GoDaddy buys WordPress services startup WP Curve

Web-hosting firm GoDaddy is beefing up its services after it acquired WP Curve, a bootstrapped startup offering services and support for WordPress websites. The deal is undisclosed, but it will see NYSE-listed GoDaddy pick up WP Curve’s customer base, assets and “a few dozen” of its 39-person team, the firm told TechCrunch.

WP Curve was founded three years ago by Australia-based Dan Norris and Alex McClafferty to give WordPress customers a central point of call for a range of services, like security, design, SEO, traffic growth, conversion and more. Basically, anything that can help sustain and grow a website and online business. The site offers various membership tiers starting from $79 per month. It claims over 1,000 paying members and more than 44,000 “jobs” completed since June 2013.

GoDaddy isn’t saying too much about how it plans to use WP Curve after the acquisition. A statement from SVP of Global Customer Care Kevin Pigman suggests that it will join GoDaddy’s other services and largely continue to exist within the company:

With this acquisition, GoDaddy will provide best-in-class, 24×7 WordPress support, ranging from quick content changes, installing plugins, and security/back up. WP Curve aligns perfectly with our GoDaddy Pro strategy supporting the WordPress community and fills a critical gap between standard customer care and the fully custom WordPress developer that GoDaddy Pro or Professional Web Service offers.

WP Curve said in a blog post that the deal came together this summer when its team first met with GoDaddy and identified synergies. Following the acquisition, existing WP Curve customers will be transitioned over to GoDaddy in order to continue their WP Curve membership. Norris, who runs a number of other projects, including a craft beer business, won’t be moving over, but McClafferty will join GoDaddy to lead the WP Curve product.