A reseller hosting business is simple to start. As a reseller you’ll be purchasing web hosting space and bandwidth from an existing hosting company and then reselling that space and bandwidth at a profit. In order to start a successful reseller hosting business you’ll need these four things:
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A domain name.
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A web hosting company to host your business.
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A few dollars a month to pay for your hosting account.
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Lots of free time to dedicate to your customers.
Seems like simple business, right? It may sound like a cinch on paper, and many have launched reseller businesses hoping to be the undoing of GoDaddy and other prominent online hosting companies, only to discover that they weren’t as prepared as they thought they were to run their own business.
Are you considering getting into the reseller hosting business? Read on to discover the five things you’ll need in order to succeed.
1. Find a host with phenomenal uptime
As a web hosting company you will have one golden rule: you need to be online all the time. No exceptions. The second you clock your first minute of downtime you will have angry customers calling and emailing and asking for a refund.
If there’s one thing you do right, make sure you find a web hosting company that has a solid history and knows how to keep their web hosting servers online. Read web hosting reviews and check each host against the Better Business Bureau.
2. Make sure the price is right
If you’re going to run a bestselling business you need to be operating in the black. You would never take a job that you had to pay to have or one in which you broke even every month, and you can’t afford to do that with your small business either. Look for a web hosting company that is within your budget, know the difference between value and price, and create a pricing structure that will leave you making a profit each and every month.
3. Choose the right platform
Do you prefer to host on the Windows operating system or Linux? If you know how to program on one operating system better than the other, the choice will be obvious, but if not, you’ll want to look into the differences between the two systems. Understand which operating systems users prefer and why.
4. Your host should have excellent customer service
As a reseller you’ll be at the mercy of your own web hosting company. If your web hosting server goes down, you’ll need to explain to customers what happened and how soon they can expect to get online again. If you host with a company that has poor customer service, you’ll have no way to give those answers to your clients. Yet another reason to read web hosting reviews and find a host who has proven themselves in the industry.
5. Have a plan on paper
It’s a sad fact that many getting into the hosting business hoping to make a quick buck without realizing that their new business will require dedication and time. Before financially investing in your web hosting company, you’ll want to complete a few basic tasks.
Running a web hosting business is hard work, but it’s also a rewarding adventure that can lead you on an entirely new career path. Do your homework, read web hosting reviews and who knows, you just may be the next best selling web hosting company on the block.