Case Studies - Kinsta® https://kinsta.com/clients/ Fast, secure, premium hosting solutions Mon, 10 Mar 2025 10:38:16 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.7 https://kinsta.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/cropped-Kinsta-black-favicon-1-32x32.png Case Studies - Kinsta® https://kinsta.com/clients/ 32 32 Wholegrain Digital powers its B Corp mission with high-performance, low-carbon sites on Kinsta https://kinsta.com/clients/wholegrain-digital/ Mon, 10 Mar 2025 06:00:30 +0000 https://kinsta.com/?post_type=case_studies&p=192171 Wholegrain Digital is London’s original sustainable WordPress agency that has been building a greener internet for 17 years. They design low-carbon, human-centric websites for brands with ...

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Wholegrain Digital is London’s original sustainable WordPress agency that has been building a greener internet for 17 years. They design low-carbon, human-centric websites for brands with purpose. As a certified B Corp for eight years, sustainability is at the heart of everything they do. They make sure every website they create is fast, efficient, and built to have a lighter impact on the planet.

Their commitment goes beyond the websites they build. Wholegrain developed the first Website Carbon Calculator to help companies measure and reduce their digital footprint. They focus on “digital degrowth,” removing unnecessary elements from websites to improve speed, SEO, and user experience while reducing energy consumption. They chose WordPress because it’s open source, community-driven, and built to last. The result? Websites that work better for people, businesses, and the planet.

London’s original sustainable WordPress agency, trusted by purpose-driven brands for high-performance, low-impact websites.
London’s original sustainable WordPress agency, trusted by purpose-driven brands for high-performance, low-impact websites.

So how does an agency passionate about sustainability find a web hosting partner that matches their ethos, streamlines their workflow, and provides exceptional support around the clock? Read on to discover how Wholegrain Digital overcame these challenges with Kinsta’s hosting solutions – and learn how Kinsta can do the same for you.

Company overview

  • Sector: Digital agency
  • Company size: 30 team members

Wholegrain’s challenge: Finding a hosting provider that matched their values

Wholegrain Digital needed a hosting provider that aligned with their commitment to sustainability while delivering reliable performance and a seamless developer experience. But many hosting platforms introduced roadblocks that slowed down their workflow and made scaling a challenge.

Wholegrain Digital delivers ultra-efficient, low-carbon websites with high SEO and accessibility standards.
Wholegrain Digital delivers ultra-efficient, low-carbon websites with high SEO and accessibility standards.

1. Inefficient workflows slowing development

Managing hosting across multiple platforms often felt like a headache. Instead of focusing on building great websites, Wholegrain’s team found themselves stuck dealing with:

  • Complicated account management – Juggling multiple logins and inconsistent dashboards wasted valuable time and increased the risk of errors.
  • Repetitive admin tasks – Routine processes like setting up user permissions, managing backups, and configuring security settings became a burden, pulling developers away from their core work.
  • Unreliable technical support – When critical issues arose—like PHP errors, database tuning, or caching problems—developers often faced long wait times or had to troubleshoot on their own.
  • No 24/7 support for urgent fixes – Without round-the-clock support, after-hours emergencies left international clients waiting, putting Wholegrain’s reputation on the line.

We knew our limitations—we can’t provide round-the-clock support ourselves. It was important to find a provider that could offer our clients the same level of support they’d get from us, even when we weren’t available.

2. Performance bottlenecks affecting user experience

Beyond workflow challenges, Wholegrain struggled with slow, unreliable hosting that impacted their clients’ websites:

  • Frequent downtime and sluggish performance – Unstable hosting led to site outages, hurting SEO and frustrating users. Instead of focusing on innovation, Wholegrain had to constantly troubleshoot performance issues.
  • Limited scalability and customization – Many hosting providers lacked essential features, forcing developers to use workarounds that slowed down deployments. They needed built-in flexibility for advanced setups like:
    • Proxy domains for complex configurations
    • Custom caching rules to improve speed
    • Tailored security settings for different client needs

Without these capabilities, workflows were disrupted, projects took longer, and developers were stuck dealing with hosting limitations instead of building high-performance websites.

3. The sustainability dilemma

Wholegrain’s commitment to sustainability went beyond their own operations—they needed a hosting partner that took real, measurable action on environmental impact. Yet, most providers lacked transparency. Key questions went unanswered:

  • How energy-efficient are their data centers?
  • Do they use renewable energy?
  • What are their carbon offset initiatives?

Many hosting companies made vague eco-friendly claims, but few provided real data to back them up. Without clear reporting, Wholegrain couldn’t be sure their hosting partner truly aligned with their sustainability values.

The need for a smarter, greener hosting solution

Wholegrain needed a hosting provider that could streamline workflows, deliver reliable performance, and uphold strong sustainability standards—all without adding extra complexity for their developers. It was time for a solution that matched their vision for high-performance, sustainable websites.

We never set out to find a new provider. We’d always worked with a range and naturally gravitated toward those we enjoyed working with and met our clients needs.

The solution

“For us, a high-performing website shouldn’t harm the planet—it should serve the person on the other side of the screen. That’s why sustainability is a core factor in every decision we make throughout the design and build process.”

Wholegrain Digital is committed to creating lean, high-performance websites that minimize data transfer and reduce carbon impact. But to make that vision a reality, they needed a hosting provider that shared their values.

What makes Kinsta the best green hosting?
What makes Kinsta the best green hosting?

1. High-performance, scalable green hosting

Kinsta’s infrastructure, powered by Google Cloud Platform, ensures that every website they host runs on 100% renewable energy, with a zero net carbon impact. Google’s data centers are designed for efficiency, using 50% less energy than traditional alternatives thanks to:

  • Advanced cooling systems to minimize energy waste
  • Optimized power distribution for smarter energy use
  • Energy-efficient servers that reduce overall consumption

Beyond infrastructure, Kinsta actively cuts energy use with built-in server-level caching for faster page loads and Cloudflare’s global CDN, which optimizes efficiency and reduces load times for visitors worldwide

With Kinsta, Wholegrain can confidently offer clients sustainable websites without compromising on speed, reliability, or performance.

2. A remote-first, low-waste company

For us, a high-performing website shouldn’t harm the planet—it should serve the person on the other side of the screen. Kinsta helps us achieve both by providing the infrastructure we need to create lean, low-carbon websites.

Wholegrain Digital champions “digital degrowth,” creating lean, efficient websites that reduce carbon impact. With Kinsta, they now have a hosting provider that actively supports their vision rather than working against it.

  • Office-related emissions (no unnecessary heating, cooling, or electricity waste)
  • Commuting emissions (no daily travel = lower carbon footprint)
  • Excessive waste (no printing, packaging, or disposable materials)

This approach aligns perfectly with Wholegrain’s values, ensuring that their hosting provider reflects the same environmental commitment.

3. A centralized dashboard for seamless management

Efficiency is key to Wholegrain’s workflow, and Kinsta’s MyKinsta dashboard makes managing multiple websites simple. By bringing everything into one platform, MyKinsta helps Wholegrain:

  • Avoid juggling multiple logins and dashboards
  • Reduce time-consuming administrative tasks
  • Free up more time for design, optimization, and innovation

This streamlined workflow means less time spent on hosting management and more time spent creating great websites.

4. 24/7/365 human-centric support

When hosting issues arise, fast, expert support makes all the difference. Kinsta’s 24/7/365 support ensures Wholegrain’s team gets the help they need—whether it’s PHP configuration, database tuning, or caching setup—without frustrating delays.

One of the biggest benefits is Kinsta’s reliability and fast support. It allows us to focus on building sustainable websites instead of dealing with hosting issues or waiting hours (or days) for answers.

Not all of Wholegrain’s clients are tech-savvy, so clear communication matters.

We work with people across different sectors who have varying levels of digital experience. Kinsta’s ability to simplify technical terms was incredibly important to us.

With green hosting, a remote-first model, streamlined management, and expert support, Kinsta is a strategic partner in their mission to build sustainable, high-performance websites.

Leading the way in sustainable web design, Wholegrain Digital champions a greener internet with measurable impact.
Leading the way in sustainable web design, Wholegrain Digital champions a greener internet with measurable impact.

Results

With Kinsta, Wholegrain no longer has to choose between sustainability and speed. By combining 100% renewable energy hosting, a remote-first, low-waste corporate culture, and a performance-driven infrastructure, Kinsta provides everything Wholegrain needs to build fast, scalable, and environmentally responsible websites.

Wholegrain delivers secure, high-performing websites backed by Kinsta’s powerful infrastructure. Their clients benefit from:

  • Consistent uptime and strong security
  • Support for specialized configurations, including proxy domains
  • A hosting setup designed for high-performance standards

Kinsta really excels compared to other providers. Their hosting setup ensures sites are secure, consistently online, and supports more complex configurations.

All the sites we build are incredibly performant, but Kinsta definitely backs this up with the speed at which they support delivery. Features like CDN use and caching make a noticeable difference.

With Kinsta, Wholegrain Digital ensures secure, efficient WordPress management.
With Kinsta, Wholegrain Digital ensures secure, efficient WordPress management.

2. Simplified site management with MyKinsta

Kinsta’s MyKinsta dashboard makes it easy for Wholegrain and its clients to manage access, collaborate with developers, and oversee multiple projects—all from one place.

  • Flexible account structure simplifies developer access
  • An intuitive UI provides control without unnecessary complexity
  • Single SSH key access streamlines development across multiple sites

Kinsta’s account structure is a major advantage. It makes it simple for organizations to manage access while allowing developers to oversee multiple sites from a single account. The ability to use a single SSH key across multiple sites is another small but powerful feature that improves our workflow.

By eliminating time-consuming administrative tasks, Kinsta allows Wholegrain’s team to focus on what they do best—building sustainable websites.

  • Fast, responsive support minimizes downtime and delays
  • Simplified account management saves time and reduces errors
  • More focus on high-impact work, leading to better results for clients

Kinsta really excels over other providers with its hosting setup. Our sites stay secure, are consistently up, and can support even less common configurations. 

3. Stronger client trust and support

Kinsta’s reliable service and expert support give Wholegrain’s clients peace of mind, building long-term trust in their website’s performance.

One of the biggest advantages is Kinsta’s reliability and fast support. It maximizes our efficiency and allows us to better serve the organizations we work with.

We know the service will be great, the client will be treated like a human, and we don’t have to worry about the credentials of the provider behind the service. These are the same things we pride ourselves on, and with Kinsta, we’ve found a hosting partner that shares our approach.

Kinsta has helped us take our clients’ sites to the next level. Their support is knowledgeable, reliable, and always available. That’s the kind of service that builds lasting trust.

Leading brands trust Wholegrain Digital for high-performance, sustainable websites.
Leading brands trust Wholegrain Digital for high-performance, sustainable websites.

4. More focus on what matters

With Kinsta managing the technical side of hosting, Wholegrain can spend less time on admin and more time designing, developing, and maintaining sustainable websites.

Kinsta’s consistency and efficiency mean we spend less time on hosting issues and more time on what really matters—building better websites.

Wholegrain Digital designs fast, low-carbon websites with a user-first approach.
Wholegrain Digital designs fast, low-carbon websites with a user-first approach.

The bottom line

Kinsta provides Wholegrain with a sustainable, high-performance hosting solution that reduces friction, improves workflows, and strengthens client relationships. The result?

✅ Better websites
✅ Happier clients
✅ More time to focus on a greener internet

Want to experience these benefits for your own agency? Discover how Kinsta’s developer-friendly hosting and expert 24/7 support can help you streamline workflows, improve site performance, and uphold your commitment to a sustainable digital future.

 

Kinsta really excels versus many other providers is what they offer in terms of the basic hosting set up to ensure sites are secure and consistently up and running. They’re also more than able to support less common set ups and configurations, like proxy domains.

Outside of performance metrics, there is also a human impact that Kinsta has had on our clients that shouldn’t be underestimated because it helps to build the trust we need to push sites further and to perform better.

 

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Itineris drives a 32% drop in bounce rate and a 39% rise in organic traffic for client sites https://kinsta.com/clients/itineris/ Wed, 05 Mar 2025 06:00:59 +0000 https://kinsta.com/?post_type=case_studies&p=192170 Itineris is a digital agency specializing in high-performance WordPress solutions for enterprise clients. They offer strategy, branding, web development, and digital marketing services, delivering custom websites ...

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Itineris is a digital agency specializing in high-performance WordPress solutions for enterprise clients. They offer strategy, branding, web development, and digital marketing services, delivering custom websites that enhance user experience and drive conversions. With expertise in Bedrock, Trellis, and Sage workflows, they build scalable, future-proof digital platforms tailored to client needs.

As one of only six WordPress VIP partners in the UK, Itineris is trusted by enterprise brands that demand speed, security, and reliability. Their ability to deliver seamless digital experiences has made them a go-to agency for complex, high-traffic WordPress projects.

Itineris partners with leading organizations to deliver high-performance digital solutions. Trusted by brands for over 20 years.
Itineris partners with leading organizations to deliver high-performance digital solutions.

However, as their client base grew, their hosting setup struggled to keep up. Instead of pushing the boundaries of innovation, their team spent valuable time managing performance bottlenecks, troubleshooting infrastructure issues, and dealing with slow support. They needed a hosting partner that could match their expertise, scale effortlessly, and optimize their workflow.

See how choosing Kinsta empowered their next phase of growth with the speed, reliability, and scalability they needed to keep delivering enterprise-level hosting solutions.

The problem

As Itineris scaled its client base, its existing hosting solution started to fall short. Instead of focusing on innovation and development, their team was spending excessive time managing performance bottlenecks, troubleshooting infrastructure issues, and dealing with unreliable support. They needed a hosting partner that could match their technical expertise, scale with their growth, and optimize their workflow.

For enterprise clients, uptime, reliability, and seamless performance are non-negotiable. However, Itineris’ previous hosting provider struggled with downtime, making it difficult to guarantee 99.9% uptime—especially for clients with mission-critical, high-traffic websites.

Slow response times and limitations in scalability highlighted the need for a more dependable solution.

With high-profile brands relying on them, Itineris needed a hosting partner that could deliver enterprise-grade performance without unexpected failures.

A modern development stack requires enterprise-level hosting

Itineris builds enterprise WordPress sites using Bedrock, Trellis, and Sage—modern frameworks that improve performance, security, and maintainability. However, their old hosting provider lacked native support for these tools, forcing them to rely on workarounds.

  • Complex workarounds were required to make hosting compatible with their workflows
  • Infrastructure limitations slowed down deployment and maintenance
  • Scalability bottlenecks led to performance issues on high-traffic sites.

We chose Kinsta as our hosting provider because the platform aligns perfectly with the needs of enterprise-level WordPress sites and our expertise in Bedrock, Trellis, and Sage workflows.

The Itineris team needed a hosting provider that natively supported their stack that would allow them to work efficiently, scale easily, and deliver high-quality results for clients.

Poor staging and backup systems slowed client projects

Testing new features and updating the system should be easy. However, with their previous hosting solution, Itineris lacked automated backups and easy-to-use staging environments. This created inefficiencies in their development process.

Staging environments, automated backups, and a robust infrastructure were essential for streamlining our workflows and enhancing site performance.

Without enterprise-level hosting features, their team had to:

  • Manually set up backups, increasing the risk of data loss
  • Rely on slow or unavailable staging solutions, delaying site updates
  • Be cautious with live-site changes, limiting opportunities for experimentation and growth

These limitations slowed down projects, increased risks, and negatively impacted the client experience.

We also realized that our rapid growth required a hosting partner capable of delivering high performance and proactive support.

To continue delivering best-in-class WordPress solutions, Itineris switched to Kinsta’s Enterprise WordPress Hosting, a decision that transformed their workflow, project scalability, and overall service quality.

The solution

After testing the waters with multiple hosts, Itineris chose Kinsta’s WordPress Hosting to enhance site performance, handle complex builds, and support long-term scalability. With Google Cloud Platform’s infrastructure, developer-friendly tools, and expert support, the team could shift focus from troubleshooting to driving innovation and strategy.

“Kinsta’s infrastructure is fast and reliable, which lets us handle big projects easily and deliver great results for clients with demanding high-traffic needs. Working with them helps us build and manage powerful, scalable WordPress sites that meet our clients’ complex requirements.”

  • A hosting platform built for enterprise WordPress

    Speed and reliability are non-negotiable for enterprise websites. Kinsta’s Google Cloud-powered infrastructure, using C2 and C3D machines, provided the high-speed performance and scalability that Itineris needed to handle enterprise-level traffic effortlessly.

    Key benefits:

    • Auto-scaling technology ensures seamless performance during high-traffic surges.

    • Premium-tier network minimizes latency, improving page load times globally.

    • Edge caching and CDN integration optimize content delivery across multiple regions.

For Itineris, this meant faster site speeds, lower downtime, and smoother client experiences, all without the need for manual optimizations or additional third-party caching plugins.

  • A developer-friendly environment that works seamlessly

    Kinsta’s hosting is built for developers, with full support for Bedrock, Trellis, and Sage right out of the box. Unlike their previous provider—where workarounds and extra configurations were the norm—Kinsta makes deployment seamless for Itineris with frictionless development workflow.

    With Kinsta’s reliable infrastructure, Itineris builds fast, scalable, and SEO-optimized websites that enhance user experience and drive business growth.
    Itineris builds fast, scalable, and SEO-optimized websites that enhance user experience and drive business growth.

    With fewer technical roadblocks and optimized performance, developers can focus on building high-quality WordPress sites faster and with less hassle.

    Key benefits:

    • SSH access with WP-CLI, Composer, and Git for full developer control.

    • Natively supports Bedrock and Trellis for structured and scalable WordPress development.

    • Customizable Nginx configuration for advanced performance tuning.

With Kinsta, the Itineris team could deploy new sites and updates without delays, compatibility issues, or performance trade-offs. The command-line flexibility and seamless workflow meant they could focus on building sites, not fixing hosting-related problems.

  • Robust staging and backup systems for faster development
    Previously, staging environments were unreliable and backups had to be manually set up, increasing risk and slowing down projects. With Kinsta’s fully integrated staging environment and backup solutions, Itineris now enjoys a streamlined development process without these inefficiencies.

    wordpress staging sites and clones
    Set up staging sites or clone existing sites to speed up development.


    Key benefits:

    • One-click staging environments allow developers to test changes before deployment.

    • Automatic daily backups with manual and downloadable backup options for added flexibility.

    • Instant site restoration to quickly roll back changes if needed.

      Staging environments, automated backups, and a robust infrastructure were essential for streamlining our workflows and enhancing site performance.

This allowed Itineris to test and implement new features with confidence and without causing disruptions to existing systems.

  • 24/7 expert support for seamless operations
    With their previous host, slow response times and ineffective support often left Itineris with troubleshooting issues. Kinsta’s 24/7/365 support has completely changed this by providing immediate access to WordPress and server experts whenever needed.

    Key benefits:

    •  100% WordPress-specialized support team available via live chat 24/7.

    • Proactive monitoring with 720 daily uptime checks per site.

Instead of losing valuable time troubleshooting server issues, Itineris now receives quick and effective resolutions from hosting experts which are valuable in keeping client projects on track.

  • A hosting partner that supports future growth
    By choosing Kinsta, Itineris aligned with a hosting provider built for enterprise expansion. Instead of juggling infrastructure challenges, they could now scale their services, take on larger projects, and push the boundaries of what they offer.

    We also realized that our rapid growth required a hosting partner capable of delivering high performance and proactive support.

With a foundation of reliable infrastructure, seamless developer tools, and expert support, Kinsta became more than just a hosting provider—it became a strategic partner in Itineris’ mission to deliver cutting-edge, enterprise WordPress solutions.

The result

By switching to Kinsta’s Enterprise Hosting for WordPress, Itineris gained the scalability, speed, and reliability needed to deliver better results for clients, take on larger projects, and scale with confidence.

 

Kinsta has changed the way we deliver websites and digital solutions by offering the reliability, scalability, and performance our enterprise clients need. We can now concentrate on innovating and growing instead of fixing technical problems.”

1. Measurable ROI: faster load times and improved SEO

Migrating client sites to Kinsta resulted in immediate performance improvements, including faster load times, lower bounce rates, and stronger search visibility.

  • One client saw a 32% drop in bounce rate after migration.

  • Another experienced a 39% increase in organic traffic thanks to improved site speed.
    These gains helped clients retain more visitors, improve conversions, and strengthen their digital presence.

Our partnership with Kinsta is a key part of our growth strategy. As we expand our client base and tackle bigger projects, Kinsta’s ongoing advances in hosting technology will help us keep up with industry demands.

Itineris drives success for high profile clients including Bristows, Marine Stewardship Council, and Farrer & Co by boosting traffic, conversions, and engagement.
Itineris drives success for high profile clients including Bristows, Marine Stewardship Council, and Farrer & Co by boosting traffic, conversions, and engagement.

2. Unmatched reliability and scalability for high-traffic sites

Kinsta’s auto-scaling infrastructure provided the stability needed to handle high-traffic sites with ease. When one of their clients launched its website rebrand, Kinsta absorbed a surge in visitors without downtime or performance issues.

Kinsta exceeded our expectations during a high-traffic website rebrand for one of our clients, effortlessly handling a surge in site visits without any downtime.

With consistent uptime and seamless scalability, Itineris can confidently take on complex, high-stakes enterprise projects without infrastructure constraints.

3. Streamlined workflows and faster project delivery

With 24/7 expert support, automated backups, and staging environments, Kinsta simplified Itineris’ development and deployment processes.

  • Troubleshooting time was significantly reduced.

  • Deployments became faster and more efficient.

  • Overall project delivery timelines improved.

Kinsta’s 24/7 support and proactive issue resolution have streamlined our workflows, cutting downtime significantly.

With less time spent on infrastructure management, Itineris can scale services, speed up delivery, and focus on innovation instead of maintenance.

4. Data-driven optimization for continuous improvement

Kinsta’s advanced analytics tools gave Itineris deeper insights into site performance, traffic trends, and resource usage.

  • Real-time data enabled proactive optimizations.

  • SEO strategies were refined based on performance trends.

  • Clients received clear, data-backed recommendations for better results.

Detailed analytics tools provide actionable insights, helping us continuously improve site performance.

By leveraging data-driven decision-making, Itineris ensures every site runs at peak efficiency, delivering measurable value to clients.

Kinsta: a scalable hosting solution for long-term growth

This partnership has strengthened our ability to handle complex, large-scale projects, aligning perfectly with our goal of becoming the go-to digital agency for enterprise-level WordPress solutions.

With Kinsta managing infrastructure, security, and performance, Itineris can focus on strategy, research, and delivering top-tier digital experiences. Instead of being limited by technical roadblocks, they now have the freedom to scale their services without compromise and take on larger, enterprise-level clients.

 

Our partnership with Kinsta forms an important element of our growth strategy. Kinsta has redefined how we deliver digital solutions and websites by providing the reliability, scalability, and performance our enterprise clients require. As we expand our client base and take on more ambitious projects, its continuous innovation in hosting technology will ensure we stay ahead of industry demands.

 

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Gradient9 Achieves 30% Business Growth Through High-Performance Hosting, Excellent Support, and Scalable Pricing Model https://kinsta.com/clients/gradient9-studios/ Mon, 17 Feb 2025 15:38:59 +0000 https://kinsta.com/?p=189822&post_type=case_studies&preview_id=189822 Grant Darrah started his freelance designer and developer journey in 2007. His commitment to providing high-quality work and outstanding customer service to his clients and loyal ...

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Grant Darrah started his freelance designer and developer journey in 2007. His commitment to providing high-quality work and outstanding customer service to his clients and loyal client base allowed him to officially launch Gradient9 Studios in 2011. As a small agency, Gradient9 is able to devote time and meticulous attention to detail to deliver tailored experiences to each client.

“We take the time to understand clients’ needs and foster open communication, so they’re never left wondering if we’re on the same page. We don’t just create graphic design, branding, websites, and development solutions – we develop relationships and trust with our clients.”

Gradient9 Team
Gradient9’s team is devoted to helping elevate their clients’ sites

In this article, Grant explains how he found Kinsta and how moving to the platform helped Gradient9 on its mission to deliver exceptional experiences to its clients on a fast, secure, and reliable hosting infrastructure. As a result of this hosting partnership, Gradient9 was able to bring the benefits of a high-performance hosting infrastructure to all its clients and grow its number of sites by 30%. Join us to read the full story.

Snapshot

  • Industry: Web Development and Graphic Design
  • Business size: 4 employees

The Problem

Gradient9 previously hosted its sites on WP Engine’s infrastructure, but worrisome issues started to appear as the number of their client sites grew.

Recurring performance issues and slow load times

One of the most troubling issues the G9 team experienced on WP Engine’s platform was slow site performance. For agencies like Gradient9, website speed is critical to ensuring user satisfaction. Slow load times hurt client sites, which in turn hurts the agency’s business and reputation.

“We are committed to delivering the best possible experience for our clients, which requires a hosting solution that prioritizes performance and responsiveness.”

Grant reported instances where high-traffic sites on the platform were impacting the performance of other sites hosted on the same account.

“We were experiencing persistently slow loading times, usually when one site was generating a high number of views, which would result in degraded performance for other sites on the account.”

Support that failed to resolve issues and unjustifiable costs

When Grant and his team started experiencing slow load times and performance issues, they reached out to WP Engine’s support. But their problems were left unsolved and it was suggested that they upgrade to a higher tier.

“Their customer support at times struggled to help identify these performance issues or bottlenecks, rather turning into salesmen, trying to get you to upgrade to the next tier. Unfortunately, the cost of the next level of service was almost double our existing cost with no other upgrade path.”

The upgrade would have significantly increased the agency’s hosting costs, and there was no guarantee that the performance issues would go away. As G9 foresaw growth, the team evaluated hosting plans and costs with WP Engine and concluded that getting more sites on its platform would multiply their costs.

“To get more installs, we would have had to upgrade to a P2 server which only supports 125 sites but is double the cost. If we grew beyond the 125, it would have been a second plan at either P1 or P2. Anything beyond 125 sites and our cost to host each site would have grown almost four times.”

The Solution

“Kinsta’s combination of performance, support, security, and affordability made them a great fit.”

Google Cloud-based platform with server-level caching

Kinsta’s hosting platform, powered by Google Cloud, gave Gradient9 the speed, reliability, and advanced caching features they needed to support their growing client base. These core features were among the reasons Grant decided to give Kinsta a try.

  • GCP Premium Tier Network. Kinsta’s use of Google Cloud’s Premium Tier provided Gradient9 with a global high fiber network and worldwide Points of Presence (PoPs).
  • Cloudflare Integration. With our Cloudflare integration, Gradient9 can now deliver faster load times, robust protection against threats, and improved user experiences to their clients, especially during high-traffic periods.
  • Built-in server-level caching. Frequent caching issues hurt many of Gradient9’s client sites. Kinsta offers caching out-of-the-box, so users do not need to use third-party tools or manage and optimize caching for their sites.

ℹ Customizable server caching ensures critical e-commerce pages like carts and checkouts are excluded from caching, guaranteeing accurate, real-time information for every visitor while maintaining fast load times across the rest of the site.

Advanced security features

Security was another key factor in Gradient9’s decision to switch to Kinsta. The platform offers multiple layers of protection to safeguard every hosted site, including:

  • Isolated container technology for complete resource separation.
  • DDoS protection to guard against attacks.
  • Free SSL certificates to secure connections.
  • Enterprise-level firewalls to block unauthorized access.
  • Uptime checks every 3 minutes to ensure consistent performance.

ℹ Kinsta’s LXD container technology isolates sites and allocates resources privately, reducing the risk of one site affecting another. This robust design helps prevent issues like resource contention or exposure to malicious activity, ensuring secure and reliable hosting.

Expert support available 24/7/365

“The support team is incredibly responsive. Issues are resolved quickly, minimizing downtime and keeping projects on track.”

Kinsta strives to provide its customers with the same level of quality support regardless of their plan. Our team of engineers is available to help Gradient9 at all times to make sure they get all the help they need.

Transparent and flexible pricing model

Grant wanted a scalable hosting solution with a flexible pricing model and the capability to add new sites as needed to support his growing agency.

Kinsta offers flexible single and multi-site hosting plans that scale with your projects and business growth. Add-ons and custom plans cater to specific needs, and dedicated Account Executives help you choose the perfect solution for your sites.

The Result

A 30% business growth supported by scalability

“Kinsta’s scalable pricing plans allowed us to accommodate additional websites as our business grew. We weren’t forced into purchasing an oversized package, which provided excellent cost-efficiency.”

The flexibility of Kinsta’s pricing model has been a game-changer for Gradient9. It allowed them to seamlessly add new websites as their portfolio expanded without unnecessary cost increases.  This scalability lets them focus on expanding and supporting clients without worrying about hosting limitations.

“We continue to grow the number of sites that we are hosting and trusted to maintain. We’ve grown the number of sites by almost 30% since partnering with Kinsta. This wouldn’t be possible without their flexibility when it comes to scaling.”

Grant shared an example of how Kinsta’s plans benefited both his business and a new client:

“Kinsta facilitated a valuable connection for both us and a potential client.  An individual facing hosting issues with their current provider needed assistance migrating a few websites.”

“We were able to offer a cost-effective solution: adding them to our Kinsta plan and managing their sites for a more competitive price than they could obtain individually.  This mutually beneficial arrangement allowed us to expand our client base while helping them overcome their hosting challenges.”

Performance boost brought increased revenue for e-commerce clients

“The increase in website speed has improved our quality of service. Our clients now enjoy faster loading times, leading to a more positive user experience.”

Switching to Kinsta significantly enhanced website performance across Gradient9’s portfolio, with e-commerce sites seeing the greatest impact.

“We are seeing improvements across the board—not only in terms of load time and performance but also in sales and increased revenue for our e-commerce clients. We regularly had caching issues with high-traffic sites using WooCommerce, but all of those issues have disappeared since moving to Kinsta.”

The results speak for themselves. Gradient 9’s now faster client sites are ranking higher on search engines, seeing better user engagement, and driving more conversions. For their e-commerce clients, these improvements translate directly into an increase in sales and bigger revenue streams, giving them even more confidence in what Gradient9 can deliver.

Hosting experience enriched by quality tech support

“Kinsta’s support has been eager to help with any challenge that we’re encountering. They are extremely responsive and provide thorough details about any issues.”


Grant’s search for a hosting provider was shaped by past frustrations with slow, unhelpful support. Switching to Kinsta changed everything—not only did his site’s performance improve, but he also gained access to a team of experts he could always count on.

He recalled one instance that perfectly demonstrated the dedication and expertise of Kinsta’s Support team:

“We recently had an issue with a client’s site performance and reached out to Kinsta for further insight. Rather than pointing the blame at a plugin or theme like some support teams would have done, they thoroughly researched the issue, identified a problem, and made necessary changes.”

“This was all done within about 15 minutes and all this was done by the initial support team member, no internal transfer to a higher level of support.”

Conclusion


Due to a performance-optimized infrastructure, expert support, and scalable hosting plans, Gradient9 is able to offer quality hosting for its clients, delivering a strong web presence. Thus, the company earns the reputation of trust, which ultimately leads to business growth. G9 joined Kinsta with 93 client sites and currently accommodates 119.

“With Kinsta and the ability to scale the number of installs, we’ve been able to add another 26 sites. The biggest perk of that is the peace of mind that adding another site or five more sites isn’t going to double or triple the cost. We can continue to scale the number of sites that we host and manage without hesitation or reservation due to cost.”

As Gradient9 Studios continues to grow, Kinsta is proud to accompany its journey.

We are very happy with Kinsta. Their support team is incredibly responsive, addressing any issues quickly. Website performance and speed have seen a dramatic boost. Plus, Kinsta's scalable pricing plans are perfect for us – we don't have to break the bank for top-tier service.

The post Gradient9 Achieves 30% Business Growth Through High-Performance Hosting, Excellent Support, and Scalable Pricing Model appeared first on Kinsta®.

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