WordPress emerged in 2003, offering open source online publishing software built by the community, for the community. What began as a blogging system would change the landscape of web development and design forever, not only for bloggers, but for agencies like Linchpin. Prior to Linchpin’s inception in 2010, Linchpin president Aaron Ware had been active in the WordPress development community for several years. Creating open source plugins for clients and releasing them to the WordPress community allowed Aaron to see the potential for using WordPress to build out and promote online content and enhance user experiences.
“One of the key benefits of using WordPress is that it has a huge ecosystem of plugins and themes,” Aaron Ware said. “We initially chose to build our projects on top of WordPress because the flexibility of the platform allows us to create amazing solutions. Our clients can have a visually appealing site that’s backed with an easy-to-use content management system. We continue to use WordPress because no other platform is so effective at empowering users to take ownership of their content.”
As Linchpin grew, so did the company’s involvement in the WordPress community. Aaron has been a guest speaker at Rhode Island and New England Area area WordPress events such as WordCamps and Meet ups. Linchpin was instrumental in organizing and running WordCamp Rhode Island in 2013, 2014 and 2015, and will be again in 2016. The Linchpin team also volunteered the branding and creative collateral such as posters, badges, and various swag in addition to the development of the WordCamp US website.
The Linchpin and WP Engine Partnership
WP Engine is the clear industry leader for hosting administration that is easy, secure and well-supported; delivering super-fast, ultra-secure managed hosting for WordPress sites. Their combination of unparalleled customer service and innovation-driven technology has made them the preferred provider for all of Linchpin’s WordPress Client sites, from large-scale brands, to startups, to nonprofits. Linchpin is thrilled to partner with WP Engine as the company’s hosting solution for WordPress-powered sites.
With scalable architecture and 24/7 service and support, WP Engine provides a solid foundation for Linchpin to build memorable sites and engaging user experiences: “WP Engine has turned into so much more than just hosting administration for Linchpin. Through WP Engine, we have streamlined our deployment process for new clients and rolled out more plugin and theme security updates,” Aaron stated. “Having a partner manage the ins and outs of server performance has cut down on our overall system operation costs, and freed our team to focus on building great solutions for our Clients and for the WordPress community.”
The Future of WP Engine and Linchpin
30,000 customers in 120 countries agree: WP Engine’s offerings are impressive. But cool tech and stellar customer service aren’t the only reasons Linchpin has decided to make WP Engine our exclusive hosting provider. It comes down to core values. WP Engine shares Linchpin’s fervor for open source solutions and the possibilities of the WordPress platform.
WordPress now powers 25% of the internet, with over 76.5 million sites in its capable hands. With four new updates in 2015 and the perpetual introduction of new plugins and themes, WordPress continues to innovate, develop and support hands-on digital publishing for people and companies worldwide.
With the WordPress platform, Linchpin creates memorable user experiences, blending brand, visual strategy, user experience and technology to create engaging sites and advanced solutions for clients. By partnering with WP Engine, Linchpin will expand and sustain those user experiences with innovative technology, great service and solid core values to build secure, long-term relationships.