Progress Planner is the latest venture from Joost de Valk and Marieke van de Rakt (the founders of Yoast SEO), and Taco Verdonschot. We are back to fix the broken user journey in WordPress.
For hosting providers, customer loss happens at two critical moments:
- The start (activation): A new customer logs in, feels overwhelmed by the complex WordPress dashboard, and gives up before publishing a single page.
- The middle (retention): A user successfully launches, but eventually neglects the site, leading to security risks and churn.
Progress Planner is the solution for the entire lifecycle.
For new customers (onboarding): We bridge the gap between “Sign Up” and “First Publish.” Our newly developed onboarding features hold the user’s hand from the moment they land in the admin panel. We provide clear, bite-sized steps to set up the essentials, helping new users overcome the “fear of the blank slate” and turning prospects into active, confident site owners.
For existing customers (maintenance): Once the site is live, we keep it alive. We “gamify” site management with streaks, badges, and weekly challenges. We motivate users to update plugins, improve accessibility, and write new content—preventing the neglect that leads to cancellations and support tickets.
Why partner with Progress Planner?
- Increase activation rates: Ensure your new sign-ups actually use the hosting they paid for.
- Reduce churn: Gamified engagement keeps users “sticky” and reduces long-term cancellations.
- Lower support costs: Proactive maintenance checks mean fewer hacked sites and broken installs for your team to fix.
- White-label ready: Transform your customer communication from generic transactional emails into branded “Success Reports” that celebrate their growth.
Meet us: Come say hello to Joost and the team at CloudFest! Let’s discuss how we can integrate Progress Planner to guide your customers from their very first click to long-term success.