Cloud7 is gathering opinions of the important names in cloud computing, web hosting, cybersecurity, data center, Linux, and other industries for 2022 in the Cloud7 Expert Series. Alongside their evaluations of 2022, they will share their expectations for the next year, 2023.
« My name is Ben Gabler, the CEO and Founder of Rocket.net. I’ve been in the hosting industry for twenty years now and I have to say, 2022 was one of the most exciting years I’ve had yet. Two years ago, I set out on a journey to change the game for WordPress hosting and that’s exactly what we’ve done. »
2022 hosting industry in review
Rocket.net is a privately held company and we are completely bootstrapped. We started 2022 out at $400k ARR and are closing out 2022 on the cusp of $2mm ARR, all with zero paid ads/marketing. The reason we were able to achieve such big growth? We took an innovative approach to solve real customer pain points by building a true SaaS platform focused on WordPress. For years, I’ve seen the hosting industry stay stagnant from a product perspective. In 2006, I was employee #8 at HostGator and outside of CPU, RAM, and Disk performance changes, hosting companies have been offering the same exact product: web hosting. This cloud, that cloud, the same ol’ same ol’ product across the board.
At Rocket.net, we set out to build the fastest and most secure WordPress hosting solution, starting with the edge. But we did it way differently than anyone else. Rocket.net is far from a hosting company. We’re a true SaaS platform built API first, currently focused on Managed WordPress Hosting. With modern technology and engineering practices, we’re able to move faster than anyone in the industry and have truly been able to solve enormous problems for the customer.
Big changes coming for the industry
As we close out 2022 and head into 2023, I see some big changes coming for the industry. Back around 2015, I remember participating in a panel about the future of web hosting where I made the bold statement that “web hosting is dead” and I still stand by that 100%.
What did I mean by that? Traditional web hosting had no product substance whatsoever other than cPanel. Tons of companies were offering the exact same thing with a different logo. Imagine McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s all selling the exact same burger. Why would you choose one over the other? The answer is simple: the experience.
Fast-forward to now. Customer experience means so much more than just offering stellar tech support. Customers need companies to blaze new trails in technology and advance the state of the art. And while there are a lot of great companies out there, none of them really seem to be innovating and thinking outside the box.
I think in 2023 for hosting companies to stay relevant, they will need to veer off the beaten path. They are going to have to transition from cPanel being their product to cPanel being just one part of their product.
For us at Rocket.net, we will continue to innovate and change the world with things that do not exist as we gear up for what I consider the largest and most important year in my career. But no matter what we at Rocket.net will always put the customer first.