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Web Hosting Types
Reseller web hosting
Earn more by offering web hosting services with a reseller hosting plan.
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What is reseller hosting?
Reseller hosting is when hosting resources are purchased from web hosting companies and then resold as individual hosting plans under your own business name. This allows you to start your own web hosting business or add web hosting services to your existing web agency or web design company.
Who can use reseller hosting?
Reseller hosting can be used by anyone who wants to host their own clients or start their own web hosting company. Reseller hosting is most often used by:
- Web agencies
- Web designers
- Development firms
- Companies that need to host multiple website accounts
Compare reseller web hosting plans for 2020
Data obtained October 2018. Prices are subject to change and should be used only as a general guide.
How reseller hosting works
Think of reseller hosting like buying a house and renting the rooms out to different tenants. With reseller hosting you purchase certain resources such as disk space and bandwidth from a web hosting company and then resell those resources to your clients. With reseller hosting you become the web hosting provider for your clients, and all web hosting services will be under your business. Your clients will not know that you are a reseller and will not have access to the "parent" hosting company.
Why use reseller hosting?
If you want to start your own web hosting company without having to own and maintain your own servers, you should consider reseller hosting. Reseller hosting plans can be extremely cost effective and a useful way to earn more.
If you’re a web designer who sets clients up on their own hosting plans with other web hosting companies, you should consider adding hosting services to your business with a reseller hosting plan. This will allow you to provide direct customer service to your clients and increase your revenue.
How much does reseller hosting cost?
Reseller hosting plans start at around $10 per year. The cost of your reseller plan will depend on how many clients you plan to resell to and how many resources each client needs. Most web hosts will allow you to scale up your reseller hosting plan as your client base grows.Pros and cons of reseller hosting
Pros
- Expand your business. Reseller hosting enables you to sell web hosting plans under your own name. This means you can add valuable web hosting services to your existing business.
- Profitable. You can earn more revenue from your business by using reseller hosting. In many cases, reseller hosting can be quite lucrative.
- Low maintenance. You won’t have to worry about maintaining your server. Your web hosting parent company will be responsible for covering all server upkeep and fixing any damages.
- Flexibility. You can design your own hosting plans, tailoring them to suit the needs of your business and clients.
- Customizability. Reseller hosting allows you to make cPanels, or control panels, customise themes and configure each account to satisfy each of your clients.
Cons
- Limited use. Reseller hosting is only useful for those who want to start web hosting businesses. Reseller hosting is not for you if you just want to host your own website.
- Immutability. It can be difficult to change web hosting companies once you have created and established hosting plans with your clients. With reseller hosting it’s extremely important to choose a web hosting company that will allow your reseller plan to grow with your business.
- Server access. If anything goes wrong with your server, you will have to rely on your web hosting company to fix the problem. However, you will be the face of customer support to your clients. You may lose clients if there is a lot of server downtime, even if it’s not under your control.
- Competition. As you have probably noticed, there’s a lot of competition in web hosting. You should make sure you can offer something unique or beneficial to your clients before you buy a reseller hosting plan.
Things to consider when choosing a reseller hosting plan
To have a successful reseller hosting business, you’ll want to offer your clients the best web hosting services possible. Look for the following 8 features when choosing a reseller hosting plan:
- Easy to use cPanel
- 24/7 customer support
- Uptime guarantee as close to 100% as possible
- Fully managed services
- The ability to scale up your plan
- Regular backups
- Security features
- Up-to-date hardware
How to setup reseller hosting
- Research web hosting companies and choose the best web host for you.
- Buy a reseller hosting plan that suits the needs of your business.
- Design your own hosting plans or packages.
- Set the prices of your web hosting services.
- Begin marketing and selling hosting plans to your clients.
- Earn profit from your new web hosting business.
- Watch your business grow and continue to build your client base.
