How Codeable expert Severo Coutinho solves WordPress hosting challenges with Kinsta

Severo Coutinho is a full-stack WordPress developer based in Portugal. Running Pirenko Studio, he works with companies that rely on their websites for maximum success: small and medium-sized businesses, agencies, and ecommerce stores.

Through his full-stack expertise, Severo helps cover both the technical and creative aspects of each client site, from custom WordPress development and performance optimization to technical SEO, integrations, maintenance, and long-term website strategy. Kinsta’s hosting and affiliate program are a natural fit for Severo to nurture lasting customer relationships by recommending a trustworthy service while making a sustainable passive income.

From finance to full-time web development

With degrees in Business Management and Computer Engineering, Severo started his professional career in 2003, working on the finance team at several companies, where he discovered various aspects of running a business.

This experience gave me valuable insight into how businesses operate and the importance of technology in supporting growth and efficiency.

This curiosity led him to take on development projects part-time, and by 2012, it had evolved into a full-time career. The same year, his first WordPress theme was approved on ThemeForest. His professional evolution did not stop there; he also expanded into design, and then, his path led him to become a Codeable expert.

Becoming a certified Codeable expert was a natural next step. I was drawn to Codeable’s emphasis on quality, professionalism, and accountability. The vetting process aligned well with my standards and gave me the opportunity to work with clients who value expertise, clear communication, and long-term partnerships.

Recommending products as a Codeable expert

Codeable experts and freelance WordPress developers are often trusted advisors to their clients. They are involved in website audits, migrations, redesigns, performance improvements, and ongoing maintenance, which naturally creates opportunities to discuss hosting.

As a seasoned professional, Severo has high standards and an analytical approach for product recommendations for his clients.

I believe every recommendation should be based on reliability, performance, security, and long-term maintainability. Before recommending any plugin, theme, or service, I evaluate its code quality, update history, support reputation, compatibility, and whether it genuinely solves the client’s problem.

When it comes to hosting recommendations, the process is simple and clear; help keep sites lean, fast, secure, and easy to maintain. That’s why Kinsta’s hosting for WordPress is a natural fit for his clients.

Fewer, better-maintained tools usually lead to better performance, improved security, and easier maintenance. The same philosophy applies to hosting. A hosting provider should offer excellent performance, proactive security, reliable support, and a platform that allows developers to work efficiently.

Overcoming the shared hosting dilemma

Many clients come to me after struggling with overcrowded shared hosting environments where performance is inconsistent, and troubleshooting is painful.

Shared hosting is a popular option for starter projects or smaller sites. It’s easy and effective. At the beginning. Over time, however, as sites grow, cracks begin to appear in performance, uptime, security, scalability, and maintenance. 

The most common hosting-related issues I encounter include slow website performance, unreliable uptime, security issues, poor support, and hosting environments that complicate development and maintenance.

Presenting actual data and test results helps persuade clients by showing how the right environment can bring out the best in their projects.

The most effective approach has been showing clients real examples. When possible, I create a staging copy of their website on Kinsta so they can directly compare performance and responsiveness.

Looking beyond low-cost hosting

While lower-cost providers may appear attractive initially, they often come with trade-offs in performance, reliability, support quality, and scalability.

Cost-effectiveness is often the main reason why users choose shared hosting environments. While low-cost hosting seems attractive, the headaches, troubleshooting, and speed and security patches eventually consume more time and resources.

Lower-cost providers often require additional time spent troubleshooting performance issues, managing server configurations, handling downtime, or dealing with slow support responses.

Severo points out that developers have the authority to drive the conversation about service fees and value propositions.

The conversation should focus less on monthly hosting costs and more on the value of reducing downtime, improving website speed, enhancing user experience, and minimizing time spent resolving hosting-related issues.

Why Kinsta

Severo follows the same process for client onboarding and highlights the benefits of the platform driving the focus on outcomes.

I usually introduce hosting discussions during the discovery phase of a project or whenever performance, reliability, or scalability becomes a key topic. Rather than focusing solely on hosting features, I focus on business outcomes such as faster websites, fewer technical issues, better user experience, and reduced maintenance overhead.

Severo first discovered Kinsta at a WordCamp event in Porto and was encouraged to learn more about the service based on the WordPress community’s positive feedback. Kinsta stood the test of time and has become an essential part of his development toolset.

What stands out most is the combination of performance, reliability, and developer-focused tooling. Many hosting providers offer one or two of these elements, but Kinsta delivers all three in a single platform.

Hosting that supports development workflows

For Codeable experts like Severo, features such as one-click staging, backups, access to all aspects of site analytics, and tools are essential for a smooth development and daily site maintenance experience. Besides, Kinsta Technical Support is a team of experts who can jump in at any time to provide assistance.

The performance improvements are often noticeable immediately, while features such as staging environments, automated backups, manual backups, and a developer-friendly workflow make both development and ongoing maintenance significantly easier. Equally important is having access to a knowledgeable and professional support team.

Tool-stack for immediate performance improvements

One of the most common issues developers face when working with growing sites is performance inconsistencies. Severo listed Kinsta’s tools and features that help bring performance improvements to his client projects:

He also shared a specific instance when Kinsta delivered an instant solution for a growing WooCommerce client site hurt by slow load times:

A client was struggling with a WooCommerce website that had become increasingly slow as the product catalog and traffic grew. The site was hosted on a low-cost shared hosting platform, and performance issues were affecting both the customer experience and the administration area. After migrating the website to Kinsta, page load times improved significantly, the backend became much more responsive, and the site handled peak traffic periods without issues.

Recommendations backed by trust

For me, an affiliate partnership only makes sense when it’s built around a product I trust, and Kinsta’s reputation made the decision easy.

The use of affiliate links for product recommendations may not come in naturally for some developers. Especially if there’s no added value for the client, but for trustworthy services backed by user and community feedback, the right affiliate program can support developers long-term. Kinsta’s affiliate program and commission structure proved to be a perfect fit for Severo.

The reason the Kinsta affiliate program works well is that the service quality makes recommendations easy and natural.

As a WordPress expert, you’re already recommending tools you know and trust. Why not get rewarded with one-time bonuses and lifetime recurring commissions? Join Kinsta’s Affiliate Program and get rewarded for your expertise.

Free account to support client onboarding

Through its partnership with Codable, Kinsta’s affiliate program provides certified developers with free lifetime access to a MyKinsta account. Experts can get first-hand experience with the platform and run tests.

The free Kinsta account has been extremely useful as a safe environment for testing and demonstrations. It allows me to validate configurations, evaluate performance improvements, and showcase potential solutions before implementing them on a client’s production website.p

Attribution workflow designed for developers

Kinsta’s affiliate program is designed for developers and agencies to easily attribute referrals to their accounts in ways that fit their workflows. There are several ways to attribute referrals to your affiliate account:

1. Sharing your affiliate link
   The standard way to refer clients is by sharing your unique affiliate link when recommending Kinsta.
   
2. Transfer sites using MyKinsta
   If you have a MyKinsta account or a demo account, when transferring sites to your clients, you can simply add your affiliate ID within the transfer process, and the referral will be automatically attributed to your affiliate account. No need for your affiliate link. Certified Codeable experts can claim a free demo account that makes demos a breeze and simplifies client onboarding, migrations, and referral attribution.

   Another major advantage is the ability to give clients a direct comparison between their current hosting environment and a staging copy running on Kinsta. On several occasions, I have migrated a client’s website to Kinsta for testing purposes, allowing them to experience the performance improvements firsthand. In some cases, the difference was so noticeable that they decided to move their production site to Kinsta immediately.

3. Claim a referral manually
   If neither of the above methods was used, developers and agencies can request a manual review of eligible referrals by contacting the Kinsta Affiliate Team. While it’s different from standard referral processes, our team offers this option as a courtesy. We understand that sometimes referrals can’t be tracked through the usual methods, and we’d love to help to ensure that our partners can succeed with the program.

Turning technical expertise into recurring revenue

As someone who works closely with website owners, I also appreciate the idea of recommending a service that could genuinely benefit clients while also creating a sustainable revenue stream.

Kinsta’s affiliate program was created to deliver long-term value instead of encouraging short-term gains for developers. One-time signup bonuses reward affiliates for conversions, and the additional 10% lifetime commission helps create a recurring revenue stream.

When developers can confidently recommend a hosting platform that delivers measurable improvements, they create value for clients and benefit from recurring affiliate revenue.

The program is a strong fit for developers who regularly work with WordPress websites and want to recommend quality hosting solutions.

The result

Recommending a reliable, high-quality product goes a long way. It helps deliver value to clients and establish trust. Kinsta’s hosting and affiliate program helped Severo strengthen trust with clients and build a solid partnership that supports his efforts in the long term.

Because clients rely on their expertise, recommendations carry significant weight. When developers can confidently recommend a hosting platform that delivers measurable improvements, they create value for clients and benefit from recurring affiliate revenue.

Kinsta has supported Severo’s work through its developer features and tools, allowing him to focus on development instead of working on fixes and troubleshooting on client sites that are hurt by bad hosting.

The combination of performance, reliability, and developer-friendly tools gives me confidence when recommending Kinsta. Features such as staging environments, automatic backups, site cloning, caching, CDN integration, and the MyKinsta dashboard make managing websites significantly easier.