2023 will be remembered as one where the world grappled with cascading challenges and conflicts, the rise of generative AI, and many more groundbreaking advancements.
At Cloudways, though, we’ll remember 2023 as the year we fully integrated into the DigitalOcean family and for the many innovations, enhancements, success stories, and community efforts we made to give you the best possible tools to dominate online!
So, it only makes sense that we reflect on the year and give you a holistic view of what we did with your trust, along with 100,000+ users, in choosing Cloudways with your online presence.
You’ll also get a short glimpse of what’s coming in 2024 (hint: there’s a lot), so buckle up and dive in!
Celebrating Your Journey
Our unwavering commitment to our customers has guided every step we’ve taken and every improvement we’ve made. We’ve listened to your needs, understood your pain points, and tailored our services to provide you with the best possible experience.
This year’s achievements, from launching a Unified Interface to significantly reducing the WordPress launch time and conducting over 99,000 live chats with a 96% customer satisfaction rate, are all testaments to this customer-centric approach.
Product & Engineering
Our Product and Engineering Teams worked relentlessly to deeply understand and address your needs. Every feature we’ve built and every enhancement we’ve made directly responds to your feedback.
Here’s how you and other users have responded to our product and engineering efforts:
- 40% of users using the new UI
- 300,000+ Breeze installations
- 700,000+ sites hosted on Cloudways
- WordPress launch time improved by 40%
- 10% of users using Cloudflare Enterprise
Customer Support
Our Customer Support Team is on the frontline of our customer focus. With over 99,000+ live chats and a 96% satisfaction rate, we’ve been able to directly address our customers’ concerns and provide immediate assistance.
- 99,000+ live chats with 96% CSAT
- 18,500+ support tickets handled with 93%+ SLA
- 100% SLA on managed migrations
WordCamp Sponsorship
We love WordPress. It powers most of the websites launched on our platform, so it makes sense for us to not only be part of the biggest events around the CMS but also sponsor them to keep the community thriving. Hence, we took flights to WordCamp Asia, WordCamp Europe, and WordCamp US to be part of the WordPress community, and you all responded incredibly to our presence:
1900+ booth visits and interactions
- 110+ conversations about Flexible + Autonomous
- 650+ leads from giveaway
- 37+ partner & co-marketing discussions
- 140+ customers at Cloudways Party
Day 1 of @WordCampUS 2023 is happening right now in Maryland.
Come visit our booth #607 and let’s chat #WCUS #WordPress #WordCamp pic.twitter.com/UhN3mu9tP3
— Cloudways (@Cloudways) August 25, 2023
Brand Impact
Our brand is a reflection of our commitment to our customers. We strive to make a positive impact in their lives, not just through our products and services but also through our actions and initiatives.
- #1 on G2 for cloud hosting
- 4.7/5 rating from 649 reviews
- 2000+ active referrers
The Prepathon
The Prepathon was our first virtual event aimed at helping our users and the community at large prepare for the holiday sales season. To achieve this goal, we brought some of the biggest names in the industry under the Prepathon umbrella, and it was a three-day event full of learning, exciting activities, giveaways, and a lot more.
- 24 global influencers
- 2500+ record-breaking attendees
- 2h 36m average time spent per attendee
Welcome to Day 1 of the #BFCMPrepathon 2023!
Expert-led sessions | Q&A | Networking | Giveaways
If you haven’t registered yet this is your chance to book your spot https://t.co/hmfkIsge1n pic.twitter.com/lo75SA1WMv
— Cloudways (@Cloudways) October 17, 2023
Customer Week
We celebrated Customer Week to listen, understand, and improve our services, keeping our customers at the core of our actions. It’s our way of saying ‘Thank You’ and reaffirming our promise to keep our customers our priority.
- 5 sessions in total
- 100+ registrations
- 1000+ views on social
Speedup Challenge
The Speedup Challenge was more than just an event; it celebrated performance and innovation. We opened our doors and invited individuals to put their WooCommerce stores on Cloudways to the test. We rewarded the winners with hundreds of dollars in hosting and gift cards.
- Over 200 registrations
- More than 35 participants
- 3 winners
We are proud of the strides we’ve made in improving our product offerings and customer support, and we remain dedicated to putting our customers at the heart of everything we do.
Product Enhancements in 2023
Each product update represents countless hours of dedication from our team, all aimed at providing you with the best possible experience. So go ahead, take a closer look, and see how we’re working to make our products and services better every day.
Q1 2023
In February, we were excited to announce that PHP 8.2 is now available on Cloudways, offering improved performance, security, and ease of use.
In March, we introduced a smarter way to flush your Object Cache on Cloudways. This allows for application-specific Redis Object Cache, thus enabling selective cache flushing. We also simplified the process by which Cloudflare is added to customer domains.
Q2 2023
In April, we launched Cloudways Autonomous for WordPress, a hands-off solution that automatically scales up and down to meet traffic demands.
In May, we introduced Advanced Server Cloning, allowing for the copying of servers, applications, and team settings to cloned servers.
Q3 2023
In June, we unveiled Edge Page Caching, Argo Smart Routing & more exciting Cloudflare Enterprise features for our CDN add-on, massively speeding up WordPress sites by performing page caching at the edge. We also announced the addition of the AWS Dubai Data Center.
In July, we launched the new Unified UX, simplifying the Cloudways user interface.
In August, we expanded Cloudways coverage to 43 locations worldwide, allowing for hosting that’s close to end consumers for better load times. We celebrated as Breeze reached over 300K active installations on the WordPress plugins repository.
In September, we introduced the Purge Site Cache feature, allowing for the purging of the app, varnish, Redis, and Cloudflare caches for a specified app with one click.
Q4 2023
In October, we launched the Cron Optimizer, which deactivates WP Cron and switches you to server-side Crons. We also introduced the Vulnerability Scanner, which keeps count of which version of WordPress core, theme, and plugins your app is on and alerts you if any vulnerabilities are found within those versions.
In November, we introduced Varnish Enhancements, including Device Detection and more. We also introduced 32GB, 48GB, and 64GB Premium DigitalOcean Servers.
In December, we introduced RabbitMQ for Magento on Cloudways. This feature boosts site performance by managing crucial messages efficiently, leading to faster load times and smoother checkouts for ecommerce stores.
These updates represent our continuous effort to provide the best possible experience for our users. We look forward to bringing more enhancements and features in the future.
Awards and Features in Publications
Our unwavering commitment to our customers has been recognized through different awards and publications. These accolades are a testament to our dedication to excellence, innovation, and customer-centricity in the web hosting industry.
- TechRadar, a top tech review site, recognized Cloudways as a leading cloud hosting provider. “Cloudways offers managed hosting from major providers like Amazon, Google, and others. It’s user-friendly and packed with features, making it a great choice for all users.”
- HostingAdvice praised Cloudways for its WordPress-optimized stack, SafeUpdates feature, customer-centric approach, and innovative use of AI and automation. This recognition is a testament to Cloudways’ commitment to providing top-notch service to its customers.
- CXM has recognized Cloudways for its reliable and scalable hosting infrastructure. The mention of Cloudways in this publication underscores our growing reputation in the industry and its commitment to delivering high-quality cloud hosting services.
Our Users’ Success Stories
The customer success stories are proof of the positive impact we have on businesses. These stories are not just case studies, they’re the journeys of businesses like yours achieving their goals. Who knows? Your success story could be the next one we celebrate!
1. CBD Ecommerce
D8 Super Store splashed in the market, raking over $1 million in sales in its first year. The projections for 2023 were even more promising, with an expected revenue of $5 million. The success can be attributed to the seamless operation with zero downtime.
2. Web Agency
WebMaremma made a strategic move to Cloudways, which resulted in a 30% reduction in server costs and a remarkable 59% increase in site speed. This transition not only enhanced their client service but also optimized their operations in the tourism industry.
3. Tech Blog
By switching to Cloudways, SoftwareHow saved a substantial $3600 per year on web hosting costs. This change catalyzed a 200% surge in traffic and halved the load time. These improvements highlight our platform as a reliable choice for web hosting needs.
What to Expect from Us in 2024?
In 2024, Cloudways will undergo significant changes. While we can’t reveal all our plans yet, here’s some of the enhancements and products we’ll be releasing this year:
- General Availability of Cloudways Autonomous, a fully-fledged, hands-off auto-scaling solution.
- Simplified DNS management with major improvements to our DNS Made Easy add-on.
- Upgrade our tech stack to Debian 11.
💡 Note: We’re also developing a solution for digital agencies, addressing their unique challenges and paving the way for their success. Plus, we’re improving our security features to protect our customers and give them peace of mind about their data privacy.
Summary
As we wrap up our review of 2023, it’s clear that it has been a transformative year for Cloudways. Our journey with DigitalOcean has not only brought about significant growth and innovation but has also allowed us to enhance our value proposition.
We’re proud of our achievements, but we’re not resting on our laurels. As we look ahead to 2024, we’re excited about the opportunities. We’re committed to continuing our journey of innovation and growth, and we can’t wait to share what we have in store.
Thank you for being part of our journey in 2023. We appreciate your support and look forward to serving you even better in the coming year. Stay tuned for more updates, and as always, we welcome your feedback and suggestions.
Here’s to a fantastic 2024!
Saad Khan
Muhammad Saad Khan is a Director of Product Marketing at Cloudways (by DigitalOcean), a Growth Hacker extraordinaire, and a force to be reckoned with on the table tennis court. He's spent a decade building innovative customer-led growth strategies that helped Cloudways grow from 0 to 89,000 customers & is a regular at WordCamp events worldwide.
