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  • The brief
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  • This week · 6
  • This quarter · 8
  • Big bets · 3
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Generated Oct 21, 2026
  1. Programmable
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growth playbook · Oct 21, 2026

wpengine.com (opens in a new tab)

WP Engine growth playbook

Diagnosis

WP Engine is a leading managed WordPress host whose hiring shows the next push: a new outbound sales motion (Project Trailblazer) on top of a strong inbound team, a field and events program, local support in Australia and new finance data models.

Its marketing site is the first place the speed promise is tested, and today the homepage fails Core Web Vitals for real visitors because of 2.9 MB of third-party JavaScript.

This playbook makes the homepage pass, fixes the "5M websites" snippet, turns 11,677 near-empty agency profiles into useful pages, and readies the site for AI agents, then arms outbound, events and affiliates with prospects' own speed data, adds comparison pages and clear upgrade prices, and builds a WordPress speed report and a free agent-ready grader.

Growth Score

7/10

Biggest Opportunity

Use speed as proof, not just a claim: a fast homepage, prospects' own Core Web Vitals in outbound and events, and an annual report from 1.5 million sites.

Biggest Risk

Kinsta, WordPress VIP, Pantheon and SiteGround each lead on a clear claim (G2 rating and free month, compliance, multi-CMS, price), and a buyer who tests WP Engine's own site sees a slow score.

01

Start here

The three moves to make first. Each one is written up in full below.

  1. 1

    Make wpengine.com's homepage pass Core Web Vitals: it is the first speed demo every buyer sees

    List every tag in Tag Manager with its owner and last use.

    High impact First result in 1 month
  2. 2

    Fix "trusted by over 5M websites" in the search snippet to match the 1.5M on the page

    Rewrite the two meta descriptions.

    Medium impact First result in 2 weeks
  3. 3

    Turn the 11,677 empty agency profiles into pages that win searches, or take them out of the index

    Count profiles with no description, region or specialty.

    High impact First result in 1 quarter

02

Your idea portfolio

20 ideas, grouped by when to run them. Open any idea for how to run it: the steps, who to approach, copy you can use, and how to measure it.

  • 8 ideas are marked Unexpected: plays you are unlikely to have tried.

    2 of these are things Programmable can build and run for you.

Every idea placed by the effort it takes against the impact it could have. Quick wins sit top left; select a number to open that idea. The filters below narrow the list by status, timing, category and what Programmable can build.

Effort vs impactEach number is an idea. Select one to open it.
Impact →
Quick wins · 1Big bets · 11Fill-ins · 7Reconsider · 1
Effort →

Showing 20 of 20 ideas

This week 6

Quick wins with a clear first action.

  • 01

    WP Engine sells a "40% speed improvement after migrating" and a pre-launch Core Web Vitals review, and the site runs on its own Headless Platform. But Google's data for real visitors shows the homepage failing both loading (LCP 3.1s) and responsiveness (INP 318ms), and the phone lab test scores 32/100. The hosting is not the cause: the page loads 2.9 MB of JavaScript from 24 third-party hosts, with Google Tag Manager alone at 1.1 MB. Buyers who run PageSpeed on a host's own site before switching see that score.

    High impactMedium effort First result in 1 month Head of Web Experience

    First action

    List every tag in Tag Manager with its owner and last use.

    How to measure it

    Homepage passes Core Web Vitals

    Now
    –
    Target
    LCP under 2.5s, INP under 200ms
    By
    60 days

    Steps

    1. 1

      Baseline

      Save PageSpeed and field data for the homepage and plans page.

      Head of Web Experience 1 day

    2. 2

      Tag audit

      Owner and last use for every tag and pixel.

      Marketing Operations Manager 1 week

    3. 3

      Remove and delay

      Drop unused tags; load the rest after interaction.

      Marketing Operations Manager 1 week

    4. 4

      Hero image

      Sized, preloaded image instead of the heavy illustration.

      Head of Web Experience 2 days

    5. 5

      Caching

      Long cache lifetimes for static files.

      Head of Web Experience 1 day

    6. 6

      Guardrail

      A performance budget check before any new tag goes live.

      Marketing Operations Manager 1 week

    7. 7

      Publish

      Before and after as a Headless Platform case study.

      Product Marketing Manager 1 month

    First result
    1 month
    Cost
    Staff time only
    Owner
    Head of Web Experience

    Smallest test

    Delay the chat, heatmap and testing scripts on the homepage for one week and compare field INP.

    Why it works

    Treat the homepage and plans page as product demos. Move analytics, chat, heatmap, testing and ad pixels behind consent and after first interaction, cut tags that no team uses, serve the hero illustration as a sized image, and set long cache lifetimes on static assets. Publish the before-and-after field numbers as a case study of the Headless Platform.

    Speed is the promise, and a fast homepage backs it up in the place prospects check first. Fewer scripts also lift conversion on the plans page, and the published fix becomes sales material.

    Ready to use

    ChecklistHomepage speed checklist

    [ ] Every tag has an owner and a last-used date
[ ] Unused tags removed
[ ] Chat, heatmaps, A/B testing and ad pixels load after interaction
[ ] Hero image sized and preloaded
[ ] Static assets cached for a year
[ ] Performance budget check on new tags
[ ] Field LCP under 2.5s and INP under 200ms
[ ] Before-and-after published

    Risks and how to handle them

    • Marketing loses data

      Keep server-side analytics and consent-based loading, and agree the tag list with each team.

    • Scores slip again

      Block new tags that break the performance budget.

    Evidence

    • Google PageSpeedwpengine.com homepage on mobile: performance 32/100; in the lab test the main content (the portal dashboard illustration) takes 17.3s to appear, blocking time is 1,690ms, and the page downloads 3.8 MB, 2.9 MB of it JavaScript, from 24 third-party hosts (Google Tag Manager alone 1.1 MB). Real visitors on this page fail Core Web Vitals on loading (LCP 3.1s, target 2.5s) and responsiveness (INP 318ms, target 200ms); the site as a whole is at 2.2s LCP and 20% faster than before. Top fixes: unused JavaScript (about 2.7s, 1 MB) and cache lifetimes (about 2.0s). The server header reads "WP Engine Headless Platform".Source
    • Your websiteHomepage: "Most trusted hosting for WordPress", "Powering 1.5M+ WordPress sites", "99.99% enhanced uptime guarantee", "40% speed improvement after migrating to our platform"; a case study says agency MyWork "achieved an average 20+ increase in Google PageSpeed scores for over 1,000 client websites"; a resource headline reads "Thriving in the agentic web: AI agents are reading your site before your audience does. Is it ready?"Source
    • Your websitePlans page: Essential "Starting at $28.00 USD / per month, billed annually. Pay $336.00 today" for 25,000-400,000 visits a month on a shared environment; Business "Starting at $400.00 USD / per month" with "Get in touch"; Enterprise "Talk to sales". A pre-launch Core Web Vitals review is an add-on, not included on Essential. Prices show in USD, GBP, EUR, CAD and AUD. The plans page has no free trial offer.Source
    • Your websiteThe main menu lists Managed Hosting, eCommerce, Newsroom and Headless platforms and, under Extensions & Tools, Smart Plugin Manager, Site Monitoring, Global Edge Security, NitroPack, Smart Search AI and Managed Vector Database. The NitroPack item links off-site to nitropack.io. The locale menu offers nine countries.Source
  • 02

    Search results for the homepage and plans page show "trusted by over 5M websites", while the homepage says 1.5M+ WordPress sites and job posts say 1.5 million customers. Two numbers for the same claim invite doubt.

    Medium impactLow effort First result in 2 weeks SEO Manager

    First action

    Rewrite the two meta descriptions.

    How to measure it

    Homepage click-through

    Now
    –
    Target
    +5%
    By
    60 days

    Steps

    1. 1

      Agree figures

      Sites, customers, countries.

      Product Marketing Manager 1 day

    2. 2

      Rewrite homepage

      Description and social preview.

      SEO Manager 1 hour

    3. 3

      Rewrite plans

      With the starting price.

      SEO Manager 1 hour

    4. 4

      Audit top pages

      Top 50 by traffic.

      SEO Manager 2 days

    5. 5

      Fix

      Old figures.

      SEO Manager 2 days

    6. 6

      Measure

      Search Console click-through.

      SEO Manager monthly

    First result
    2 weeks
    Cost
    $0
    Owner
    SEO Manager

    Smallest test

    Change the homepage description today.

    Why it works

    Rewrite both meta descriptions with the current, consistent figures and a clear offer (plans from $28 a month, 24/7 support), and check the other top pages for old numbers.

    Consistent proof builds trust in the first thing searchers read.

    Risks and how to handle them

    • Lower click-through

      Test the wording on the plans page first.

    Evidence

    • Your websiteThe meta description on the homepage and the plans page, which search results show, says WP Engine is "trusted by over 5M websites", while the homepage says "1.5M+ WordPress sites" and job posts say "1.5 million customers".Source
    • Your websiteHomepage: "Most trusted hosting for WordPress", "Powering 1.5M+ WordPress sites", "99.99% enhanced uptime guarantee", "40% speed improvement after migrating to our platform"; a case study says agency MyWork "achieved an average 20+ increase in Google PageSpeed scores for over 1,000 client websites"; a resource headline reads "Thriving in the agentic web: AI agents are reading your site before your audience does. Is it ready?"Source
    • HiringWP Engine's description in its job posts: "Serving 1.5 million customers across 150+ countries", "developer-centric tools like Local, Advanced Custom Fields, and more", and "8% of the web visits a WP Engine-powered site daily".Source
    • Your websitePlans page: Essential "Starting at $28.00 USD / per month, billed annually. Pay $336.00 today" for 25,000-400,000 visits a month on a shared environment; Business "Starting at $400.00 USD / per month" with "Get in touch"; Enterprise "Talk to sales". A pre-launch Core Web Vitals review is an add-on, not included on Essential. Prices show in USD, GBP, EUR, CAD and AUD. The plans page has no free trial offer.Source
  • 03

    The sitemap lists 11,677 agency profiles, and member-level profiles are indexable but show only a name and a contact form. Thousands of near-empty pages dilute the site in search, and one sampled profile timed out.

    High impactMedium effort First result in 1 quarter Agency Partner Program Manager

    First action

    Count profiles with no description, region or specialty.

    How to measure it

    Directory leads

    Now
    –
    Target
    +30%
    By
    2 quarters

    Steps

    1. 1

      Count gaps

      Profiles missing each field.

      Agency Partner Program Manager 1 week

    2. 2

      Template

      Show specialties, region, budget, level.

      Head of Web Experience 2 weeks

    3. 3

      Noindex empties

      Until completed.

      SEO Manager 1 day

    4. 4

      Invite agencies

      Email to complete the profile.

      Agency Partner Program Manager 2 weeks

    5. 5

      City pages

      Agencies by region.

      SEO Manager 1 month

    6. 6

      Fix time-outs

      Cache profile pages.

      Head of Web Experience 1 week

    7. 7

      Measure

      Leads and organic visits.

      Agency Partner Program Manager monthly

    First result
    1 quarter
    Cost
    Staff time
    Owner
    Agency Partner Program Manager

    Smallest test

    Complete the 100 most viewed profiles and compare their leads.

    Why it works

    Give each profile the data the directory already filters on (specialties, region, budget, level) plus a short description and logo from the partner portal. Profiles without that data get "noindex" until completed, and the agency is invited to finish it.

    Complete profiles rank for "WordPress agency in <city>", send more leads to partners, and give agencies a reason to keep their WP Engine profile current.

    Risks and how to handle them

    • Traffic loss from noindex

      Only noindex profiles with no content and no traffic.

    Evidence

    • Your sitemapThe sitemap lists 11,677 agency directory profiles. Member-level profiles such as /agency-directory/wpcenter/ are set to "index, follow" but show only the agency's name and a contact form, with no description, location or specialties; one of three sampled profiles returned a gateway time-out. The directory itself filters by specialty, budget, region and partner level.Source
    • Your sitemapThe sitemap holds 12,585 URLs: 1,070 blog posts (newest October 2026), 207 case-study URLs including a noindex template page titled "Exemple Page Destination - France", about 100 pages each for /gb, /au, /dk and /ie, and 61 events. Legacy addresses such as /more/compare/ and /nitropack/ redirect to image files.Source
    • Your websiterobots.txt begins with "crawl-delay: 5" above any User-agent line, so most crawlers ignore it, and those that honour crawl-delay would be limited to one request every five seconds. /llms.txt returns 404.Source
  • 04

    WP Engine's homepage asks whether "AI agents are reading your site" and if it is ready. Its own robots.txt opens with a crawl-delay line outside any user-agent group, and there is no /llms.txt.

    Medium impactLow effort First result in 1 month SEO Manager

    First action

    Ask the web team why the crawl-delay line was added.

    How to measure it

    Assistant citations for core queries

    Now
    –
    Target
    tracked monthly
    By
    1 quarter

    Steps

    1. 1

      Review robots

      Purpose of the crawl-delay line.

      SEO Manager 1 day

    2. 2

      Fix

      Move or remove it.

      SEO Manager 1 hour

    3. 3

      llms.txt

      Core pages and docs.

      SEO Manager 1 day

    4. 4

      Baseline

      Ten assistant queries.

      SEO Manager 1 day

    5. 5

      Content gaps

      Pages assistants miss.

      Product Marketing Manager 2 weeks

    6. 6

      Monitor

      Monthly.

      SEO Manager monthly

    First result
    1 month
    Cost
    $0
    Owner
    SEO Manager

    Smallest test

    Publish llms.txt this week.

    Why it works

    Decide whether the crawl delay is meant to apply; if so place it under the named user agents, otherwise remove it. Publish an llms.txt that points to plans, platform pages, docs and case studies, and check which pages AI assistants cite for "best managed WordPress hosting".

    Leading by example makes the agentic-web content credible, and clean signals help assistants describe WP Engine accurately.

    Risks and how to handle them

    • Crawler load

      Use rate limits at the edge rather than robots.txt.

    Evidence

    • Your websiterobots.txt begins with "crawl-delay: 5" above any User-agent line, so most crawlers ignore it, and those that honour crawl-delay would be limited to one request every five seconds. /llms.txt returns 404.Source
    • Your websiteHomepage: "Most trusted hosting for WordPress", "Powering 1.5M+ WordPress sites", "99.99% enhanced uptime guarantee", "40% speed improvement after migrating to our platform"; a case study says agency MyWork "achieved an average 20+ increase in Google PageSpeed scores for over 1,000 client websites"; a resource headline reads "Thriving in the agentic web: AI agents are reading your site before your audience does. Is it ready?"Source
    • Your websiteThe main menu lists Managed Hosting, eCommerce, Newsroom and Headless platforms and, under Extensions & Tools, Smart Plugin Manager, Site Monitoring, Global Edge Security, NitroPack, Smart Search AI and Managed Vector Database. The NitroPack item links off-site to nitropack.io. The locale menu offers nine countries.Source
  • 05

    NitroPack sits in WP Engine's own Extensions menu, but the item sends visitors off-site to nitropack.io. Legacy addresses such as /more/compare/ and /nitropack/ redirect to image files instead of pages.

    Medium impactLow effort First result in 1 month Product Marketing Manager

    First action

    Export redirects whose target is an image file.

    How to measure it

    NitroPack page to plan clicks

    Now
    –
    Target
    tracked
    By
    60 days

    Steps

    1. 1

      Export redirects

      Targets ending in image files.

      Head of Web Experience 1 day

    2. 2

      Fix

      Point to current pages.

      Head of Web Experience 2 days

    3. 3

      Write the page

      NitroPack with WP Engine.

      Product Marketing Manager 1 week

    4. 4

      Change menu

      Internal link.

      Head of Web Experience 1 hour

    5. 5

      Add to plans

      Add-on mention.

      Product Marketing Manager 1 day

    6. 6

      Measure

      Clicks and add-on attach rate.

      Marketing Operations Manager monthly

    First result
    1 month
    Cost
    Staff time
    Owner
    Product Marketing Manager

    Smallest test

    Fix the redirects to image files today.

    Why it works

    Build a NitroPack page on wpengine.com that explains how it works with WP Engine plans, with pricing and a buy path, and point the menu to it. Replace redirects that end on images with redirects to the matching current page.

    A visitor interested in speed is a hosting buyer, and sending them off-site loses the sale; broken legacy redirects waste old links.

    Risks and how to handle them

    • Partner terms

      Check the NitroPack agreement for page content.

    Evidence

    • Your websiteThe main menu lists Managed Hosting, eCommerce, Newsroom and Headless platforms and, under Extensions & Tools, Smart Plugin Manager, Site Monitoring, Global Edge Security, NitroPack, Smart Search AI and Managed Vector Database. The NitroPack item links off-site to nitropack.io. The locale menu offers nine countries.Source
    • Your sitemapThe sitemap holds 12,585 URLs: 1,070 blog posts (newest October 2026), 207 case-study URLs including a noindex template page titled "Exemple Page Destination - France", about 100 pages each for /gb, /au, /dk and /ie, and 61 events. Legacy addresses such as /more/compare/ and /nitropack/ redirect to image files.Source
    • Google PageSpeedwpengine.com homepage on mobile: performance 32/100; in the lab test the main content (the portal dashboard illustration) takes 17.3s to appear, blocking time is 1,690ms, and the page downloads 3.8 MB, 2.9 MB of it JavaScript, from 24 third-party hosts (Google Tag Manager alone 1.1 MB). Real visitors on this page fail Core Web Vitals on loading (LCP 3.1s, target 2.5s) and responsiveness (INP 318ms, target 200ms); the site as a whole is at 2.2s LCP and 20% faster than before. Top fixes: unused JavaScript (about 2.7s, 1 MB) and cache lifetimes (about 2.0s). The server header reads "WP Engine Headless Platform".Source
  • 06

    The new Sales Development Manager is asked to keep inbound strong while building outbound, measured from lead response to bookings. On the plans page, Business ($400 a month and up) is a "Get in touch" form, so the speed of the reply decides many of those deals.

    High impactLow effort First result in 1 month Sales Development Manager

    First action

    Measure today's median time from form fill to first reply.

    How to measure it

    Business-plan form to meeting

    Now
    –
    Target
    +20%
    By
    1 quarter

    Steps

    1. 1

      Measure

      Current response times.

      Sales Development Manager 2 days

    2. 2

      Instant booking

      Calendar on the thank-you page.

      Marketing Operations Manager 1 week

    3. 3

      Routing

      On-shift SDR with alerts.

      Marketing Operations Manager 1 week

    4. 4

      Coverage

      Shifts by region.

      Sales Development Manager 1 week

    5. 5

      Scripts

      Open with their plan and site.

      Sales Development Manager 2 days

    6. 6

      Report

      Speed vs meetings.

      Sales Development Manager weekly

    First result
    1 month
    Cost
    SDR time
    Owner
    Sales Development Manager

    Smallest test

    Run five-minute routing for one week.

    Why it works

    Route Business and Enterprise form fills to an on-shift SDR with a five-minute target, offer instant booking on the thank-you page, and report response time by hour and region.

    Response speed is the cheapest lift in inbound conversion, and it protects the inbound engine while the team adds outbound.

    Risks and how to handle them

    • Too fast feels pushy

      Lead with the booking link and a useful site check.

    Evidence

    • HiringSales Development Manager (Austin, posted August 26, 2026): "evolve a solid inbound organization into a balanced inbound and outbound motion"; "Maintain well-developed inbound execution across lead response, qualification, follow-up, and seller handoff"; "Monitor funnel performance from lead response through meetings, qualified opportunities, pipeline, and bookings".Source
    • Your websitePlans page: Essential "Starting at $28.00 USD / per month, billed annually. Pay $336.00 today" for 25,000-400,000 visits a month on a shared environment; Business "Starting at $400.00 USD / per month" with "Get in touch"; Enterprise "Talk to sales". A pre-launch Core Web Vitals review is an add-on, not included on Essential. Prices show in USD, GBP, EUR, CAD and AUD. The plans page has no free trial offer.Source

This quarter 8

The core plays for the next three months.

  • 07

    The new outbound team is asked to research and personalize with AI tools. Google publishes real-visitor speed data for most large sites, and WP Engine already has the proof story: a 40% speed improvement after migrating, and MyWork's 20+ point PageSpeed gains across 1,000 sites.

    High impactMedium effort First result in 1 quarter Business Development Rep

    First action

    Pull Core Web Vitals for 200 target accounts.

    How to measure it

    Meetings from outbound

    Now
    –
    Target
    +25%
    By
    2 quarters

    Steps

    1. 1

      Target list

      WordPress sites by segment.

      Business Development Rep 1 week

    2. 2

      Pull data

      Public Core Web Vitals.

      Marketing Operations Manager 1 week

    3. 3

      Messages

      One-line finding plus case study.

      Business Development Rep 1 week

    4. 4

      Speed review

      A 30-minute meeting format.

      Product Marketing Manager 1 week

    5. 5

      Test

      Against generic sequences.

      Sales Development Manager 1 month

    6. 6

      Scale

      Winning segments.

      Sales Development Manager ongoing

    First result
    1 quarter
    Cost
    Data tooling
    Owner
    Business Development Rep

    Smallest test

    Send 50 speed-led emails and compare replies.

    Build the prospect list. The list compiled from public sources, verified, deduplicated and delivered to your CRM. Usually live within days.

    Book a working session

    Why it works

    For each target account, pull public Core Web Vitals and the WordPress version in use, and open with one line about their result and one matching case study. Offer a free migration speed review as the meeting.

    A specific, measured problem gets replies, and the speed proof is WP Engine's strongest claim.

    Risks and how to handle them

    • Sites already fast

      Lead with security or support for those accounts.

    Builds on

    Evidence

    • HiringBusiness Development Rep (Austin, posted September 25, 2026): "help execute a new outbound growth motion and source net-new business for our North America Acquisition team"; "As an early member of Project Trailblazer, you will do more than execute a playbook - you will help shape it"; "Use modern sales technology and AI-powered tools to research, personalize outreach".Source
    • Your websiteHomepage: "Most trusted hosting for WordPress", "Powering 1.5M+ WordPress sites", "99.99% enhanced uptime guarantee", "40% speed improvement after migrating to our platform"; a case study says agency MyWork "achieved an average 20+ increase in Google PageSpeed scores for over 1,000 client websites"; a resource headline reads "Thriving in the agentic web: AI agents are reading your site before your audience does. Is it ready?"Source
    • Google PageSpeedwpengine.com homepage on mobile: performance 32/100; in the lab test the main content (the portal dashboard illustration) takes 17.3s to appear, blocking time is 1,690ms, and the page downloads 3.8 MB, 2.9 MB of it JavaScript, from 24 third-party hosts (Google Tag Manager alone 1.1 MB). Real visitors on this page fail Core Web Vitals on loading (LCP 3.1s, target 2.5s) and responsiveness (INP 318ms, target 200ms); the site as a whole is at 2.2s LCP and 20% faster than before. Top fixes: unused JavaScript (about 2.7s, 1 MB) and cache lifetimes (about 2.0s). The server header reads "WP Engine Headless Platform".Source
  • 08

    There are no comparison or migration pages on wpengine.com: /compare/ and /migrate/ return "Page not found". Rivals compete on clear claims: Kinsta's G2 rating and free first month, WordPress VIP's FedRAMP and SOC 2, SiteGround's 3 million domains.

    High impactMedium effort First result in 1 quarter Product Marketing Manager

    First action

    Pick the two rivals sales meets most.

    How to measure it

    Comparison-page conversions

    Now
    –
    Target
    tracked
    By
    2 quarters

    Steps

    1. 1

      Pick rivals

      From lost-deal data.

      Product Marketing Manager 1 week

    2. 2

      Check facts

      Current pricing and features.

      Product Marketing Manager 1 week

    3. 3

      Write

      Fair tables and switching steps.

      Product Marketing Manager 1 month

    4. 4

      Legal review

      Claims and trademarks.

      Legal 2 weeks

    5. 5

      Publish

      With a migration offer.

      SEO Manager 1 week

    6. 6

      Refresh

      Quarterly.

      Product Marketing Manager quarterly

    First result
    1 quarter
    Cost
    Staff time
    Owner
    Product Marketing Manager

    Smallest test

    Publish the migration page first.

    Why it works

    Write one honest comparison per rival (performance, support, security, pricing, migration help) and a migration page with the timeline and what WP Engine handles. Link from plans and use the pages in outbound.

    Buyers compare hosts before switching, and these searches have the highest intent.

    Risks and how to handle them

    • Outdated claims

      Date every page and cite sources.

    Evidence

    • Your websiteNo comparison or migration landing pages: /compare/, /migrate/ and /free-trial/ return "Page not found", and the sitemap has no "vs" or "alternative" pages.Source
    • Competitor researchRivals' own homepages: Kinsta, "Voted #1 WordPress Hosting Provider on G2" with "your first month free"; WordPress VIP, "trusted by over 700+ enterprises", "FedRAMP authorized and SOC 2 Type 2 certified"; Pantheon, "the platform built for WordPress, Drupal, and Next.js"; SiteGround, "3,000,000+ domains" with "ultrafast speed".Source
    • Your websitePlans page: Essential "Starting at $28.00 USD / per month, billed annually. Pay $336.00 today" for 25,000-400,000 visits a month on a shared environment; Business "Starting at $400.00 USD / per month" with "Get in touch"; Enterprise "Talk to sales". A pre-launch Core Web Vitals review is an add-on, not included on Essential. Prices show in USD, GBP, EUR, CAD and AUD. The plans page has no free trial offer.Source
    • Your websiteHomepage: "Most trusted hosting for WordPress", "Powering 1.5M+ WordPress sites", "99.99% enhanced uptime guarantee", "40% speed improvement after migrating to our platform"; a case study says agency MyWork "achieved an average 20+ increase in Google PageSpeed scores for over 1,000 client websites"; a resource headline reads "Thriving in the agentic web: AI agents are reading your site before your audience does. Is it ready?"Source
  • 09

    Essential starts at $28 a month for 25,000 visits and stretches to 400,000, then Business starts at $400 with a form. A growing site cannot see what it will pay in between without talking to sales.

    High impactMedium effort First result in 1 quarter Product Marketing Manager

    First action

    List the price at each Essential configuration.

    How to measure it

    Essential upgrades a month

    Now
    –
    Target
    +15%
    By
    2 quarters

    Steps

    1. 1

      Price table

      Each configuration.

      Product Marketing Manager 1 week

    2. 2

      Slider

      Visits to price.

      Head of Web Experience 2 weeks

    3. 3

      Business examples

      Three typical setups.

      Product Marketing Manager 1 week

    4. 4

      In-portal prompt

      When a site nears its limit.

      Product Manager, Portal 1 month

    5. 5

      Test

      Against the current page.

      Marketing Operations Manager 1 month

    6. 6

      Measure

      Upgrades and churn.

      Senior Data Engineer monthly

    First result
    1 quarter
    Cost
    Design and dev time
    Owner
    Product Marketing Manager

    Smallest test

    Add a static price table under the plans.

    Why it works

    Show the price at each Essential step (visits, storage, sites) on the plans page and the Business price for typical configurations, with a "what will I pay at 200,000 visits" slider.

    Clear upgrade prices reduce churn to cheaper hosts at renewal and let small businesses upgrade without a sales call.

    Risks and how to handle them

    • Price anchoring

      Show yearly savings next to each step.

    Evidence

    • Your websitePlans page: Essential "Starting at $28.00 USD / per month, billed annually. Pay $336.00 today" for 25,000-400,000 visits a month on a shared environment; Business "Starting at $400.00 USD / per month" with "Get in touch"; Enterprise "Talk to sales". A pre-launch Core Web Vitals review is an add-on, not included on Essential. Prices show in USD, GBP, EUR, CAD and AUD. The plans page has no free trial offer.Source
    • Competitor researchRivals' own homepages: Kinsta, "Voted #1 WordPress Hosting Provider on G2" with "your first month free"; WordPress VIP, "trusted by over 700+ enterprises", "FedRAMP authorized and SOC 2 Type 2 certified"; Pantheon, "the platform built for WordPress, Drupal, and Next.js"; SiteGround, "3,000,000+ domains" with "ultrafast speed".Source
  • 10

    The new field marketing lead owns regional sponsorships, roadshows and dinners through post-event nurture and ROI reporting. A booth that tests visitors' own sites gives each conversation a reason and each lead a follow-up.

    High impactMedium effort First result in 1 quarter Lead Field & Events Marketing…

    First action

    Build the report template for the next event.

    How to measure it

    Event-sourced pipeline

    Now
    –
    Target
    +30%
    By
    2 quarters

    Steps

    1. 1

      Template

      Speed and security report.

      Product Marketing Manager 2 weeks

    2. 2

      Booth flow

      Test, explain, email.

      Lead Field & Events Marketing Manager 1 week

    3. 3

      Engineers

      Support staff at events.

      Technical Support Manager, APAC ongoing

    4. 4

      Same-day email

      Report and offer.

      Marketing Operations Manager 1 week

    5. 5

      Lead scoring

      By result.

      Marketing Operations Manager 1 week

    6. 6

      ROI report

      Per event.

      Lead Field & Events Marketing Manager per event

    First result
    1 quarter
    Cost
    Event staffing
    Owner
    Lead Field & Events Marketing Manager

    Smallest test

    Run the clinic at the next roadshow.

    Why it works

    At each event, run a speed and security check of the visitor's site with an engineer, email the report the same day with one fix and a migration offer, and score leads by the result.

    A personal report is remembered after the event, and the result tells sales who needs help most.

    Risks and how to handle them

    • Visitors with fast sites

      Offer a security and support review instead.

    Evidence

    • HiringLead Field & Events Marketing Manager (Austin, posted August 26, 2026): North America "regional event sponsorships, customer roadshows, industry conferences, field activations and executive dinners", owning programs "through post-event lead nurture, performance analysis, and ROI reporting".Source
    • Your websiteHomepage: "Most trusted hosting for WordPress", "Powering 1.5M+ WordPress sites", "99.99% enhanced uptime guarantee", "40% speed improvement after migrating to our platform"; a case study says agency MyWork "achieved an average 20+ increase in Google PageSpeed scores for over 1,000 client websites"; a resource headline reads "Thriving in the agentic web: AI agents are reading your site before your audience does. Is it ready?"Source
    • Google PageSpeedwpengine.com homepage on mobile: performance 32/100; in the lab test the main content (the portal dashboard illustration) takes 17.3s to appear, blocking time is 1,690ms, and the page downloads 3.8 MB, 2.9 MB of it JavaScript, from 24 third-party hosts (Google Tag Manager alone 1.1 MB). Real visitors on this page fail Core Web Vitals on loading (LCP 3.1s, target 2.5s) and responsiveness (INP 318ms, target 200ms); the site as a whole is at 2.2s LCP and 20% faster than before. Top fixes: unused JavaScript (about 2.7s, 1 MB) and cache lifetimes (about 2.0s). The server header reads "WP Engine Headless Platform".Source
  • 11

    WP Engine is hiring three support engineers in Australia on a Wednesday-Sunday local shift, has about 100 Australian pages and prices in AUD.

    Medium impactMedium effort First result in 1 quarter Technical Support Manager

    First action

    Confirm the team's start date and hours.

    How to measure it

    AU new plans

    Now
    –
    Target
    +15%
    By
    2 quarters

    Steps

    1. 1

      Confirm hours

      Shift coverage.

      Technical Support Manager, APAC 1 week

    2. 2

      Update pages

      /au plans and support.

      Head of Web Experience 1 week

    3. 3

      Case study

      Australian agency proof.

      Product Marketing Manager 1 month

    4. 4

      Email

      AU customers and agencies.

      Marketing Operations Manager 1 week

    5. 5

      Ads

      Local campaigns.

      Marketing Operations Manager 1 month

    6. 6

      Measure

      Churn and new plans.

      Senior Data Engineer monthly

    First result
    1 quarter
    Cost
    Staff time
    Owner
    Technical Support Manager, APAC

    Smallest test

    Add local hours to the /au support page.

    Why it works

    Once the team is live, say so on the /au pages and plans: local support hours, local weekend chat, and Australian case studies such as the MyWork agency. Email Australian customers and agencies.

    Support in the customer's own hours is a reason to stay and to switch, and the hires are already made.

    Risks and how to handle them

    • Promise before capacity

      Announce after the team is trained.

    Evidence

    • HiringThree Technical Support Engineer I roles, work from home in Australia (posted October 1, 2026), on a Wednesday-Sunday AEDT shift, "primarily using live chat"; in Krakow a Senior Software Engineer, Platform and a Senior Data Engineer (posted October 14, 2026) for the Finance domain, owning "pipelines and models" that "track revenue, subscriptions, and the metrics the company is reported on".Source
    • Your sitemapThe sitemap holds 12,585 URLs: 1,070 blog posts (newest October 2026), 207 case-study URLs including a noindex template page titled "Exemple Page Destination - France", about 100 pages each for /gb, /au, /dk and /ie, and 61 events. Legacy addresses such as /more/compare/ and /nitropack/ redirect to image files.Source
    • Your websitePlans page: Essential "Starting at $28.00 USD / per month, billed annually. Pay $336.00 today" for 25,000-400,000 visits a month on a shared environment; Business "Starting at $400.00 USD / per month" with "Get in touch"; Enterprise "Talk to sales". A pre-launch Core Web Vitals review is an add-on, not included on Essential. Prices show in USD, GBP, EUR, CAD and AUD. The plans page has no free trial offer.Source
    • Your websiteHomepage: "Most trusted hosting for WordPress", "Powering 1.5M+ WordPress sites", "99.99% enhanced uptime guarantee", "40% speed improvement after migrating to our platform"; a case study says agency MyWork "achieved an average 20+ increase in Google PageSpeed scores for over 1,000 client websites"; a resource headline reads "Thriving in the agentic web: AI agents are reading your site before your audience does. Is it ready?"Source
  • 12

    WP Engine owns developer tools with large audiences (Local, Advanced Custom Fields, Faust.js with 1,608 GitHub stars, site-deploy images with 2.6 million pulls), but the plans page offers no free trial.

    High impactMedium effort First result in 2 quarters Developer Relations Lead

    First action

    Count Faust.js and Local users who visit the plans page.

    How to measure it

    Sandbox to paid

    Now
    –
    Target
    10%
    By
    3 quarters

    Steps

    1. 1

      Define sandbox

      Limits and length.

      Product Manager, Headless 2 weeks

    2. 2

      Build

      CLI deploy and sign-up.

      Senior Software Engineer, Platform 1 quarter

    3. 3

      Link tools

      Docs, Local, ACF.

      Developer Relations Lead 2 weeks

    4. 4

      Usage scoring

      Hand-raisers to sales.

      Marketing Operations Manager 1 month

    5. 5

      Content

      Tutorials.

      Developer Relations Lead monthly

    6. 6

      Measure

      Conversion to paid.

      Senior Data Engineer monthly

    First result
    2 quarters
    Cost
    Infrastructure cost
    Owner
    Developer Relations Lead

    Smallest test

    Offer 30-day sandboxes to Faust.js users by request.

    Why it works

    Add a free headless sandbox reachable from Faust.js docs, Local and ACF, with deploy from the CLI, and follow up on usage, not on form fills.

    Developers choose the host their tools point to, and a sandbox lets them prove it before asking for budget.

    Risks and how to handle them

    • Abuse

      Verify accounts and cap resources.

    Evidence

    • Developer footprintGitHub: 51 public repositories, Faust.js ("The Headless WordPress Toolkit") with 1,608 stars and WPackagist with 767; npm packages @wpengine/edge-cache, atlas-next and headless-cli; Docker images with about 2.6 million pulls (top: wpengine/site-deploy).Source
    • HiringWP Engine's description in its job posts: "Serving 1.5 million customers across 150+ countries", "developer-centric tools like Local, Advanced Custom Fields, and more", and "8% of the web visits a WP Engine-powered site daily".Source
    • Your websitePlans page: Essential "Starting at $28.00 USD / per month, billed annually. Pay $336.00 today" for 25,000-400,000 visits a month on a shared environment; Business "Starting at $400.00 USD / per month" with "Get in touch"; Enterprise "Talk to sales". A pre-launch Core Web Vitals review is an add-on, not included on Essential. Prices show in USD, GBP, EUR, CAD and AUD. The plans page has no free trial offer.Source
  • 13

    The affiliate program offers rising commissions, exclusive discounts and custom landing pages. Speed is WP Engine's strongest claim, and affiliates' readers want to know if their own site would benefit.

    Medium impactLow effort First result in 1 quarter Affiliate Program Manager

    First action

    Pick five top affiliates to test it.

    How to measure it

    Affiliate visit to plan

    Now
    –
    Target
    +20%
    By
    2 quarters

    Steps

    1. 1

      Design page

      Site check and discount.

      Head of Web Experience 2 weeks

    2. 2

      Data

      Public speed lookup.

      Head of Web Experience 1 week

    3. 3

      Test

      Five affiliates.

      Affiliate Program Manager 1 month

    4. 4

      Content kit

      Posts and emails.

      Product Marketing Manager 2 weeks

    5. 5

      Roll out

      All affiliates.

      Affiliate Program Manager 1 month

    6. 6

      Measure

      Conversion by affiliate.

      Marketing Operations Manager monthly

    First result
    1 quarter
    Cost
    Dev time
    Owner
    Affiliate Program Manager

    Smallest test

    Give one affiliate the page for a month.

    Why it works

    Build an affiliate landing page where the reader enters their site, sees its public Core Web Vitals and the typical gain after migrating, then gets the affiliate discount.

    A personal result converts better than a banner and gives affiliates content to write about.

    Risks and how to handle them

    • Over-promising gains

      Show ranges from real migrations.

    Builds on

    Evidence

    • Your websiteAffiliate program: "earn tens of thousands in commissions", "Aggressive commissions" that rise with referrals, "Exclusive affiliate discounts" and "Custom creative & landing pages".Source
    • Your websiteHomepage: "Most trusted hosting for WordPress", "Powering 1.5M+ WordPress sites", "99.99% enhanced uptime guarantee", "40% speed improvement after migrating to our platform"; a case study says agency MyWork "achieved an average 20+ increase in Google PageSpeed scores for over 1,000 client websites"; a resource headline reads "Thriving in the agentic web: AI agents are reading your site before your audience does. Is it ready?"Source
    • Google PageSpeedwpengine.com homepage on mobile: performance 32/100; in the lab test the main content (the portal dashboard illustration) takes 17.3s to appear, blocking time is 1,690ms, and the page downloads 3.8 MB, 2.9 MB of it JavaScript, from 24 third-party hosts (Google Tag Manager alone 1.1 MB). Real visitors on this page fail Core Web Vitals on loading (LCP 3.1s, target 2.5s) and responsiveness (INP 318ms, target 200ms); the site as a whole is at 2.2s LCP and 20% faster than before. Top fixes: unused JavaScript (about 2.7s, 1 MB) and cache lifetimes (about 2.0s). The server header reads "WP Engine Headless Platform".Source
  • 14

    The homepage loads scripts from 24 third-party hosts, including several that match no app listed on the site or in public marketing-tool documentation, and the tag container alone is 1.1 MB.

    Medium impactLow effort First result in 1 month Marketing Operations Manager

    First action

    Export the full list of third-party hosts from a page load.

    How to measure it

    Third-party hosts

    Now
    –
    Target
    under 12
    By
    60 days

    Steps

    1. 1

      Export

      All hosts from a page load.

      Marketing Operations Manager 1 day

    2. 2

      Assign owners

      Each script.

      Marketing Operations Manager 1 week

    3. 3

      Remove

      Ownerless scripts.

      Marketing Operations Manager 1 day

    4. 4

      Consent

      Load approved tools by consent.

      Marketing Operations Manager 1 week

    5. 5

      Review process

      Approval for new tags.

      Marketing Operations Manager 1 week

    6. 6

      Recheck

      Monthly.

      Marketing Operations Manager monthly

    First result
    1 month
    Cost
    $0
    Owner
    Marketing Operations Manager

    Smallest test

    List hosts with no named owner this week.

    Why it works

    Inventory every script, its owner, purpose and contract; remove anything without an owner; load approved tools through consent; and check new tags in review before they go live.

    Fewer unknown scripts mean a faster page, a clearer privacy picture and fewer surprises.

    Risks and how to handle them

    • Breaking a campaign

      Ask owners before removing.

    Evidence

    • Google PageSpeedwpengine.com homepage on mobile: performance 32/100; in the lab test the main content (the portal dashboard illustration) takes 17.3s to appear, blocking time is 1,690ms, and the page downloads 3.8 MB, 2.9 MB of it JavaScript, from 24 third-party hosts (Google Tag Manager alone 1.1 MB). Real visitors on this page fail Core Web Vitals on loading (LCP 3.1s, target 2.5s) and responsiveness (INP 318ms, target 200ms); the site as a whole is at 2.2s LCP and 20% faster than before. Top fixes: unused JavaScript (about 2.7s, 1 MB) and cache lifetimes (about 2.0s). The server header reads "WP Engine Headless Platform".Source

Big bets 3

Larger plays that can change the trajectory.

  • 15

    WP Engine says 8% of the web visits a WP Engine-powered site daily and serves 1.5 million customers. No one else can show how WordPress sites really perform across plugins, themes, industries and hosting setups.

    High impactHigh effort First result in 3 quarters Chief Marketing Officer

    First action

    Pick the ten questions buyers ask about WordPress speed.

    How to measure it

    Report downloads

    Now
    –
    Target
    25,000
    By
    1 year

    Steps

    1. 1

      Questions

      Ten buyer questions.

      Product Marketing Manager 2 weeks

    2. 2

      Data model

      Anonymized performance data.

      Senior Data Engineer 2 months

    3. 3

      Privacy review

      No customer identifiable.

      Legal 1 month

    4. 4

      Write

      Report and summary.

      Product Marketing Manager 1 month

    5. 5

      Launch

      Press, events and outbound.

      Chief Marketing Officer 1 month

    6. 6

      Benchmarks

      Private customer view.

      Product Manager, Performance 1 quarter

    First result
    3 quarters
    Cost
    Analyst time
    Owner
    Chief Marketing Officer

    Smallest test

    Publish one chart on plugin impact.

    Why it works

    Publish an annual, anonymized report: Core Web Vitals by industry, plugin and theme effects, PHP versions, and what changed after migration. Give each customer a private benchmark against their industry.

    Original data earns press, links and AI citations, and the private benchmark gives customers a reason to upgrade.

    Risks and how to handle them

    • Data privacy

      Aggregate and suppress small groups.

    Builds on

    Evidence

    • HiringWP Engine's description in its job posts: "Serving 1.5 million customers across 150+ countries", "developer-centric tools like Local, Advanced Custom Fields, and more", and "8% of the web visits a WP Engine-powered site daily".Source
    • Your websiteHomepage: "Most trusted hosting for WordPress", "Powering 1.5M+ WordPress sites", "99.99% enhanced uptime guarantee", "40% speed improvement after migrating to our platform"; a case study says agency MyWork "achieved an average 20+ increase in Google PageSpeed scores for over 1,000 client websites"; a resource headline reads "Thriving in the agentic web: AI agents are reading your site before your audience does. Is it ready?"Source
    • HiringThree Technical Support Engineer I roles, work from home in Australia (posted October 1, 2026), on a Wednesday-Sunday AEDT shift, "primarily using live chat"; in Krakow a Senior Software Engineer, Platform and a Senior Data Engineer (posted October 14, 2026) for the Finance domain, owning "pipelines and models" that "track revenue, subscriptions, and the metrics the company is reported on".Source
  • 16

    WP Engine already argues that AI agents read sites before people do, and sells Smart Search AI and a Managed Vector Database. A free check that shows how ready a site is for AI agents would turn that content into leads.

    High impactHigh effort First result in 3 quarters Product Manager

    First action

    Define the ten checks.

    How to measure it

    Grader-sourced pipeline

    Now
    –
    Target
    tracked
    By
    3 quarters

    Steps

    1. 1

      Checks

      Ten signals.

      Product Manager, Performance 1 month

    2. 2

      Build

      Grader and report.

      Senior Software Engineer, Platform 1 quarter

    3. 3

      Product links

      Fixes to products.

      Product Marketing Manager 1 month

    4. 4

      Launch

      Events and outbound.

      Lead Field & Events Marketing Manager 1 month

    5. 5

      Follow-up

      SDR routing.

      Sales Development Manager ongoing

    6. 6

      Improve

      Quarterly.

      Product Manager, Performance quarterly

    First result
    3 quarters
    Cost
    Engineering time
    Owner
    Product Manager, Performance

    Smallest test

    Run the checks by hand on 20 prospect sites.

    Why it works

    Build a free grader: crawl rules, llms.txt, structured data, speed, and how assistants describe the site, with fixes and the matching WP Engine product for each gap.

    Free tools are lasting lead sources, and this one points straight at the AI products.

    Risks and how to handle them

    • Assistant behaviour changes

      Keep checks to stable signals.

    Builds on

    Evidence

    • Your websiteHomepage: "Most trusted hosting for WordPress", "Powering 1.5M+ WordPress sites", "99.99% enhanced uptime guarantee", "40% speed improvement after migrating to our platform"; a case study says agency MyWork "achieved an average 20+ increase in Google PageSpeed scores for over 1,000 client websites"; a resource headline reads "Thriving in the agentic web: AI agents are reading your site before your audience does. Is it ready?"Source
    • Your websiteThe main menu lists Managed Hosting, eCommerce, Newsroom and Headless platforms and, under Extensions & Tools, Smart Plugin Manager, Site Monitoring, Global Edge Security, NitroPack, Smart Search AI and Managed Vector Database. The NitroPack item links off-site to nitropack.io. The locale menu offers nine countries.Source
    • Your websiterobots.txt begins with "crawl-delay: 5" above any User-agent line, so most crawlers ignore it, and those that honour crawl-delay would be limited to one request every five seconds. /llms.txt returns 404.Source
  • 17

    The Newsroom Platform helped Lana publish almost 6,000 articles a month with the same team. Publishers are a large WordPress segment with specific workflow needs, and WordPress VIP competes for them.

    High impactHigh effort First result in 4 quarters Product Marketing Manager

    First action

    List 200 WordPress publishers by traffic.

    How to measure it

    Newsroom deals

    Now
    –
    Target
    +40%
    By
    4 quarters

    Steps

    1. 1

      Target list

      Publishers on WordPress.

      Business Development Rep 1 month

    2. 2

      Case studies

      Three more.

      Product Marketing Manager 1 quarter

    3. 3

      Demo

      Editorial workflow.

      Product Marketing Manager 1 month

    4. 4

      Events

      Publisher dinners.

      Lead Field & Events Marketing Manager quarterly

    5. 5

      Outbound

      Trailblazer sequence.

      Business Development Rep ongoing

    6. 6

      Measure

      Pipeline and wins.

      Sales Development Manager monthly

    First result
    4 quarters
    Cost
    Program budget
    Owner
    Product Marketing Manager

    Smallest test

    Run one publisher dinner.

    Build the prospect list. The list compiled from public sources, verified, deduplicated and delivered to your CRM. Usually live within days.

    Book a working session

    Why it works

    Build a publisher program: three more newsroom case studies, an editorial workflow demo, publisher events and dinners, and outbound to WordPress publishers with high traffic.

    A vertical with a proven product and clear rivals is where focused marketing pays back fastest.

    Risks and how to handle them

    • Long sales cycles

      Start with mid-size publishers.

    Evidence

    • Your websiteCase study on the homepage: Lana "scaled to publish almost 6,000 articles per month on WP Engine Newsroom"; the Newsroom Platform is sold as "Editorial workflow and operations software".Source
    • Competitor researchRivals' own homepages: Kinsta, "Voted #1 WordPress Hosting Provider on G2" with "your first month free"; WordPress VIP, "trusted by over 700+ enterprises", "FedRAMP authorized and SOC 2 Type 2 certified"; Pantheon, "the platform built for WordPress, Drupal, and Next.js"; SiteGround, "3,000,000+ domains" with "ultrafast speed".Source
    • HiringLead Field & Events Marketing Manager (Austin, posted August 26, 2026): North America "regional event sponsorships, customer roadshows, industry conferences, field activations and executive dinners", owning programs "through post-event lead nurture, performance analysis, and ROI reporting".Source
    • HiringBusiness Development Rep (Austin, posted September 25, 2026): "help execute a new outbound growth motion and source net-new business for our North America Acquisition team"; "As an early member of Project Trailblazer, you will do more than execute a playbook - you will help shape it"; "Use modern sales technology and AI-powered tools to research, personalize outreach".Source

Wildcards 3

Unexpected experiments, each with a cheap way to test it.

  • 18

    A new Senior Data Engineer will own the models that track revenue and subscriptions. The same data shows which Essential customers are near their visit or storage limits, and the plans jump from $28 to $400.

    High impactMedium effort First result in 2 quarters Senior Data Engineer

    First action

    Define the usage thresholds that predict upgrades or churn.

    How to measure it

    Essential upgrade rate

    Now
    –
    Target
    +20%
    By
    3 quarters

    Steps

    1. 1

      Thresholds

      From past upgrades and churn.

      Senior Data Engineer 1 month

    2. 2

      Signal

      Monthly model.

      Senior Data Engineer 1 month

    3. 3

      Offers

      Upgrade paths.

      Product Marketing Manager 2 weeks

    4. 4

      Outreach

      Email and SDR.

      Sales Development Manager ongoing

    5. 5

      In-portal

      Usage alerts.

      Product Manager, Performance 1 quarter

    6. 6

      Measure

      Retention.

      Senior Data Engineer monthly

    First result
    2 quarters
    Cost
    Data team time
    Owner
    Senior Data Engineer

    Smallest test

    Pull a list of Essential sites over 80% of their limits.

    Why it works

    Build a monthly "outgrowing" signal from usage and billing, and send those customers a clear upgrade path or an account review before renewal.

    Customers who hit limits without a path either overpay in overages or leave; a timely offer keeps them.

    Risks and how to handle them

    • Feels like upselling

      Lead with usage facts and options, including staying.

    Evidence

    • HiringThree Technical Support Engineer I roles, work from home in Australia (posted October 1, 2026), on a Wednesday-Sunday AEDT shift, "primarily using live chat"; in Krakow a Senior Software Engineer, Platform and a Senior Data Engineer (posted October 14, 2026) for the Finance domain, owning "pipelines and models" that "track revenue, subscriptions, and the metrics the company is reported on".Source
    • Your websitePlans page: Essential "Starting at $28.00 USD / per month, billed annually. Pay $336.00 today" for 25,000-400,000 visits a month on a shared environment; Business "Starting at $400.00 USD / per month" with "Get in touch"; Enterprise "Talk to sales". A pre-launch Core Web Vitals review is an add-on, not included on Essential. Prices show in USD, GBP, EUR, CAD and AUD. The plans page has no free trial offer.Source
  • 19

    The case-study sitemap includes a noindex template titled "Exemple Page Destination - France", and legacy addresses redirect to image files. Sitemaps with pages that should not rank waste crawl attention.

    Low impactLow effort First result in 1 month SEO Manager

    First action

    List sitemap URLs that are noindex or redirect.

    How to measure it

    Sitemap URLs that are noindex or redirect

    Now
    –
    Target
    0
    By
    30 days

    Steps

    1. 1

      Crawl sitemaps

      Status and robots for every URL.

      SEO Manager 2 days

    2. 2

      Remove

      Noindex and template pages.

      SEO Manager 1 day

    3. 3

      Redirect fixes

      To current pages.

      Head of Web Experience 2 days

    4. 4

      Case studies

      Duplicates and placeholders.

      Product Marketing Manager 1 week

    5. 5

      Rule

      Templates excluded by default.

      Head of Web Experience 1 day

    6. 6

      Recheck

      Monthly.

      SEO Manager monthly

    First result
    1 month
    Cost
    $0
    Owner
    SEO Manager

    Smallest test

    Remove the template page from the sitemap.

    Why it works

    Remove noindex and template pages from the sitemaps, and audit the 207 case-study URLs for duplicates and placeholders.

    A clean sitemap gets the important pages crawled and refreshed faster.

    Risks and how to handle them

    • Removing a live page

      Check traffic before removing.

    Evidence

    • Your sitemapThe sitemap holds 12,585 URLs: 1,070 blog posts (newest October 2026), 207 case-study URLs including a noindex template page titled "Exemple Page Destination - France", about 100 pages each for /gb, /au, /dk and /ie, and 61 events. Legacy addresses such as /more/compare/ and /nitropack/ redirect to image files.Source
    • Your sitemapThe sitemap lists 11,677 agency directory profiles. Member-level profiles such as /agency-directory/wpcenter/ are set to "index, follow" but show only the agency's name and a contact form, with no description, location or specialties; one of three sampled profiles returned a gateway time-out. The directory itself filters by specialty, budget, region and partner level.Source
  • 20

    WP Engine's only App Store app is "WP Engine Summit 2019", last updated in 2020. Anyone searching the App Store for WP Engine finds an outdated event.

    Low impactLow effort First result in 1 month Lead Field & Events Marketing…

    First action

    Decide: retire or replace.

    How to measure it

    Event registrations

    Now
    –
    Target
    +10%
    By
    2 quarters

    Steps

    1. 1

      Decide

      Retire or replace.

      Lead Field & Events Marketing Manager 1 week

    2. 2

      Retire

      Remove the listing.

      Mobile Developer 1 day

    3. 3

      Hub page

      All events on the site.

      Head of Web Experience 2 weeks

    4. 4

      Recordings

      Past sessions.

      Lead Field & Events Marketing Manager 1 month

    5. 5

      Promote

      Email and social.

      Marketing Operations Manager 1 week

    6. 6

      Measure

      Registrations.

      Lead Field & Events Marketing Manager monthly

    First result
    1 month
    Cost
    $0
    Owner
    Lead Field & Events Marketing Manager

    Smallest test

    Remove the 2019 app this month.

    Why it works

    Remove the app, or replace it with a current events hub (webinars, roadshows, recordings) that the new field marketing lead can use for every event.

    Stale assets in public stores look like neglect; a current hub supports the event program.

    Risks and how to handle them

    • Existing users

      There are almost none; retire with a short note.

    Evidence

    • App StoreWP Engine's only App Store app is "WP Engine Summit 2019", last updated March 2020, with two ratings.Source
    • HiringLead Field & Events Marketing Manager (Austin, posted August 26, 2026): North America "regional event sponsorships, customer roadshows, industry conferences, field activations and executive dinners", owning programs "through post-event lead nurture, performance analysis, and ROI reporting".Source
    • Your sitemapThe sitemap holds 12,585 URLs: 1,070 blog posts (newest October 2026), 207 case-study URLs including a noindex template page titled "Exemple Page Destination - France", about 100 pages each for /gb, /au, /dk and /ie, and 61 events. Legacy addresses such as /more/compare/ and /nitropack/ redirect to image files.Source

03

How Programmable can help

Where an idea in this playbook is something Programmable builds or runs, it's listed here with what we'd do. Everything else is yours to run.

Have it built

ProgrammableAgency

2 of the 20 ideas are things Programmable builds and runs for its customers: pages, outreach, prospect lists, booking flows and monitors. Pick one, or send the whole list.

Prospect lists2The list compiled from public sources, verified, deduplicated and delivered to your CRM.

A 30-minute session with the engineer who would build it, not a sales call. You leave with a plan whether or not you hire us.

Book a working session

Usually live within days.

Tools for the rest

ProgrammableTalk

Fill the events in this plan

These ideas are events. Talk gets registrants for them and tells you who's coming and what their company does before the day.

Plan an event (opens programmable.talk in a new tab)
Website review of wpengine.com More example playbooks and reviews

More growth playbooks

Other companies we have researched, each read from what they are hiring for.

  • HSI (Heater Specialists LLC) growth strategyA Tulsa fabricator of pressure vessels, refractory-lined vessels, fired heaters, FCC equipment and process equipment, with in-house…21 growth ideas
  • PrimeXBT growth strategyAn online broker and crypto exchange: crypto futures, CFDs on forex, indices, commodities and shares, crypto buying and exchange, on its…21 growth ideas
  • Lamina growth strategyAn AI creative platform that turns a brief and a brand kit into product photos, try-ons, reels and banners, routing across many image and…20 growth ideas
  • Hydrow growth strategyConnected at-home fitness: the Arc, Origin and Wave rowers and the LYQUID strength machine, with a membership of 5,000+ on- and off-rower…20 growth ideas
  • Everpure growth strategyEverpure (formerly Pure Storage) sells an enterprise data platform: FlashArray and FlashBlade all-flash storage, Evergreen//One storage as…21 growth ideas
  • Upbound growth strategyThe company behind Crossplane: an AI-native infrastructure platform of intelligent control planes (Upbound v3, Upbound Crossplane…22 growth ideas
  • Aucust growth strategyA Dubai-based automotive company moving from car care services (paint protection film, ceramic coating, tinting, wraps, vehicle branding)…22 growth ideas
  • Gusto growth strategyPayroll, benefits, 401(k), HR and compliance software for small businesses, sold directly, through accountants (Gusto Pro) and embedded in…21 growth ideas

See every playbook and website review

Independent research. Programmable wrote this playbook from public sources, as they stood on October 21, 2026, and cites them throughout. WP Engine did not commission, review or endorse it, and Programmable is not affiliated with WP Engine. Company and product names are trademarks of their owners, used only to identify them. The ideas are suggestions and opinion, not professional, legal or financial advice, and not statements about how WP Engine runs its business.

Something wrong, or do you represent WP Engine? Email [email protected] and we will correct it or take it down.

30/60/90 roadmap

What to focus on in each month, and the ideas that carry it.

  1. Days 1 to 308 ideas

    Homepage speed, the meta description, agency profiles, robots and llms.txt, NitroPack page and redirects, five-minute inbound response; third-party script audit and sitemap cleanup.

  2. Days 31 to 609 ideas

    Speed-led outbound, comparison and migration pages, upgrade prices, event clinics, Australian support, developer sandbox and affiliate pages; outgrowing-Essential signal and the 2019 app.

  3. Days 61 to 903 ideas

    Commit to the big bets: the WordPress speed report, the agent-ready grader and the Newsroom publisher program.

The research behind the plan

3 research areas, each summarised in a few lines. Open any of them for the full detail.

Customers

What customers say

Customers value 24/7 expert WordPress support. The most cited problem: price jumps as sites grow.

  • Reliable performance and uptime
  • Slow sites hurting search and sales
  • In their words: “managed WordPress”

Market

Competitive landscape

4 competitors compared: Kinsta, WordPress VIP, Pantheon and SiteGround.

  • Gap to exploit: Public, measured WordPress performance data
  • Kinsta: Narrower platform range
  • WordPress VIP: Enterprise-only pricing

Hiring signals

WP Engine is adding an outbound sales motion on top of a strong inbound one: an early-stage outbound team called Project Trailblazer with AI-assisted research and a Sales Development Manager to balance inbound and…

  • Business Development Rep (Project Trailblazer): A new outbound motion with AI-assisted personalization. Ideas 7, 17.
  • Sales Development Manager: Balance strong inbound with new outbound. Idea 6.
  • Lead Field & Events Marketing Manager: Roadshows, sponsorships and dinners with ROI reporting. Ideas 10, 20.

From the team that wrote this playbook

All products
  • ProgrammableAgencyWorking AI systems in days, not quarters (opens programmable.agency in a new tab)
  • ProgrammableInfoAn agent that finds, researches and asks first (opens programmable.info in a new tab)
  • ProgrammableDigitalScreenshots in, an animated product demo out (opens programmable.digital in a new tab)
  • ProgrammableWatchKnow the day a supplier falls out of compliance (opens programmable.watch in a new tab)
  • ProgrammableTalkGet registrants for your events, and know who’s coming (opens programmable.talk in a new tab)
  • ProgrammablePageText what you need, your customer gets a page that works (opens programmable.page in a new tab)
  • ProgrammableCommunityForums with labelled AI members, never empty (opens programmable.community in a new tab)
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