How BlueSkyPhoenix LLC Improved Website Performance and Client Trust with Cloudways

About BlueSkyPhoenix LLC

Running a successful agency means juggling multiple responsibilities, and for Michelle Coe, founder of BlueSkyPhoenix LLC, website performance and reliability are non-negotiable. Frustrated with the limitations of traditional hosting providers, she sought a flexible, high-performing solution—one that offered control, efficiency, and peace of mind. That’s when she turned to Cloudways.

In this case study, Michelle shares how Cloudways’ intuitive platform, cost-effective cloud options, and reliable customer support have streamlined her hosting operations, allowing her to focus on growing her agency and delivering exceptional value to her clients.

Cloudways: What’s your agency name, and where is your agency’s headquarters situated?

Michelle Coe: We’re BlueSkyPhoenix LLC, based in Northern Virginia, USA.

Cloudways: Tell us about yourself. What is your name, and what is your designation at the agency? What are your core responsibilities?

Michelle Coe: My name is Michelle Coe, and I am the President and Senior Creative Director at my firm. My core responsibilities include growth, client communication, design direction, team leadership, and project management. Like most entrepreneurs, I wear many hats, but I try not to wear them all at once.

Cloudways: What services does your agency provide, and how many clients do you currently have? Please tell us a bit about your agency here, like what you guys do, your team size, which market you serve, your USP, etc.

Michelle Coe: Founded in 2011, we provide brand strategy, web design & development, hosting/lifecycle support, and marketing strategy services for more than 60 businesses and nonprofit organizations located all over the United States. We currently are a team of six web, design, and marketing professionals.

We actively partner with our clients to assist them in creating smart strategies for better business. Sometimes that means crafting a compelling visual brand and key messaging.

Sometimes it’s building an elegant and functional website and complementing that with technology solutions that help generate greater efficiencies. Sometimes it’s creating an innovative and effective marketing strategy that yields a strong return on investment.

Because we generate solutions that are specific to each individual client, it’s often some combination of the three. Our attention to detail frees our clients up to focus on other aspects of their business that are most important to their growth and success.

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Cloudways: How did you first hear about Cloudways? Name one major problem that you were facing that made you switch to Cloudways. Something that was the tipping point, and how did Cloudways fix that for you?

Michelle Coe: I began hosting my web clients myself because I was frustrated with the “big” hosting providers. Consistently poor website performance and shoddy customer service, combined with a general lack of control over server performance and the hosting environment, caused me to make the shift to running my own servers. I heard about Cloudways from one of my team members and decided to give them a try.

Cloudways: Before Cloudways, which hosting solution you used? Are you using any other hosting service currently? If “Yes,” Why?

Michelle Coe: I’ve been doing this a very long time, so I have had experience with multiple hosting solutions: GoDaddy, Bluehost, Dreamhost, Name, Namecheap, SiteGround, Flywheel, Hostinger, WP Engine, HostGator, Ionos, Network Solutions.

I now exclusively use Cloudways, except for the very rare occasion when a client chooses to own and control his own hosting/lifecycle support.

Cloudways: When you first signed up, what was your experience like with Cloudways? Please tell us about your first impressions.

Michelle Coe: This was a few years ago, but the transfer process was relatively easy, and customer service was great. The platform was, and is, easy to use, and anytime I have questions, I can reach out and know that I will be treated with respect by knowledgeable people.

The respect part is especially important; this was not my experience with other providers (they were neither respectful nor knowledgeable!)

Cloudways: In your opinion, what sets us apart from other hosting providers? How has our built-in support for Php-based apps such as WordPress, Laravel, and Magento made matters easier for you?

Michelle Coe: In my opinion, it’s a number of things. We are mainly a WordPress agency, so having that support built-in is essential and allows us to focus on other optimizations.

You offer additional services (for instance, Malware protection) at a reasonable price. Perhaps most importantly, your customer service never takes the attitude of “That’s not my problem.” They are always willing to dig in and help find the issue and fix it if they can.

Cloudways: How do you use Cloudways to solve your client’s problem(s)?

Michelle Coe: I use Cloudways so that my clients don’t have to worry about their website and can focus on other things. They trust me and know that I am taking care of things behind the scenes, making sure that the site is performing well and everything is updated, backed up, and secure. I take that trust very seriously, and Cloudways has earned my trust over the years with your excellent performance and customer service.

Cloudways: How has Cloudways contributed to the success of your agency? Tell us about how Cloudways’ features align with your needs.

Michelle Coe: Cloudways allows me to launch and maintain my servers and applications quickly and efficiently. Having everything in one place, easily accessible via the dashboard, is hugely valuable. I also greatly appreciate the ability to restore an application quickly when needed. SSL certificates are a quick click or two away, and malware protection on my live sites adds peace of mind. I also love the reporting/log features for my servers and applications.

Cloudways: Out of three cloud providers available on Cloudways, which one(s) do you prefer to use and why?

Michelle Coe: We primarily use Linode—mostly for its cost-effectiveness, but also because it’s the provider I’m most familiar with.

Cloudways: How do you resell Cloudways to your clients?

Michelle Coe: I charge a monthly or annual fee that covers my Cloudways costs along with other hosting-related services I provide throughout the year.

Cloudways: Can you briefly describe the values you perceive from Cloudways?

Michelle Coe: Reliability, great customer service, care for your clients & wanting to partner in your client’s success.

Cloudways: How do you feel about being a part of the Cloudways Agency Partnership Program? What additional value does the program provide to you? Do you think this program is going to help your agency grow in the long run?

Michelle Coe: Being part of the partnership program makes me feel valued. I appreciate the value it provides with advanced customer support and my own dedicated partnership manager. I look forward to growing to the next tier—hopefully soon!

Cloudways: Do you think that by switching to Cloudways, you were able to free up resources at your end? If yes, how were you able to utilize those?

Michelle Coe: Switching to Cloudways has definitely freed up resources because now I’m not dealing with multiple hosting platforms and all the ways they are different from one another. Everything is in one place and makes life so much easier!

Cloudways: What features or improvements do you want to see in the future at Cloudways?

Michelle Coe: It would be nice to be able to layer in my own theme and plugins automatically when I spin up a new WordPress app.