Last week at WordCamp Europe, I had some of the most eye-opening conversations I’ve had in a while. Not just with fellow hosting providers, but also with solution providers who are quietly reshaping what WordPress ecosystem and hosting solutions look like. I left the event with a notebook full of thoughts and I’d like to share the ones that stuck with me most.
The Four Types of Customers Hosters Must Pay Attention To
Let’s start with the basics. When introducing “Hosting For WordPress” solution to the users as a hosting provider you have four types of customers that you want to reach with such an offering.
Note: just to be clear “Existing” means that they already have a website on WordPress, while “New” means that they want to launch a completely fresh website.
Customer Type 1: Existing Customers on Your Own Legacy Platform
These are the users you already host, but on outdated systems. Maybe they’re still using classic shared hosting with tools like DirectAdmin or cPanel and its WP Toolkit. It works, sort of. But let’s face it: it feels old, slow, and clunky. The WordPress experience on those setups is far from great.
If you don’t offer them a modern alternative, they will eventually leave. Platforms like Kinsta, WP Engine, or Cloudways are much more WordPress-focused, and users notice the difference. This is where you need an upgrade path. A smooth way for these customers to switch to a better WordPress experience, ideally with a modern panel like PanelAlpha (yea why can’t I self-promote sometimes 😉).
One-click trial option for your existing customers to try the new panel. Easy way to upsell and offer more value!
Customer Type 2: Existing WordPress Users Hosted Elsewhere
This is probably your biggest growth opportunity. There are thousands, maybe millions, of WordPress users already hosting their sites with other providers. And many of them aren’t thrilled with the experience. Their hosting might be slow, too limited, too complex, or just outdated.
What’s often overlooked, though, is the migration process. That’s where most providers lose the chance to win these users over.
If you can offer a super-simple migration, one that works out of the box for, say, 90% of users, you’ll have a serious advantage. In my opinion this is the key for a successful WordPress hosting solution and is a way to get a huge market share. For example, tools like WP All-in-One Migration or Updraft make things easier.
Customer Type 3: New Customers Who Want WordPress
These people already know WordPress. They might have used it in the past and feel comfortable with it or heard that their friends are using WordPress themselves. For them, your job is to make sure your WordPress hosting is clean, reliable, and fast to launch.
This is the group most providers focus on and it’s a solid audience. Which makes sense… The ones who already know WordPress are a no-brainer. Give them a solid platform, and they’ll come.
But it’s the fourth group that, in my opinion, is the most important customer segment for the entire industry and one that has been overlooked for way too long. This is a big reason why WordPress isn’t winning many new users.
The New Customers Nobody Talks About
Customer Type 4: Users who need a new website and don’t care how!
These users don’t want to learn what a plugin does or how to manage themes. They just want something that works. Fast. And right now, these people are far more likely to choose Wix than WordPress.
Here’s what Customer Type 4 is really thinking:
- I want a website for my small business. I don’t know what WordPress is, and I don’t want to
- They expect to pick ‘Business website’ and be done. Not choose a theme, install plugins, and configure settings.
- I want to sell some products online. What the hell does even ‘Woo’ mean?
- They just want a “Start your shop” button. Not a plugin with a weird name.
- I’d like to make my site faster. Now I’m told to install ‘LiteSpeed Cache’ or ‘WP Rocket’? I don’t even know what caching is.
- Don’t even talk about “performance” of a site that JUST works. They really shouldn’t care!
- I want my site with multiple languages. Why do I need something called WPML or Polylang? Why do I even have to pay extra for it?
- They expect a “Make site multilingual” switch. Not plugin names that sound like coding languages.
- I want to accept donations. Why do I need something called GiveWP? Just let people send me money.
- They expect a simple “Enable donations” button. Not plugin names and setup forms.
And so on…
It’s obvious to say that the current WordPress ecosystem is waaay too complicated for new users. Yes, in the long run, WordPress offers huge benefits like ownership of content, freedom to migrate, and powerful scalability with plugins. But that value is completely lost if the first experience pushes people away.
Traditional Site Builders Are Not A Solution. WordPress Can Fix That.
Remember Weebly? It used to be one of the go-to solutions for hosting providers who wanted to offer simple site-building. Then it was acquired by Square, stopped evolving, and left hosters with a dead-end tool with no exports, no modern features, no future.
Here’s the fix: use WordPress as the site builder but hide the complexity. Build a simple, guided experience on top of it that speaks to normal users, not developers.
And here’s the key: make it fully compatible with Gutenberg. A site builder based on native WordPress blocks gives providers the freedom to switch tools in the future without breaking their customers’ websites. It also gives users clean, portable content they can take anywhere. No lock-in. No rebuilds. Just a better, future-proof way to deliver simple sites on WordPress.
The Future Depends on Simplicity
In my opinion what WordPress really needs is a simple overlay for the initial customer journey, something that goes beyond just the first few steps of creating a website. It should guide users through launching and managing their site without ever exposing them to the full complexity of WordPress unless they ask for it.
From what I’ve heard, the WordPress core team is working on this. If they get it right, it could be a game-changer. There is however no clear info what and when so this is also a massive opportunity for site builders.
Yes, companies like Extendify, ZipWP, or EspressoWP are already doing some part of this by creating smooth onboarding flows on top of WordPress. Still, even after that smooth first step, users land in the WordPress dashboard, which overwhelms new users right away. .
Whoever solves this best will not only attract the new wave of users but also define the future of WordPress itself. It can put WordPress back as the number 1 solution for ANYONE who wants their website and will make the web much better in the long run.
A Final Thought
WordCamp Europe reminded me how much potential WordPress still has, but only if we make it easier for people to get started. The competition is catching up fast. If WordPress doesn’t simplify, it risks falling behind.
It’s important to step out of the comfort zone. Instead of focusing only on the “WordPress ecosystem,” we should focus on the global websites market and make sure WordPress is keeping up with the trends.
Let’s fix that. Let’s build the next generation of tools and experiences, together.