Webpress manages client SSL.
No one tells you when it breaks.
Webpress agencies white-label managed WordPress hosting for clients. The platform handles SSL provisioning, but when provisioning fails — because a custom domain CNAME is misconfigured, a client nameserver migration dropped the delegation, or a domain is approaching expiry — there is no agency-facing alert. Your client discovers the problem before you do. Merlonix monitors the full SSL and DNS layer so platform opacity does not become client downtime.
No credit card either way — start free, or trial the full workspace.
- Check cadence (Agency)
- 1 min
- SSL pre-expiry alert
- 30 days
- Vendors watched
- 11
- Encrypted DNS lookups
- DoH
Where Webpress agencies get caught out
Three failure modes specific to managed WordPress agency portfolios.
Webpress agencies operate in the gap between the platform's managed SSL provisioning and the client's domain registration. Neither side communicates failures to the agency automatically. These are the failure modes that reach clients before they reach you.
Platform-managed SSL opacity
Webpress provisions SSL but does not alert agencies when provisioning fails
Managed WordPress hosts like Webpress provision SSL certificates automatically when a custom domain is connected and DNS has propagated correctly. When DNS propagation is incomplete — a client changes nameservers without updating the CNAME delegation to the platform — SSL provisioning waits silently. The platform has provisioned SSL correctly in the past, so the agency assumes it is still valid. The first alert is the client calling about a browser security warning.
Custom domain CNAME drift
Client nameserver migrations break the WordPress hosting delegation silently
Webpress agencies connect client custom domains via CNAME delegation to the managed hosting platform's CDN infrastructure. When clients migrate their domain's nameservers — switching from GoDaddy DNS to Cloudflare, or from their registrar to a dedicated DNS provider — the CNAME records that delegate the custom domain must be recreated at the new provider. This step is client-initiated and frequently incomplete. The client's domain stops resolving to the Webpress hosting environment without any platform notification to the agency.
Domain expiry on client registrars
Client-controlled domains expire without agency visibility
Webpress agencies manage the hosting environment but often do not control the client's domain registration. When a client domain expires — missed renewal email, lapsed payment method on the registrar, or forgotten auto-renewal — the domain stops resolving. The hosting environment stays healthy, but the site is unreachable. Without domain expiry monitoring, the agency discovers the problem only when the client reports that the site is down.
How it works
SSL and DNS monitoring across your full managed WordPress client portfolio.
Merlonix is designed for agencies managing client portfolios on managed WordPress platforms where SSL provisioning is opaque and domain expiry is controlled by the client. One account covers every client site, every subdomain, with alerts that give you time to act before clients call.
01
Add client domains without requiring DNS access
Verify ownership with a DNS TXT record or HTTP file — works for domains where the agency manages DNS and for domains where the client controls the registrar and nameservers. One verification per apex domain. For managed WordPress deployments where client controls the domain, HTTP file verification works without DNS admin access.
02
SSL chain validation catches provisioning gaps before clients notice
Merlonix validates the complete certificate chain on every check interval — expiry date, issuer, chain completeness, and domain match. When SSL provisioning stalls because DNS delegation is incomplete, the absence of a valid certificate fires an alert immediately. Expiry warnings fire 30 days ahead, giving time to resolve provisioning issues before certificates lapse.
03
CNAME integrity monitoring for managed hosting delegations
A DNS-over-HTTPS resolver verifies the CNAME delegation to the Webpress hosting environment on every check interval. When a client nameserver migration removes the CNAME delegation, the alert fires within minutes — before the client discovers the site is down.
04
Domain expiry monitoring for client-controlled registrations
Merlonix monitors domain expiry dates for every domain in the account. When a client domain is approaching its expiry window, the alert fires 30 days ahead — giving time to contact the client and confirm renewal before the domain lapses and the hosting environment becomes unreachable.
What the numbers mean for Webpress agencies
Monitoring built for the gap between platform and registrar.
Webpress agencies operate between two systems that don't alert them when something goes wrong: the managed hosting platform and the client's domain registrar. Merlonix monitors the SSL and DNS layer that sits between both, so failures surface at the agency before they reach the client.
30 days
SSL expiry and domain expiry warning lead time — enough time to resolve provisioning stalls and contact clients about domain renewal
< 10 min
Time from DNS change to alert — catches CNAME drift after client nameserver migrations before the site goes unreachable
11 vendors
Upstream services monitored — managed WordPress platform status included so you see infrastructure incidents before clients call
250 assets
Maximum monitored domains on the Agency plan — covers primary domains, staging environments, and client-controlled registrations across a full managed WordPress portfolio
Pricing
Flat monthly fee. Every domain and subdomain included.
No per-domain charges. No per-site fees. Pick the tier that fits your Webpress client count and grow without billing surprises.
Starter
For consultants managing a small Webpress client portfolio.
$19/ month
- 15 monitored assets
- 3 seats
- 5 min check cadence
- SSL + DNS + vendor monitoring
- Email + Slack alerts
Team
For Webpress agencies with multiple managed WordPress client sites.
$79/ month
- 60 monitored assets
- 10 seats
- 1 min check cadence
- SSL + DNS + vendor monitoring
- Email + Slack alerts
Agency
For agencies with a full managed WordPress client roster including client-controlled domain registrations.
$199/ month
- 250 monitored assets
- Unlimited seats
- 1 min check cadence
- SSL + DNS + vendor monitoring
- Email + Slack alerts
Compliance
For regulated-vertical teams that need continuous, audit-ready evidence.
$699/ month
- 500 monitored assets
- Unlimited seats
- 1 min check cadence
- SSL + DNS + vendor monitoring
- Email + Slack alerts
Beyond uptime
More than a 200 OK on every client site
The same account also watches the infrastructure and reputation layers a standard uptime check never reaches — each a live check you can turn on.
Turn monitoring into revenue
Resell client-ready reports as your own
Monitoring doesn’t have to be a cost line. Package the branded report and white-label status page as a deliverable in your retainer — the tooling underneath stays invisible, so to the client the work is yours.
Reports under your brand
Hand each client a polished SSL, DNS, and security report carrying your agency’s name and logo — not ours.
Status pages on their domain
Publish a live status page at status.theirbrand.com with automatic TLS and no “Powered by Merlonix” badge.
Your margin to keep
You pay one add-on cost and package it into the retainer you already bill. The markup — and the margin — are yours.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Do I need DNS or registrar access to my clients’ domains to monitor them?
No. Merlonix monitors from the outside in — it probes each domain’s public SSL certificate, DNS records, WHOIS/registration data, and HTTP responses the same way a browser or DNS resolver would. You add an asset by its hostname; no access to the client’s registrar, DNS provider, or servers is required.
What does Merlonix actually check on each site?
Every monitored asset gets continuous SSL-certificate (expiry, issuer, and chain changes), DNS-record, domain-registration/expiry, and uptime monitoring by default. You can also enable infrastructure and reputation checks a standard uptime monitor never reaches — security headers, DNSSEC/DANE, domain-hijack/registrar-lock, blocklist, and cron/heartbeat monitoring — each a live check you turn on per asset.
How often does it check, and how do alerts reach me?
Checks run on your plan’s cadence — as often as every 1 min on Team and above, and every 5 min on Starter. When a certificate, DNS record, registration, or response changes, you get an alert by email and Slack. Alerts fire on real state changes between definitive checks, not on a transient blip.
How much does it cost, and is there a free option?
Yes — there is a free $0 plan (no credit card) to watch a small number of assets, and paid plans start at $19/mo (Starter). You can also start a 14-day full-workspace trial with no card. See the pricing grid above for the assets, seats, and check cadence on each tier.
Know before your client's domain expires.
Add your first Webpress client domain in under two minutes. The first SSL or domain expiry alert tells you whether monitoring was worth it — usually within the first week. 14-day trial, no card required.