Fast websites really do it for me. Over the past year or so, I’ve found myself gravitating toward the performance side of the WordPress world.
I’ve actually become something of a hosting snob at this point. I enjoy building servers now that I know what I’m doing and although I’m very much a novice at these things, my interest in expanding my knowledge motivates me to dive deeper every week.
It should come as no surprise to you that the announcement of WP Engine (aff link) last month made me excited in ways that technology shouldn’t excite a grown man.
WTF is WP Engine?
WP Engine is a new startup out of Austin that provides a high-performance hosting solution for users who care about security, performance, and scalability.
Although I can address each of these issues on my own since I host with VPS.net and have complete control over my server, WP Engine is a good fit for sysadmins who have no interest in putting the time into doing this either for their own sites or for those of their clients.
Security is among the more important issues facing owners of WordPress websites right now. I’ve written elsewhere about WordPress security but in light of security concerns specific to one of my favorite themes, I thought it might be wise to look into more secure hosting solutions for my clients.
The company is run by three well-known and widely-respected technology buffs: Jason Cohen, Cullen Wilson, and Aaron Brazell.
WTF makes them so special?
My first question when I learned about them was simple: what do they have on the backend? So I fired off an email in hopes of being able to learn how some pros are running their operation. To my surprise, I got an email the very next day from Cullen Wilson.
The email was personal, thoughtful, and answered my question in detail. As it turns out, the software stack I’ve come to use on the servers I build was almost identical to what they had going on. Epic geek victory.
Additionally, Cullen asked if I had some time to chat that week so they could hear my thoughts and get some feedback. Who does that? I need more companies like this in my life. Even though I was in Seattle and unable to connect with them that week, the sentiment was appreciated and made me an instant fan of theirs.
WTF else sets them apart?
One of the things I’m most impressed by in the emails that have gone back and forth is the level of transparency and genuine interest in feedback. I get the feeling that my business is valued and that my feedback is helping to shape the direction of the company’s offerings.
I don’t think there’s any doubt that they will see tremendous success in the months to come, and I’d strongly recommend checking them out if you need more out of your hosting account than you’re getting right now. Check ‘em out.
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Awesome post Willie! Made my morning. The offer to jump on the phone and chat still stands, just let us know!
Cheers Cullen, let’s chat next week!
Hey, nice post. So what’s the software stack they run on their servers?
Hi Raheem-
I’m sure they will outline this on the website at some point, but here are the major things:
All this makes for a pretty potent package. You won’t find many (any) turnkey hosting solutions that compare.
I donno. I just don’t know…
I love what they offer. It’s just that the pricepoint seems a bit on the higher side. Or maybe I’m misconstruing their target audience.
I’d rather pay a one-off for a kick-ass build and recurring support. And pay a bit more for security. Again, my perspective is very insular since I’m just a wanna-blogger.
That said, I think they HAVE to succeed with their kind of attitude. It’s a #win for sure! :-)
I suspect that your perspective might change in the coming months, my friend. I host sites getting reasonable traffic (2K—8K hits/month) and the owners are used to paying three digits per month for hosting.
WP Engine is a comparative steal.
I’m going to have to give them a try. I don’t get many hits a month on my website but can’t not try a service like this.
Thanks Willie.
You won’t regret it, Jake—I’m looking forward to launching something there. It’s a pretty cool setup.
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