Website as a Service (WaaS): The Opportunity Most WordPress Agencies Are Still Missing

If you run a WordPress agency, you’ve probably noticed that clients expect a lot more from a website today than they did five years ago.

A simple brochure website isn’t enough anymore. Clients want customers to book appointments online, members to log in, donations to be collected, parents to receive updates, staff to manage information and reports to be available from a dashboard. They want the website to do something, not just look good.

The funny thing is, most agencies are already brilliant at the hard part. They know how to create beautiful websites using WordPress, Elementor, Bricks or Gutenberg. They know how to build a great user experience, optimize for search engines and launch sites that clients love.

The gap usually appears after launch. The website is finished, everyone is happy, then the client comes back a few weeks later.

“Can members have their own login?”
“Can we track attendance?”
“Can customers manage bookings online?”
“Can parents access school notices from a dashboard?”

Most of us have been there. The answer is usually another platform. You recommend a third-party service, help them get set up and move on. The client gets what they need, but a big part of their business now lives somewhere outside the website you built.

That’s exactly where Website as a Service, or WaaS, starts becoming interesting.

Website as a Service isn’t replacing web design

One thing I think gets misunderstood about Website as a Service is that people assume it replaces traditional website design.

It doesn’t.

In fact, I think WordPress agencies should keep building websites exactly the way they always have. Your design process doesn’t change, your favourite page builder doesn’t change, your workflow doesn’t change.

The difference is what you can offer alongside the website. Imagine you’ve just landed a new church website.

You’ll still design the homepage, create the ministry pages, build the sermons section and make sure everything looks fantastic on mobile. That’s still the core project.

Now imagine being able to say:

“Would you also like a member portal where people can give online, register attendance, manage groups and access church resources?”

Suddenly you’ve gone from selling a website to delivering a complete digital platform. The same thing happens in almost every industry.

• A gym doesn’t just need a website. It needs memberships, bookings and trainer schedules.
• A clinic doesn’t just need a website. It needs patient dashboards and appointment management.
• A school doesn’t just need a website. It needs parent communication, attendance and notices.

The website becomes the public face of the business. The portal becomes the part people actually use every day.

Every website is an upsell opportunity

This is probably the biggest mindset shift. Most agencies think about getting more clients. I think we should also be thinking about getting more value from the clients we already have.

Let’s say you normally charge $2,500 for a website. That’s still your project – nothing changes.

But now imagine you can also offer a branded client portal for $99 or $199 per month. You’ve increased the value of that client without changing your design process.

Even better, you’re solving a real problem instead of trying to invent another maintenance package that nobody is excited about.

Clients understand software. They understand paying monthly for something they use every day.

That’s a much easier conversation than convincing someone they should pay every month just because you’ll keep WordPress updated.

Why WordPress agencies are perfectly positioned

I don’t think agencies realize how much of an advantage they already have.

You already know WordPress.

You already know hosting.

You already know how to support clients.

You already know how to build great user experiences.

You’re not starting from zero.

Website as a Service simply builds on top of skills you already have.

That’s why I don’t believe every agency needs to become a software company with a team of developers building custom applications from scratch.

Sometimes the smartest move isn’t building software. It’s deploying the right software.

The rise of industry-specific portals

One trend I’m convinced we’ll see much more of over the next few years is industry-specific portals.

Generic CRMs and generic membership systems still have their place, but businesses increasingly want software that feels like it was built specifically for them.

• A church wants member management, online giving, volunteer coordination, events and sermons.
• A gym wants memberships, bookings, trainer schedules and attendance.
• A school wants parent communication, notices, student attendance and events.
• A real estate agency wants client dashboards, property updates and document sharing.

The industries are different, but the idea is the same.

Instead of trying to build everything for everyone, you build software that solves the everyday problems of one industry really well. That’s exactly why Vertical SaaS has grown so quickly over the past decade.

So where does WPWaaS fit in?

This is the idea behind WPWaaS.

We didn’t build it because agencies needed another WordPress plugin. There are already thousands of plugins. We built it because agencies kept reaching the point where a client needed more than a website.

WPWaaS lets agencies continue building the frontend exactly as they always have, whether that’s with Elementor, Bricks, Gutenberg or another builder they already know. Once the website is ready, they can add a branded portal that’s designed specifically for that client’s industry.

Our first release is a complete Church Portal on WordPress with member management, online giving, attendance tracking, events, groups and more. Not because we only care about churches, but because every platform has to start somewhere.

The bigger vision is much more exciting.

We’re building a growing library of industry-specific portals that agencies can add to WordPress projects across different markets. Think gyms, clinics, schools, real estate agencies, associations, non-profits, property managers and many more.

The goal isn’t to replace the website. It’s to make every website more valuable.

Agencies shouldn’t have to hand clients off

Most web design agencies spend weeks building amazing websites, earn client trust and become their digital partner.

But as soon as the client needs additional functionality, suddenly they have to introduce them to another company. Another dashboard. Another monthly subscription. Another support team. Another brand.

The agency loses control of that part of the relationship. I’d much rather see agencies own more of the value they create.

If you’ve already earned the client’s trust by building their website, why shouldn’t you also provide the software they use every day?

The opportunity is bigger than churches

Churches are simply our first portal. The real vision is giving agencies a toolkit they can use across almost every industry they serve.

Imagine finishing a website and knowing there’s a relevant portal you can offer regardless of whether your client is a school, a gym, a clinic, a charity or a property management company.

Instead of starting from scratch every time, you’re building on a platform that’s designed to grow with your agency.

That’s what excites me most about Website as a Service. It’s not about replacing what agencies already do well.

It’s about helping them deliver more value, earn more from every project and build stronger, longer-lasting relationships with the clients they’ve already worked so hard to win.

If that sounds like the direction you want your agency to head, have a look at WPWaaS. You can learn more on the homepage, explore our blog for practical guides on Website as a Service and recurring revenue, and follow along as we release more industry-specific portals over the coming months.

We’re just getting started, and I genuinely think this is one of the biggest opportunities WordPress agencies have seen in years.