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Managing WordPress hosting involves technical complexity that doesn’t always translate well for clients. It touches on server management and infrastructure, performance optimization, security management, and a variety of maintenance and support services.
This complexity can translate into confusing bills for clients. Unclear billing can be bad for your business, contributing to disputes, extra support work, and trust erosion. Transparent billing can build the opposite: ongoing trust and improved client retention.
This article will provide actionable strategies and best practices to simplify your WordPress hosting billing, making it transparent, easy to understand, and client-friendly.
There are several potential reasons why WordPress hosting customers might find their billing confusing:
If you are looking to improve the managed WordPress hosting billing experience of your clients, here are several strategies that will help.
You can simplify the bill experience for clients by offering tiered bundles, like Basic, Pro, and Enterprise. Each bundle can encompass the scope of your offering including hosting, security, backups, updates, and basic support.
Avoid an à la carte approach and minimize individual line items for every small service as best you can. You can also tailor your packages specifically for WordPress needs, such as a Managed WordPress Care Plan.
Make a point to add translations of technical terms in your bills. For example, with a line item like “10 hours of 3 PHP workers,” include a translation that explains “optimized for speed and handling traffic.”
Focusing text on the customer benefits in your bills also helps. Instead of “Daily Backups,” write something like “Daily backups to keep your data safe and your site recoverable.” Keep the billing focus on what each service is doing for them.
As much as possible, your pricing model should be consistent across customers. Offer the same tiers of service to everyone.
This extends to billing cycles. Clearly state payment frequency and any discounts offered for annual payments.
Also be transparent about your overage policies. If your billing is usage-based, clearly outline thresholds and costs before they occur. In addition, offer defined upgrade paths that can help clients better align their services to their usage.
An organized bill is easier for clients to take in and understand. Start with a high-level summary detailing the total cost and what it covers (for example, Pro Plan: Managed WordPress Hosting and Maintenance).
Next, itemize sub-sections of the bill. Break down the package components (for example, Hosting and Server Resources, Security and Backups, and Maintenance and Updates).
Be sure to add value statements in each sub-section describing the benefits delivered.
Upfront and ongoing client communication is a great approach to reducing problems down the line.
During client onboarding, explain how your billing works. Also, when implementing service agreements, include clear terms of service and again cover the billing policies.
Annual reviews present another opportunity to reset your relationship with your client. Use this touchpoint with your client to discuss service usage and outline any potential upgrades or downgrades.
Invoices provide another opportunity for billing clarity. On the invoice, include a short note or a link to an FAQ page that answers common billing questions.
Using billing software can help ensure a client-friendly billing experience and make your life easier. Automated billing platforms such as FreshBooks, Wave, and QuickBooks can generate clear, professional invoices in seconds.
Client management systems such as Client Portal or MainWP Client Reports can also automate your client invoicing. These billing platforms allow you to take advantage of billing templates, ensuring your invoices look clean and professional.
Hosting providers have a variety of additional WordPress agency tools to assist them in simplifying their billing for clients. Here is a short list of resources to consider.
Invoicing Software: The options available include Freshbooks, Wave Accounting, QuickBooks Online, and Xero.
Client Portal Plugins/Solutions: WordPress Hosting providers can choose from MainWP Client Reports, SP Project, and Document Manager (for WordPress-centric solutions).
Managed Hosting Dashboards: Many managed WordPress hosts offer excellent client management/reseller features that can aid in billing clarity or white-label solutions.
Pressable makes it easy to integrate and offer your clients managed WordPress hosting by offering access to unique features. Those features include a Pressable application programming interface (API) and Web Host Manager Complete Solution (WHMCS), which lets WordPress hosting providers automate client billing, provisioning, and management.
Service Agreement Templates: Smart Agreements and LegalZoom offer templates for developing service level agreements for your clients.
While the business of WordPress hosting can be complex, it doesn’t have to be confusing for your clients.
Making efforts to simplify invoicing by packaging your services clearly, reducing jargon use in your communications, and providing a detailed breakdown of the benefits your client is receiving will go a long way toward bringing clarity to their billing experience and strengthening client retention.
Simplified billing is not just about finance and documenting service delivery, it’s about building stronger, long-term client relationships.
Take a look at your current billing practices and see where you can implement some of the strategies listed here to provide a more positive client experience.
Pressable is a great resource for WordPress hosting resellers, making it easy to integrate with your reseller platform for a seamless, automated experience. We provide a hosting foundation backed by 100% uptime infrastructure and global CDN edge-caching. Your clients’ page loads are optimized to deliver an efficient and reliable experience to visitors. We give you the technical confidence you need to focus your attention on managing the needs of your clients.
Pressable—part of the Automattic family that also includes WordPress.com, WordPress VIP, and WooCommerce—is staffed by WordPress experts with the skills and knowledge to effectively manage your WordPress site. If you’re thinking about switching to managed WordPress hosting, schedule a demo to see how Pressable can support your continued optimization and growth.
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