Bluehost this week took another step towards growing its share of the SMB website market with its new Agency Partner Program. As its name implies, this will create an official designation and series of benefits for agencies that are authorized to resell its suite of website products to SMBs.
So what are those benefits? They include selling resources, revenue opportunities, and support. For example, official agency partners get premium commissions for selling website services to SMBs, as well as free and discounted Bluehost products. They also get priority tech support and various other perks.
Vast Libraries
Going deeper into benefits for agencies that join Bluehost’s new program, they also get to sharpen their WordPress developer skills. This happens through access to a community of other WordPress developers and agencies. This network can be tapped for shared knowledge and support.
This perk could resonate with several agencies, given the power of WordPress as a platform. One of its greatest strengths is its open-source dynamics that have made it so expandable and customizable. This plays out in vast libraries of themes and plugins, but that means it’s a lot to get one’s arms around.
Any agency looking to join the program has the chance to apply starting last week. Once they’re accepted into the program, they’ll get access to priority tech support as well as Bluehost’s referral program – which is where all those reseller commissions and discounts come into the picture.
E62 Is a Clinic on Web Hosting Trends Featuring Bluehost’s Chris Vanover
Power Play
This notably follows a string of recent Bluehost moves that comprise a power play. For example, the company recently launched Cloud Hosting, which is a form of web hosting that enables optimal load balancing and other performance benefits. This is meant to appeal to a higher tier of SMBs.
Together with the agency partner program, this should expand Bluehost’s addressable market. In other words, these are all market expansion moves to appeal to a greater swath of the SMB universe. Cloud hosting and agency services tend to map to SMBs that have greater performance needs and revenue.
This makes sense because the SMB market is so varied. We’re talking about everything from solo operators and Etsy artists to regional auto dealer groups. Having a range of offerings and price points that map to that spectrum is one way – along with ARPU – to grow revenue in the SMB sector.
