Interview with Phil Storey, Founder of Glow

We caught up with Phil Storey, founder of Glow, to talk all things from the importance of website maintenance to increasing their global footprint….

Tell us about Glow

Glow is a multi-functional website maintenance app designed to streamline the processes involved with website maintenance and transform perceptions of how important it is to keep websites up to date, efficient and secure.

Glow adds value to marketing agencies, web developers, and SMEs in need of website support by offering a full suite of website maintenance tools including backup functionality, uptime monitoring, high-level security, quick, hassle-free updates to the WordPress core, themes and plugins, as well as custom development work.

We are proud to say that Glow is one of only a handful of website maintenance apps available globally and the first of its kind in the UK to offer a built-in support ticket system, mini-CRM functionality and a profit tracker for agencies.

As Glow can be white-labeled, it is an attractive tool for marketing agencies that want to add value to their own clients. Via the reseller service, they can opt to brand the app as their own and offer the service to clients whilst we take care of the website maintenance in the background. Not only does this provide an additional revenue stream for them, it also frees up their time and allows them to focus on other tasks within the business.

Web developers use Glow to maintain multiple websites, and they too can opt for their own branded version of it if required. The beauty of Glow is that alongside a comprehensive suite of website maintenance tools, it also includes an intuitive support ticket system and mini-CRM functionality to efficiently manage the maintenance of a company’s website. So, web developers can reduce their dependency on other platforms and offer all services via our app.

The service we provide to SMEs with their own business website is a little different. We’re in charge of the maintenance of their website, and the app allows us to be completely transparent with the work we are doing, thus proving the value. SMEs also benefit from being able to use the support ticket system to ask for help, request custom changes as and when needed and receive helpful tips and advice to improve their website via the ‘Bright Ideas’ section.

How did you come up with the idea for the company?

Glow was founded in May 2020 – in short, we were born to highlight the importance of website maintenance and power digital growth through pioneering technology.

In more detail, after a tough exit from a business partnership last year, I wanted to create something new and exciting to bring to the thriving digital economy that would also open up opportunities for others in the creative industry.

In my time in business, I’ve owned and operated a web development company and jointly owned a marketing agency. I know that there are tonnes of web developers and marketing agencies out there, so I was keen to do something a little bit different, whilst staying in the industry I love.

Having worked closely with marketing agencies and SMEs since my mid-20s, I know that website maintenance is something that, from an agency’s perspective, is often lacking in process and profitability and from an SME’s perspective, misunderstood in terms of importance. So for me, Glow was the perfect solution to bring to market to solve these issues.

I strongly believe the fact Glow delivers multiple services to our three core markets has been the biggest driving force behind sign ups – we’ve had over 15 resellers and 50 end users sign up.

How has the need for Glow evolved over the past few months?

With COVID19 and the subsequent lockdown increasing screen time by over 200%, there are more eyes on websites than ever before. Businesses are recognising this and spending thousands on shiny new websites but still failing to understand that maintenance is just as important.

The thing is, there are multiple reasons why it’s just as important for business owners as the website itself.

Firstly, research suggests website hacks are on the rise – one occurring every 39 seconds and 43% of website hacks are aimed at small businesses.

Secondly, poorly maintained sites can negatively impact customer experience – WebFX recently found that 89% of consumers shop with a competitor after a poor user experience on a website.

Thirdly, website maintenance plays a vital role in other digital services like SEO – something more and more people seem to be getting up to speed on. Outdated content or an infrequently updated site can be detrimental to search engine rankings.

Lastly, slow-loading websites have been shown to impact the topline, and increasing website speed by just a single second has been suggested to increase conversions by 7% – something which many businesses would be delighted with given we’re mid pandemic!

From an agency perspective, it’s a little different. Website maintenance has and always will be, a fiddly job. The research we conducted prior to launching showed that nine times out of ten, agencies weren’t charging clients for the website maintenance they were completing, even though it was eating into the time they could be spending on profitable activities.

However, the pandemic has forced people to be more efficient and productive, as well as looking for ways to keep cash flow steady, and Glow ticks all the boxes! Through Glow, agencies can still offer clients website maintenance, but we carry out the work on their behalf! What’s more, they benefit from a 25% discount on the monthly fees, which gives them their profit and this discount increases the more clients they add, making it more profitable over time.

What can we hope to see from Glow in the future?

Over time, we want to change how important businesses perceive website maintenance to be and help them to acknowledge the power that websites have to help their businesses thrive.

It’s bizarre, however websites still seem so low on the ladder of importance for small businesses, with many treating them a bit like a business card. They know they need one, so they get one built, however they then do nothing with it. They don’t market it and they don’t keep it secure and updated with new content.

Through Glow, I want to change that. I want businesses to put their website much higher on their priority list and recognise the amazing things it can do for them.

I’m passionate about helping our industry continue to thrive and am investing in the future of the economy. Our reseller model is having a direct impact on the local economy because both Glow and our resellers make profit from it, and it also provides an opportunity for agencies to enhance their offering and expand their services. We’re working hard to make sure this continues so that we can eventually increase our global footprint, making a difference to creatives across the world.

Watch this space!