Bluehost no longer sells the SEO Tools Start package this page used to review. When I went through Bluehost's checkout on November 7, 2026, the SEO add-on was called Search Engine Optimization Tool, and the Marketplace also lists Yoast SEO Premium, the WordPress plugin, for $2.99 a month, billed annually at $35.88.
Is it worth adding? No. You get a lot of useful features from the free version of Rank Math. If you already use Yoast, Rank Math can import all your Yoast metadata and settings in a few clicks.
Below I cover what the add-on includes, how its price compares with buying Yoast directly, and the free tools that do most of the same job.
Contents
What is the Bluehost SEO tool?
At checkout, Bluehost lists four optional add-ons under Recommended Add-ons. None of them was pre-selected when I checked. One step earlier, when you choose a domain name, domain privacy is already selected, and you don't need it: newly registered domains have their owner data hidden by default.
Screenshot from my Bluehost checkout (Starter plan), November 7, 2026.
The Search Engine Optimization Tool costs $2.99 a month, billed annually at $35.88. Bluehost's description at checkout says it helps you "rank in Google with Yoast SEO Premium, the plugin made for search", with AI tools, keyword suggestions and content tips.
So it's no longer a separate Bluehost dashboard with an SEO score, a search engine submission button and a backlink counter, as the old SEO Tools Start package had. It's a license for a well-known WordPress plugin, sold through your hosting account.
What does Yoast SEO Premium add?
The free Yoast SEO plugin already handles the basics: titles and meta descriptions, XML sitemaps, schema markup and a readability check. Premium adds tools that save time once a site grows:
- AI-generated suggestions for titles and meta descriptions.
- Internal linking suggestions while you write.
- Redirect manager, so you can redirect old URLs without another plugin.
- Analysis for up to five keyphrases per page, including synonyms.
- Access to Yoast's 24/7 support team.
If you write a few posts a month, the free plugin covers what you need. Premium starts paying off on content-heavy sites where internal links and redirects take up a lot of time.
How the price compares
| Where you buy Yoast SEO Premium | Price | Billing |
|---|---|---|
| Bluehost add-on (checkout, Nov 7, 2026) | $2.99/mo | $35.88 a year, billed annually |
| Yoast directly (yoast.com, Nov 7, 2026) | $9.90/mo | $118.80 a year, ex VAT |
For the first year, Bluehost's add-on is about $83 cheaper than buying from Yoast. Bluehost's checkout also gives an extra discount when you add more 1-year products ("buy more, save more": 15% with one product, 20% with two, 25% with three or more).
Two things to check before you add it:
- The renewal price. The checkout shows the first-year price only. Ask Bluehost support what the add-on renews at before you count on the savings.
- The license is tied to your Bluehost account. If you move to another host, you'd buy Yoast again directly.
Free alternatives to Bluehost's SEO tool
You can cover most SEO needs on a Bluehost site for free.
Yoast SEO (free version)
The free Yoast SEO plugin handles titles, meta descriptions, sitemaps and schema, and checks each post for your focus keyphrase and readability. Start here and upgrade only if you need a Premium feature.
Google Search Console
Google Search Console shows the searches your pages appear for, your clicks and average positions, and the indexing problems Google found. The data comes straight from Google, so it isn't an estimate. Submit your sitemap there instead of paying for "search engine submission".
Semrush (free account)
A free Semrush account gives a limited site audit and keyword lookups, enough to find technical issues on a small site. The paid plans add full audits and rank tracking.
Ubersuggest
Ubersuggest offers a few free daily searches for keyword ideas and a basic site audit. It's handy for checking whether a keyword is easy for a new site to rank for.
Verdict: is the Bluehost SEO tool worth it?
No, don't buy it. The old SEO Tools Start package wasn't worth paying for, and the Yoast SEO Premium add-on isn't either:
- The free Yoast SEO plugin and Google Search Console cover what a new or small site needs: titles, meta descriptions, sitemaps, indexing and your real search data.
- The checkout shows only the first-year price, not what it renews at, and the license is tied to your Bluehost account.
- If your site grows to the point where Premium's internal linking and redirect tools save you a lot of time, buy it directly from Yoast, so it stays yours if you change hosts.
The SEO tool isn't selected at checkout, so just leave it unchecked.
Whatever you choose, it doesn't change how your hosting performs. Bluehost's own speed comes down to the plan and server, which I test in my Bluehost review. For security and backups, see what replaced SiteLock and CodeGuard.
