Web developers and designers can specifically benefit from the opportunity to add to their income by becoming a web hosting reseller. As entrepreneurs who are already in the business of creating websites, this option increases their product offering to customers. What better way to attract more customers than to create further value to existing web design and development by also providing web hosting. This is definitely a prospect that is worth further exploration because you can also define your own custom hosting plan
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What is a web hosting reseller?
As an entrepreneur, you can approach a web hosting provider to ask for permission to become a reseller or sign up for their reselling plans. Once approved, you will be able to host the websites of personal customers that you have developed websites for and others. The hosting provider essentially rents hard drive space and resources to you together with bandwidth to smaller companies, enabling smaller businesses to sell hosting to their customers. Essentially, this entrepreneurial prospect allows you to expand your own business growth by acting as a web hosting provider. By improving your product offering, you appeal to more customers and attract greater profit if you choose to take this route.
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An example of one such reseller's is Hostinger, which boasts options like:
Web Hosting | Fast & Secure Web Hosting | Up to 90% OFF Only Now.
Additionally, you can power up your resale operation with companies like Clouflare which improve security and speed. SSL Protection | Content Delivery Network | Free of Charge
Selecting a reselling web hosting business model
Rather than rush into selecting a familiar web host to resell their services, you should first identify your business goals. Ask yourself whether you just want to host the few customer websites that you've created, or whether you want to actively grow your business .The answers to these questions will help you to choose the right company to resell your own web host packages. After you've identified your business goals, then you need to consider what the host company provides.
Gather information about their operating system, the hardware and software that they use, and what other features are on offer. Whatever they offer, is what you will be able to deliver to your own customers. Other considerations include the type of drives used, the type of storage method and space availability, and the future scalability on offer. Do you want to go for shared hosting which absolves you of a lot of responsibility, or do you prefer the resources included in the virtual private server (VPS) option?
How do prices compare across original web host companies, and will the combination of features and pricing work for your intended customer base? These are all 'must ask' questions before you make a final decision because you need to also keep your anticipated growth path and affordability in mind.
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More details to look out for
If you decide to go ahead with web hosting, understand that different reselling web hosting business models are available. Certain company web hosts will charge fees for every customer taken on board, while others prefer to create different package rates. Your specific business goals will help you to decide which cost model will suit you best. Other than costs, this list contains the absolute basics that you will want for yourself and your customers:
● The choice of creating your own personal branding as a web host, which excludes the original host's name.
● The right to customize your own custom packages and account configurations as needed.
● Disk space volume and bandwidth.
● Hosting your own domain names.
● Provide the same features to your customers as the original web host offers to theirs, such as the cPanel, email, add-ons, monitoring tools, scripts, and others.
How to kick off your new project
After you've sorted out the basics of what you want to offer your customers, and this aligns with the parent web host, you're ready to start your own reseller business. Think about how you want your website to look. Consider the business model and the brand personality that you want to present to your customer base. First impressions count and you want to make a lasting impression. Your brand needs to include a name, logo, slogan, and a tagline. Cary out a domain name search to see what is available.
Remember to keep your business name simple, memorable, and searchable. Once you have this aspect sorted, think about the prices of your web host packages, and align these with your target market. It's up to you to choose a niche market, or you can be a generalist. Choosing a niche will narrow your marketing efforts and reduce advertising costs though so this is a further aspect to analyze. Determine your hosting costs and labor, and then cost your web hosting packages at prices that your target audience will find affordable. Customer service is a key aspect of running your own business. Make sure that you promise and deliver 24/7 customer services with rapid response times to maintain credibility.
If you aren't able to provide this level of service, speak to your parent web host to include their customer services in your own offering. As a web developer and/or designer, you're probably already familiar with the value of the creation of a stellar storefront. Your website must encourage confidence in your product offering so go all out to deliver a quality impression.
Wrapping up
Once you have a handle on all of these elements, you're ready to start advertising. Encourage past and current website customers to switch to your hosting services, and ask them to promote your hosting services by word of mouth. After you've informed them of what's on offer, then you can investigate paid advertising on social media channels and other platforms. The only thing left to do, is to enjoy the financial benefits of your latest entrepreneurial project.
