WordPress web host Bluehost today announced a feature that’s meant to help SMBs build advanced websites. Known as WonderSuite, the company frames it as a sort of digital co-pilot for the creation and ongoing management of business websites, including advanced functions like eCommerce stores.
This is well-conceived given the dynamics of WordPress, where BlueHost is one of the most prevalent hosts. As we discussed on a recent This Week in Local episode with Newfold Digital (Bluehost owner) CEO Sharon Rowlands, WordPress as a platform is a bit of a double-edged sword.
Breaking that down, WordPress is immensely expansive because the platform’s open-source nature has unlocked tens of thousands of plugins, themes, and other elements that make it so expandable and customizable. But all those customization options also make WordPress somewhat complex.
WonderSuite addresses that factor head-on, with a unified set of tools. In other words, it provides a single point of entry for key website functions, rather than leaving it to site owners to cobble together a customized mix of WordPress plugins. The latter is a familiar scenario in the WordPress universe.
“SMBs, freelancers, and entrepreneurs may find it daunting and time-consuming to establish an online presence on WordPress with all the features and functionality they want for their business,” Newfold Digital president Ed Jay told Localogy Insider. “Now, the Bluehost WonderSuite experience transforms the complexity of WordPress into a simple, streamlined journey.”
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Putting the Suite in WonderSuite
So what does the “suite” in WonderSuite include? It contains several components, including (verbatim from BlueHost):
WonderStart: an accelerated, easy and personalized onboarding experience. It asks the user specific questions, then pulls their responses into other parts of the website building process. For example, when users enter their social media handles during WonderStart, those handles will be automatically sent to SEO optimization and added to the social buttons block.
WonderTheme: a multipurpose WordPress theme that helps users present their site. WonderTheme provides static pattern options that are then pulled into WonderBlocks to be personalized for the user.
WonderBlocks: a wide library of block patterns and page templates, using images and suggested text, that are generated based on users’ entries during their WonderStart onboarding. The templates are generated specifically for the user’s needs and are relevant and personalized to their site’s purpose. The block patterns and templates are also customizable to the user’s liking.
WonderHelp: an AI-powered, actionable step-by-step guide to help users throughout the WordPress site-building process. Example: Instead of using a search engine to figure out “How to create a blog in WordPress?”, WonderHelp provides a step-by-step guide within the site builder and takes users through the full process with those instructions integrated throughout each page.
WonderCart: an eCommerce feature designed to empower entrepreneurs to boost their online sales with a comprehensive collection of cross-sell and up-sell features into a single, unified solution. Included in the Bluehost Online Store packages, WonderCart provides a multifaceted range of promotional and discount options in an all-encompassing solution designed to supercharge online sales.
WonderAssist: (will be available later in 2023): AI-powered content generation that provides relevant copy, product descriptions, and SEO-friendly excerpts that will help customers achieve their goals without leaving excerpts blank or with Lorem Ipsum text on their site.
The Right Foot
Backing up, WonderSuite not only simplifies and de-fragments all the “paradox of choice” on WordPress but does so at the host level. Web hosts are one of the first steps in establishing a new website. So starting SMBs off on the right foot with site design and functionality makes sense at that stage.
In fact, many challengers in the website world over the past decade have done something like this. For example, Wix, Squarespace, Duda, and others combine functions to simplify things for SMBs. We’re talking hosting, page builders, and eCommerce functions. All these things come from one provider.
By going down this road, Bluehost unlocks the best of both worlds. In other words, WonderSuite offers a one-stop shop for user-friendly site management, page-building resources, etc. Meanwhile, advanced users can still venture out into the expansive wild West of the WordPress plugin and theme libraries.
Addressing that full range could be a strong move for Bluehost in expanding its addressable market. Not only does it appeal to a spectrum of technical capabilities, but it’s better positioned to evolve with its customers. And given common SMB traits, most will be launching at the beginner end of that spectrum.
“Bluehost WonderSuite is a building experience, said Jay, “designed to be the digital co-pilot through a seamlessly integrated process via AI-powered assistance and step-by-step guidance that helps accelerate and simplify the entire experience.”
