you already have a Bluehost account and will be adding it via the Bluehost dashboard.
When checking out with Bluehost, the first way to make your domain private on Bluehost is by adding Domain Privacy + Protection on the package extras section.
Now let me walk you through the steps of adding Bluehost Domain Privacy Protection from the Bluehost portal.
Once logged into Bluehost, you’ll be on the main Bluehost portal page.
Click the Marketplace tab found in the left sidebar menu.
Next, click the add-ons tab from the dropdown menu that appears.
Scroll down till you find Domain Privacy Protection and click it.
You’ll now be where you can choose a domain you want to assign Domain Privacy + Protection to.
You will see over to the right under the checkout section, where you can select the domain you want to purchase Domain Privacy Protection for.
Once you have your domain selected, agree to the terms and conditions and click the buy now button to complete your purchase.
Something to note is if you purchase Domain Privacy + Protection at a later date with Bluehost, Bluehost will pro-rate the cost to go till the end of your domain term.
For example, let’s say you add it 3 months after your Bluehost purchase; Bluehost will charge you the remaining nine months left for your domain.
Once the nine months roll around, you will have the opportunity to renew the Bluehost Domain Privacy + Protection for another year.
Is Bluehost Domain Privacy Protection Worth It?
So Is Bluehost Domain Privacy Protection worth it? Yes, Bluehost Domain Privacy Protection is worth it. Protecting your personal information from marketers, spammers, scammers, competition, hackers, potential stalkers, harassment, and unauthorized access to your website is very important.
By having Domain Privacy Protection with Bluehost, your personal information isn’t displayed publicly on the global whois database. Bluehost’s information will be shown for this protecting you.
Click here to go to Bluehost and save up to 73%!
How Do I Make My Domain Private On Bluehost?
To make your domain private on Bluehost web hosting, you just need to purchase Bluehost domain privacy protection from the Bluehost package extras section at checkout or purchase it within the Bluehost dashboard under the add-ons section.
FAQ: Can All Domain Extensions Get Privacy Protection?
Not all domain extensions (TLDs) offered today allow you to have domain protection. The reason is each registry sets and has its own set of rules regarding this.
Most of the top-level country code domains do not allow WHOIS protection. For example, country domain codes such as .ca, .uk, and .us do not allow privacy protection for your domain.
This is across the board with all hosting providers, not just Bluehost.
Ready to build your website with Bluehost? Check out the step-by-step guide.
Want to start a blog? Here’s a guide on how to start a WordPress blog on Bluehost.
Here’s a helpful post going over how to install WordPress on Bluehost.
Final Thoughts
We hope you found this article helpful and that it helped you understand what Domain Privacy Protection Bluehost is and answered the question: Do I really need Bluehost domain privacy protection?
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