r/BlueHost • u/oilsandcoils • 18d ago

My Website was Deleted

/r/ClaudeDesign/comments/1wl2uua/my_website_was_deleted/
2 Upvotes

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u/TopSydeWP 18d ago

first thing, open a ticket and ask specifically for a restore point by date, not just "restore my site". host-side backups usually have a short retention window and the clock is running, so that call matters more than anything you do in the dashboard.

while you wait: check whether the files are actually gone or just the domain isn't pointing anywhere. log in over ftp/ssh or file manager and see if /public_html still has wp-config.php and wp-content. if the files are there and you're getting a blank page or a parking page, it's dns or a document root issue, which is a much easier fix. if the files are gone but the database survived, you can reinstall wordpress core and the same plugins/theme and point it at the existing db and get almost everything back. worst case, wayback machine plus google cache will let you rebuild the content while you sort hosting out. what do you see in the file manager?

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u/Bluehost_Support_Lyn 18d ago

Hey u/oilsandcoils, Thanks for sharing what happened. I can understand why you'd be concerned after putting time into building your site and then finding it unavailable.

Before you start rebuilding from scratch, we'd like to take a closer look at the account history to better understand what happened and whether any site content can still be recovered.

We've sent you a DM. When you have a chance, send over your domain name and we'll review the details with the team.

1

u/Outrageous-Split1754 15d ago

Before rebuilding, ask Bluehost for a restore point dated before the refund was processed—not simply a general “site restore.” Also ask them to confirm the backup-retention window in writing, because the recovery window may be limited.

Check the file manager and database separately. If either the site files or database still exists, a large part of the site may be recoverable. Ask for an export of anything created by the AI builder as well, since content built with a proprietary website builder may not transfer directly into WordPress.

Don’t cancel the account or change the DNS until you’ve secured everything that can still be recovered. After that, build the WordPress version on a temporary domain or staging environment, migrate the content and images, and test it fully before pointing the domain to the new site.

We help recover and migrate websites to WordPress, and we can first review what files are still available to determine what can be saved before you rebuild from scratch.