There’s a lot of buzz around agency hosting these days. It seemed that most of the best web hosting providers wanted to talk about their new agency hosting plans at WordCamp Europe when I attended. It sparked me to write my new best hosting for agencies guide and when I started my research I thought there was no better place to start than with Cloudways.
Cloudways has had their Agency Partnership Program since 2021 and it has over 3000 users. It has recently been revamped and relaunched so I spoke with Faih Mehtap, VP Marketing, at Coudways about the changes to learn more about the program and what web agencies need from their hosting providers.
Fatih Mehtap
What drove the decision to refine and relaunch the Agency Partnership Programme now?
There were two core drivers behind the relaunch. First and foremost, customer feedback. We regularly run pulse surveys, focus groups and cohort interviews to really understand how our partners feel about the program and where they see room for improvement. A common theme from our agency partners was for us to provide even more support and engagement. The feedback was fair and something we wanted to prioritise.
Relaunching the programme now with renewed vigor is about acknowledging the wants of our partners and recommitting to them with dedicated focus, staffing and strategic direction.
With over 3,000 agencies already in the program, what feedback shaped these new enhancements?
Our customers wanted more dedicated support, better onboarding, more proactive account engagement and stronger tools to help them grow.
We’ve implemented dedicated partner onboarding liaisons, offer migration services handled by our engineers, including unlimited free migrations for higher tiers, and quarterly or biannual account reviews. These reviews not only give partners visibility into their tier progression but also uncover potential cost savings or unlock new benefits, like hosting credits and premium support.
How does this refined programme position Cloudways compared with competitors?
Our customers are the driving force behind why we innovate. Every company operates differently, but our focus is to create solutions aligned to our customer needs and wants. From this creation process, there are a few clear differentiators.
At the Gold and Platinum tiers of the programme, agencies get access to unlimited white-glove migrations, removing a major technical and financial barrier to switching and consolidating clients. Combined with a revamped Partner Hub, these features go beyond what most hosts provide, especially for agencies focused on growth. They help simplify operations, reduce overhead and free up resources, allowing teams to focus more on scaling their business rather than dealing with infrastructure complexities.
Can you walk us through the $15,000+ learning resources package? What specific skills and trends are you helping agencies master?
The learning content originated from UGURUS – a coaching content platform built specifically for agency owners. Before the relaunch, content was curated and sold in different tier packages, starting at around $2,000 per year. We’ve ungated all of this content for the benefit of programme partners.
The learning resources specifically provide a comprehensive range of content supporting agencies at various stages of growth and maturity. This includes guidance on starting and scaling an agency, improving sales techniques, building and maintaining client relationships, mastering outreach strategies and refining internal operations and business development practices. The resources are designed to meet the needs of solo entrepreneurs just beginning their journey, through to established agencies looking to optimise strategies.
What ROI can agencies expect to see through the partnership programme?
Expected ROI from the partnership programme varies based on agency size, goals, and how actively they engage with the benefits. Many partners experience immediate cost reductions through hosting credits and access to premium support, which helps lower their operational expenses, whereas others benefit from long-term loyalty discounts and time-to-market savings.
Through referrals and affiliate commissions, every agency partner can benefit from generating passive income through recurring earnings, and the educational content provides a clear path to scaling up services and refining operations.
Ultimately, agencies can expect to get out what they put in. While some see measurable savings within a single quarter, others are leveraging the programme to unlock entirely new revenue streams, particularly through co-marketing opportunities and long-term client growth strategies. One of the favourite features of our program are the Agency Spotlight and case studies we publish on our website; those get thousands of views every month. Our agencies appreciate the brand visibility.
Can you tell me more about the co-marketing opportunities that come with the programme?
Co-marketing is a key area of opportunity, especially for our top-tier partners. Cloudways is actively looking to collaborate with agencies on webinars, case studies, guest blog posts and social promotions. If a partner is doing outstanding work powered by a Cloudways solution, we want to help amplify their story and provide visibility across our channels.
It’s about building a mutually beneficial spotlight. One that not only shows off the partnership’s great work, but also drives leads, credibility, and reach for both sides.
Over the course of the Calendar year, we run multiple virtual and in-person events, using these platforms to invite customers to take part and share their perspective on what’s happening in the industry.
How is the agency hosting landscape evolving, and where do you see the biggest opportunities?
Agencies are no longer just service providers; they’re becoming strategic digital partners to their clients. The shift means they need infrastructure that’s flexible, scalable and backed by responsive, knowledgeable support. Many of our customers come to us because they want more control and accessibility to how they run their hosting. We help
them evolve their offering through greater choice, flexibility and scalability, capabilities not every hosting provider can provide.
The opportunity for agency hosting lies in serving those evolving needs. That’s why we’re leaning into things like robust learning tools, premium service layers, and scalable partner incentives. Agencies want to grow, diversify, and build more sustainable income models, and we’re aligning our platform and programme to support that evolution.