CloudLinux has announced an investment in Seahawk, a company that delivers WordPress support and services for hosting providers under a white-label model. The goal is to help hosters offer help with websites—not just infrastructure—and improve retention among users who rely on WordPress.

A shift from hosting infrastructure to full website care

Many hosting companies experience churn when a customer’s WordPress site is hacked, slows down, or breaks after an update. Even if the problem isn’t related to the server, the hosting provider is often blamed—and the customer leaves.

By partnering with Seahawk, CloudLinux aims to give hosters access to a team that can handle these issues directly, acting as an extension of their support organization. Services include routine maintenance, website builds, performance fixes, malware cleanup, SEO basics, and migrations.

All services can be delivered under the hosting provider’s brand, which removes the need for internal hiring or building new operational processes.

How hosting companies can benefit

This partnership is positioned to:

  • Reduce customer loss by resolving issues that traditionally fall outside infrastructure support
  • Improve onboarding so that more new WordPress users actually launch a working website
  • Lower the burden on in-house support teams by escalating complex WordPress tasks elsewhere
  • Create an additional revenue stream through services customers already pay for—but usually to external agencies

The model doesn’t require upfront investment, and revenue is shared on services performed.

What end-users get out of it

For customers, the advantage is straightforward: their hosting company is now able to help with the website itself, not only the server. They can rely on someone to fix issues, keep the site secure, and improve performance when needed, instead of figuring it out alone or searching for outside help.

What this means for the hosting industry

This move reflects a broader trend in hosting: infrastructure alone is no longer enough to keep customers.

  • Support expectations are rising — When something breaks, users expect the host to fix everything on the stack, not just server-level problems.
  • Managed WordPress is becoming the default — More hosters will be pushed to provide ongoing website care if they want to compete.
  • Service-based revenue is gaining importance — Margin growth is increasingly tied to services beyond the server.
  • AI isn’t replacing experts — Routine tasks may be automated, but when a live site fails, human expertise still drives trust.

If more providers follow this model, the line between hosting companies and web service agencies will continue to blur. The winners will likely be those who can support not just uptime—but successful websites.