Web Hosting Guide

Reselling is when a company utilizes the resources of a parent web hosting company and sells it as their own. Most web hosting companies have reseller packages available. There are those who can benefit from choosing to host their site with a reseller. There are also those who have been dissatisfied with their reseller host and those who may be interested in opening their own reseller hosting account.

You should, however, have all the information you need to determine how to make the most of this option and whether or not it could work for you.

The Details of Reseller Hosting

Some hosts contract with the reseller and charge on a per client basis. So, whenever the reseller adds another client the host charges a certain rate. Or you may choose from various packages. There are different features available for reseller hosting depending on the host company. However, there are some common features often included in packages. These include:

• Ability to brand your own web hosting company with the parent hosting company invisible to your client
• The ability to manage your own plans and configure different accounts per your needs
• Disc Space
• Bandwidth
• Domain Hosting
• Pass through features to your own clients similar to those offered to clients of the parent company such as email, control panel, additional scripts and monitoring tools

How can You Benefit From Choosing a Reseller Web Host?

Many providers of services and products that rely on Internet technology add web hosting into their services. This can be purchased separately as a convenient way to get all your Internet needs met in one place. Or, the company you are dealing with may add web hosting as part of your package of services.

Database programmers, web copy writers, graphic designers, internet marketing consultants and web site designers are just a few of the related services that may offer web hosting to their clients as a reseller. Because these companies purchase web space in bulk they often get discounted rates and can pass this savings on to you. Or, they may include the cost in with your other services so in total you get a good deal.

Should I be Concerned About Whether or not I am Dealing with a Reseller of Web Hosting?

Most reseller web hosts are reputable and will give you quality service. However, there are those who may not be quite as honorable with their services. A reseller may not have the ability to offer the customer support the parent company can so you may have to wait to get assistance for your needs. If your reseller is not with a strong parent company you may have to deal with outages and lower uptime percentages than you would typically accept.

Some resellers may also lessen the features you may get or may increase the cost of the hosting. If you had gone with the parent company you may have saved a lot of money unbeknownst to you. There is also the possibility that the reseller keeps control of your site and if you are dissatisfied will give you a hard time if you want to access your files and move your site elsewhere. While this does not happen often, it does occasionally and it is something to be aware of. If this does occur, find out what the parent company is and contact them.

Reseller Hosting Sounds like something I want to try. How do I start?

Perhaps you have an interest in web hosting and want a quick, easy and affordable way to start your company and get marketing to potential customers. Perhaps you are in a related industry and want to add to your menu of services to better serve your own customers and make your company an all inclusive web services firm. Regardless of the reasons for wanting to run your own web hosting company, you need to know how to start.

Web hosting companies that offer reseller hosting make it extremely easy. You can do this by following these easy steps:

• Research web hosting companies to determine which ones offer reseller hosting
• Consider how many customers you think you can get added to your new company immediately. This will determine the package you will need
• Determine the types and size of packages you will offer your customer
• Determine the price you will sell your packages at or if you will use the hosting as a value added service to a related service
• Compare reseller hosting plans to determine which ones will best suit your needs and your budget
• Sign up for the reseller package that best suits your needs
• Follow the instructions provided to you by the parent host to set up each of your packages that you will offer your customers
• Begin marketing your new business and sign up customers
• Support your new customers and watch your business grow