As your web design or development business grows, you may start to consider including hosting as a part of the deal when building websites for clients. This can benefit both parties, since it saves your client time and helps you generate a steady source of extra income. However, you'll first need to decide whether reseller hosting is right for you.
In short, reseller hosting enables you to sell hosting plans to your existing clients through a third-party hosting provider. Reseller hosting is cost-effective and relatively easy to set up, making it an excellent option for budding entrepreneurs and mid-level businesses. It's particularly relevant to designers and developers, since your clients will need hosting anyway.
In this post, we’ll explore the fundamentals of reseller hosting, and go over some things you need to consider on a professional level before offering this type of hosting to your clients. Let’s get started!
The Fundamentals of Reseller Hosting
Reseller hosting plans enable you purchase server space from a third-party hosting company. You can then rent a section of this space to your own customers.
With reseller hosting, you simply pay your hosting provider a flat monthly fee. The amount this costs generally depends on the resources you’re renting. In turn, you’re free to charge whatever you want to your clients.
Offering hosting plans to your clients is an excellent way to begin generating a more steady source of income. In fact, reseller hosting can provide numerous benefits for both you and your site:
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The ability to grow your existing business.
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More recognition for both you and your brand.
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An opportunity to promote your other products and services.
In particular, reseller hosting is a popular choice for anyone who builds or designs websites. Your clients will need a way to host their sites, so you can offer that service as a part of your package. This offers additional value, while providing you with some ongoing income even after a site is completed.
You can even use your reseller service to subsidize your own hosting costs – there’s nothing stopping you from hosting your site on your reseller plan. If you price your hosting packages well, you could essentially gain free hosting.
3 Things to Consider Before Offering Hosting to Your Clients
Reseller hosting can be greatly rewarding, but the decision to offer it shouldn’t come lightly. There are a number of factors you’ll need to take into account before you get started. Let's look at the three most important considerations.
1. What Is the Best Reseller Hosting Plan for Your Needs?
Before anything else, you’ll need to decide which reseller hosting plan you want to use. Many hosts offer this option, and some will include vital tools such as WebHost Manager, one-click installations, billing solutions, and uptime guarantees.
Consider the service you want to provide for your clients, and compare the hosting plans that most closely correlate with those needs. For example, it’s vital that the plan you provide is fully secure. Additional security measures like Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates can be a significant benefit to your clients.
You also need to determine whether your hosting provider will provide ongoing technical support for your clients. If they don’t, you’ll need to do it yourself – which can take up a lot of time and resources.
Here at Hosting.com, for example, we provide 24/7 access to our support team on all our reseller plans:
We also offer a wealth of security, performance, and other features, so you know your clients will be in good hands.
2. How Will You Present Your Business?
As with any other business, the way you present your reseller hosting will have a huge impact on the number of people who choose to use it. It’s important to appear professional, as clients are more likely to convert when they believe your business is trustworthy.
Therefore, you'll want to present a credible brand image through your website and client accounts. In fact, it’s vital that everything connected to your business' name is presented professionally. A well-populated social media feed is also a smart way to increase user trust – and provide excellent customer service at the same time.
You can also demonstrate your trustworthiness by including BBB-accredited company seals on your site – PayPal, McAfee, and various other companies all offer this option:
This lets your audience know that you have passed all e-commerce requirements for selling online, and that you are running a company that is active and verified.
3. What Level of Service Will You Provide?
Finally, you’ll need to consider the additional benefits you’ll provide as a part of your reseller hosting. You'll also want to determine how much you'll charge clients for this service. Your price point should be based on the value you're providing for your clients, as well as the convenience reseller hosting offers for your business.
Customer service is another key area to consider upfront, and it can make or break your reseller business. Again, some reseller plans (such as ours) will offer a certain level of support as a part of the base service:
This means you won’t have to deal with any technical issues your customers may face. However, you’ll still want to be on call to assist with their queries and concerns.
Above all, it’s important not to oversell your service to clients – only offer what you can actually provide. Overpromising will likely result in a lot of disappointed (and angry) customers. On the other hand, being realistic with your promises and following through is the best way to establish a strong reseller hosting program.
Conclusion
If you're running a web design and/or development business, you'll want to at least consider offering hosting to your clients. Doing so can greatly benefit your existing business, and offer more benefits to your clients.
Still, there are a number of things to consider before you start offering reseller hosting. You’ll want to think about:
- The reseller hosting plan that best suits your needs.
- The way you’ll present the service, through your website and on social media platforms.
- The level of service you’ll provide, and how much you'll charge.
Image credit: Pexels.
