If you own a web design or development agency, your typical project might look like this: you build a website for a client, they pay you, and you go your separate ways. But did you know you could make more money by hosting websites for your clients?
Hosting your clients’ websites can transform your business into a one-stop shop, allowing you to build recurring revenue from each client with minimal extra effort. It may even make it easier to attract more potential customers and expand your client base.
While this may sound overly technical, reseller hosting allows you to sell hosting plans without managing servers. Let's explore how you can generate more revenue and expand your business offerings with easy, affordable reseller hosting services that allow you to host your client's websites.
Why You Should Host Your Clients’ Websites
Hosting websites for clients can offer several benefits for your business, including:
Recurring Revenue Stream
Hosting clients' websites can create a predictable revenue stream for your business, allowing for long-term client relationships and monthly revenue.
This generally leads to higher profit margins than one-off projects because hosting costs are fixed, while client revenue is ongoing. Offering hosting services can build a more sustainable and profitable business over time.
Streamlined Workflows
Hosting your clients' websites means you have everything in one place, making it easier to manage. You can control their domains, databases, and email accounts.
By offering an all-in-one solution, you're saving your clients time and hassle. They don't have to search for a host or learn how to navigate the hosting backend. Instead, they can rely on you to handle website management for them, allowing them to focus on their core business.
Improved Client Retention
By hosting your clients’ websites, you’re fostering ongoing relationships, which gives you more chances to connect and offer additional services, such as site maintenance, security monitoring, and updates.
Hosting also gives you the opportunity to offer upsells, like enhanced security features, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates, or more bandwidth and storage. All of that means more revenue for you and better performance for your clients.
Better Client Website Performance
Partnering with a reliable hosting provider that offers high uptime guarantees and ample resources can make all the difference for your client's websites.
If your client doesn't understand web hosting, they may choose a subpar solution, and their website might not perform as well as it should. But if you handle the hosting, you can customize it to their needs – from the type of hosting offered to server specifications to resource allocation.
For example, let's say you want to offer your client Managed Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting. With a provider like Hosting.com, you can choose between the standard or the Turbo plan. The standard hosting plan is an excellent starting point that is powerful enough for many websites, so you could start here, gauge your client’s performance, and scale up if needed. Or, if you anticipate that your client will receive high levels of traffic due to the nature of their business, you could opt for the Turbo plan right away, as this offers lightning-fast server performance and better storage.
Staying in control of hosting means you can easily monitor performance and upgrade when necessary. This means your clients' sites will always have the resources they need to perform well.
Potential Drawbacks of Being a Hosting Intermediary
While offering web hosting has its perks, there are also some drawbacks to consider. However, it's worth noting that these drawbacks are largely offset by the fact that the provider will handle all technical considerations.
Added Responsibilities
As a hosting intermediary, you’ll need to take on additional responsibilities to ensure you're offering a solid service. Here are some examples of what you might need to do:
Basic Setup: You might need to set up software, tools, and accounts for clients, like installing WordPress or setting up email accounts.
Monitor Backend: You’ll need to keep an eye on things like site speed and server resources so everything runs smoothly.
Check Backups: Ensuring backups are successful can save you and your clients a lot of time and effort if anything goes wrong.
Performance Reports: Sending performance reports to clients is a great way to show them the value you're providing and build trust in your relationship.
When Issues Arise, Clients Turn to You
Even if clients know you're not the one behind the scenes, you’ll still be the first point of contact if anything goes wrong.
That’s why it’s crucial to partner with a provider that offers prompt support, like Hosting.com Hosting’s 24/7/365 Guru Crew. But remember, as the service provider, it’s your responsibility to liaise with the support team and resolve issues on time.
Not Ready to Offer Hosting? Become a Host Affiliate Instead
If the added responsibilities of offering hosting don’t appeal to you, you can become a hosting affiliate instead. As an affiliate, you simply refer your clients to your favorite hosting company. Every successful referral gets you a little extra money.
If you want to give it a shot, Hosting.com's affiliate program is a great option to explore. With our competitive commission structure, you earn more for every sale you make.
For instance, if you have one sale in a month, you get paid $55. But if you have 21+ sales, you get paid $125 per sale. That means an extra $2,625!
Selecting the Right Hosting Provider to Work With
Here are some essential considerations to keep in mind when choosing a hosting company:
Range of Plans
Not all websites are created equal and the needs of your clients will vary depending on factors, such as the type of site and its expected traffic. Look for a provider that offers a range of plans catering to different needs, whether a large eCommerce website or a small business.
Technical Requirements
Considering these technical specs can help set your client’s website up for success:
Bandwidth: If your client’s site receives a lot of traffic, it will need more bandwidth to be able to handle it.
Storage: Sites with a lot of media or large files will need more storage to accommodate them.
Processing Power: Websites with complex functions or high traffic may require hosting plans with multiple Central Process Unit (CPU) cores, higher clock speeds, and ample RAM to make sure everything runs smoothly.
Scalability: Does your client anticipate their site traffic increasing over time? If so, a host that makes it easy to upgrade plans and add more resources as needed.
Uptime Guarantees and Customer Support
Nothing kills a website's credibility faster than downtime. Look for a provider that offers uptime guarantees and responsive customer support. After all, when issues arise, you want to be confident that help is just a phone call, chat, or email away.
Security Measures
With cyber threats on the rise, security is non-negotiable. Make sure your hosting company takes security seriously, with measures like firewalls, malware scanning, and SSL certificates to keep your clients' data safe.
Server Locations and Loading Speeds
The closer your server is to your audience, the faster your website will load for them. This is because the data doesn't have to travel as far to reach their device. So, if your client’s target audience is primarily located in a specific region, it's a good idea to choose a provider with servers in that area.
Meanwhile, fast loading speeds are essential for ensuring your client’s website performs well, delivers a great user experience, and minimizes bounce rates. It can also boost Search Engine Optimization (SEO) rankings.
Hosting.com: Solutions for All Your Hosting Needs
With a wide range of plans tailored to different needs and budgets, Hosting.com has something for everyone.
For example, our VPS Hosting plans are perfect for users who need more control and flexibility over their hosting environment. The plans include root access, easy scalability, and top-notch resources like Solid-State Drive (SSD) storage and dedicated Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.
On the other hand, if you're looking for Dedicated Server hosting, Hosting.com has you covered with high-performance servers that offer fast processing power, ample storage, and dedicated resources. This means you can handle heavy workloads and demanding applications with ease, providing a user-friendly experience for your clients.
One of our standout features is the Turbo Plan upgrade, available across all our plans. Thanks to LiteSpeed servers, this upgrade takes performance to the next level, offering faster load times, smoother operations, and a better experience for your clients and their customers.
Choosing the Right Hosting for Your Client’s Needs
Let’s break down the different types of hosting so you can choose the best one for your clients’ needs:
Shared Hosting: This is the most basic type of hosting, where multiple websites share the same server resources. It's best for small businesses or personal websites that don't require a lot of resources.
VPS Hosting: VPS hosting is a step up from shared hosting, where a single physical server is divided into multiple virtual servers. This allows for more resources and customization, making it a good option for growing businesses or websites that require more control.
Dedicated Hosting: With dedicated hosting, you have an entire server to yourself, giving you the most resources and control. It's best for large businesses or websites with high traffic and resource-intensive applications.
Platform-Specific Hosting: This type of hosting is optimized for a specific platform, such as WordPress. It often comes with features like automatic updates and security enhancements, making it a great option for businesses or individuals who want a hassle-free experience.
With A2’s VPS hosting, you have the option of managed or unmanaged hosting.
Managed hosting allows you to rely on the provider to take care of server maintenance, updates, and security. On the other hand, with unmanaged VPS hosting, you have full control over the server, but you're responsible for installing and configuring software, managing updates, and handling security.
Do You Need Reseller Hosting?
Reseller hosting is a popular choice for many web agencies because it offers several benefits, including:
Branding: You can add your own branding to the hosting infrastructure, making your service more bespoke and professional.
Client Accounts: Create new client accounts through the Web Host Manager to make the most of your resources.
Billing Solutions: Integrated billing solutions make payments from your clients faster and more streamlined.
A2 Hosting offers reseller hosting for all your hosting needs, making it a great option for most agencies.
However, if your client requires dedicated hosting due to high resource needs, you can still offer hosting as an intermediary service. This means you'll be handling the backend on their behalf, giving your clients the benefits of dedicated hosting without the added responsibility.
Get Affordable Hosting for Your Clients with Hosting.com
Being able to host your client's websites not only streamlines your workflow but is a great way to increase your recurring revenue. With our white-label resell plans, you can act as your own hosting company without the hassle of maintaining your own web servers.
We offer fast, reliable hosting solutions to meet any need and you can easily scale your options as more clients switch to your services.
Our plans support popular content management systems like WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla. Plus, your clients can use most eCommerce solutions as well like WooCommerce, Magento, OpenCart, PrestaShop, AbanteCart, and more.
All of our hosting is backed by our 99.9% uptime commitment, money back guarantee, and 24/7/365 in-house Guru Crew support. Increase your revenue with reseller white-label hosting today. Compare plans now and get started in just minutes.