WordPress.org Removes BlueHost + SiteGround and Relists Within Days

This story gets stranger.

You've probably read my previous coverage WordPress.org Updates Hosting Recommendations, Nobody Knows Selection Criteria and WordPress.org Hosting Recommendations Listing Criteria.

BlueHost and SiteGround were removed May 27 or 28.

Wow. Bluehost and SiteGround have been removed from the newly updated WordPress hosting page already. https://t.co/ND1jGHBOee

— Brian Krogsgard (@Krogsgard) May 28, 2016

There was a rumor that is was about modifying config files, but that was denied by Hristo Pandjarov (SiteGround Employee) who wrote, "we don't do nothing of the sort, the wp-config file as well as the entire installation is default including the themes. We have a plugin if you want to use the SuperCacher. We're still checking out why we've been removed from that page but that's definitelly[sic] not the case."

BlueHost and SiteGround reappeared today (June 1, 2016).

I reached out to Matt Mullenweg for a comment and was told:

"Temporary issues may cause recommended hosts to change at any time, but given the long track record of both I expect they'll be back. We might also try out different presentations and layouts there in the future."

So essentially, there's no new information, and even the web hosts themselves seem to be in the dark about what's going on.

People celebrated the removal of BlueHost and were shocked by the removal of SiteGround. But these erratic listing changes are exactly why transparency needs to be applied to the page. It's worth millions of dollars in business and is influential in one of the largest internet communities. But nobody knows or understands what's really going on.

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Kevin Ohashi

Founder at Review Signal

Kevin Ohashi is the geek-in-charge at Review Signal. He is passionate about making data meaningful for consumers. Kevin is based in Washington, DC.

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