Tips For Starting A Web Hosting Reseller Business

Opening a web hosting reseller business is one of the wisest ways to build or expand your internet based business. However, do not take this step just by deciding overnight and getting into the web hosting reseller market, the very next morning. Whenever you start a new web hosting reseller business or any type of business, you must be aware of the inside and the outside of it. The various points that you should work on, before you start a web hosting reseller business is as follows:

• Market research and planning: The first important point to be considered in a business is that you must do a proper market research. Planning is also one of the primary factors for the success towards your new web hosting reseller business. There is little scope for people who start their business without setting specific goals and objectives. People who just jump into a business with lack of research and pre-planning and research are the two main keys towards building a long term, successful and profitable web hosting reseller business.

• Competition research: If you want to get ahead in your web hosting reseller business, then in that case, you need to know who your competitors are and their other choice of service. Get to know which competitors are more successful and which are the ones who have achieved least success in their business. This information will act as a feedback and it will guide you to decide what to do and what to avoid with regard to your own web hosting reseller business. The web hosting reseller business contains a great deal of competition. Hence, it is very essential for you to realize the scope and quality of the competition that is involved in a web hosting reseller business.
• Have a market plan: You can develop a successful business plan for your new web hosting reseller business by collecting the required information from your initial research. Also, you need to be aware of the fact that just by having a sound business plan does not mean that you will definitely achieve success in your web hosting reseller business. Writing a business plan will only act as a guide and it will help you tackle the challenges and obstacles that come on your way towards starting your web hosting reseller business.

• Researching the market through other resources: Market research is considered as the top most priority towards succeeding in any industry. One of the practical ways of getting feedback about the web hosting reseller business is through variety of forums. These forums contain participants who consist of professional web hosting provider’s sellers and other internet professional. As you participate in forums, you get the opportunity to interact directly with owners and employees of other business who usually face similar challenges while building your own web hosting reseller business. Information got through these forums is priceless.Market research is time consuming but in the long run, it will save your time and money too. The information that you collect for your market research will assist you in managing the present market trend and your competitors. If you are able to understand the state of the market place and your competitors, you will then begin to enjoy a long term success.
  

This success in your business will come about through the information that you have collected about the state of the market towards web hosting reseller business.

Becoming a web hosting reseller can be a profitable way to earn residual income. Owning a hosting business allows you to set up, manage, and operate the back-end of websites, emails and domain management for your company and others as well. There are many options for doing this which we will examine in this article. We will also look at pros and cons of the industry to see if becoming a reseller is the right choice for you.
Let’s look at the options for becoming a reseller:

• Reseller Hosting:  This form of hosting is often the least expensive and easiest way to begin a hosting business. By using one control panel, you can manage multiple clients who will also have access to a control panel to make changes and updates to their service.  Many clients may not have knowledge or a background in this area and will be completely dependent on you for setup and changes to their service.  This allows you, the reseller, to charge a bit more for this hands-on service. Shared hosting is usually located on a server which you will share with other hosting companies and individuals.

• VPS Hosting: Virtual Private Server Hosting is a virtual “slice” of a much larger main server node. The main server node is often a very powerful dedicated server which is divided up into a number of different virtual environments. While it is possible to become a reseller on a VPS plan, these accounts are typically meant for development purposes only because resources are somewhat limited when compared to other forms of hosting. Regardless of this fact, many have come to view VPS hosting as a great transition from reseller hosting to a dedicated server. This is good to have while your company grows and expands.

• Dedicated Servers: A dedicated server allows you to use all of the resources of a single server machine. The equipment is owned and operated by the company that owns the datacenter where the server is located but use of the machine is exclusively yours. By getting a managed dedicated server, all of the maintenance and troubleshooting of the machine are the responsibility of the datacenter.

• Colocation Servers:  If you own your own server and are familiar with the ins and outs of server management, you may choose to store and run your machine from a datacenter.  This allows you to store your machine in a secure place with more bandwidth, fire protection, backup generators and security than a normal office building. You can also set up your own hardware and software for your business.

Here are the steps to beginning your own reseller business:

1) If you are unfamiliar with the world of web hosting, email management and domain services, we suggest you take the time to research and understand the full scope of what you will be undertaking. Many web designers and coders find that transitioning to also being a reseller allows full control of a client’s web presence and management.
2) Reselling is much like any other business in that it requires hard work, effort and some start-up capital. Like any business, you will need:

•     A powerful, reliable computer for running your business. A laptop will allow you to work from multiple locations.
•     High speed internet. Get the best you can afford.
•     A phone line dedicated to the business and possibly a fax line. An internet capable phone to receive emails and calls on the go is ideal.
•     A tax license, occupational license and incorporation papers.
•     A bank account with your company name or DBA (Doing Business As) with a debit card.
•     A merchant account and gateway software for taking credit cards.
•     I also suggest a private work area in your home or office with a comfortable chair.

3) Choose a hosting plan from the aforementioned options based on your budget and the amount of customers you feel you can grow to in the next three years.
4) Get a good web host.  This is probably the most important step in this process or I wouldn’t have underlined it. Choosing a web hosting company to resell for is crucial; take into consideration the following:

• Does the company have a good reputation? Be sure to check out their track record by researching online and visiting reputable forums such as www.webhostingtalk.com .
• Do they own their own datacenter? While this is not mandatory, a company that has its own datacenter is better able to communicate between departments such as accounting, support, security and maintenance. Their ability to monitor and work within their own company to perform all functions of service saves you time and frustration.
• Do they have 24/7/365 support? Look at all of the options that your host offers such as email ticketing, live chat and phone support.
• Does your host support the platform you choose to work with? (Windows/Linux).
• Does your host have the software options you need such as a good control panel (like cPanel/Plesk), accounting management software (like WHMCS) and web development tools?
• Does your host offer a manageable monthly plan and easy payment options?

5) Learn and understand your software to manage tickets, accounting and your control panel. Set up a sample site to get to know your way around.
6) Set customer pricing.  This can be tricky. You are competing with companies who offer $1.00 pricing online and others who can charge hundreds of dollars.  Research pricing and then break down your resources. Divide up server cost, operational costs and other factors. Websites needing secure certificates for e-commerce will be charged a higher rate as will companies demanding more space and bandwidth.
7) Build an e-commerce website with a helpdesk.  Adding an ecommerce option to your company’s website will allow you to take credit card payments online, saving you the hassle of cashing checks.  Encourage users to set up automated billing so that you have to worry less about tracking each payment.  Also set up a help desk option where customers can contact you if trouble arises.
8) Create business documents. Templates found online can be helpful in creating proposals, agreements and terms of service. Be sure you carefully craft these important documents and have your lawyer review them for accuracy. Also create an informative email to send to customers after they have signed up giving them their access codes, URLs, and email information. We have found it is helpful to highlight and bold the first line that reads, “IMPORTANT. This email contains important information and passwords you will need now and in the future. You must keep this email.”
9) “Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise.” – Laurence J. Peter.  Be sure to advertise your site accordingly. If you are new then you may want to learn ways to market yourself for little or no cost. You can also do banner advertisements or network ads. Advertising can get expensive so reach out to those you know first.
So, with all of the beginning steps out of the way, there are a few things you should be prepared for in the reseller business:

Pros

• Reseller hosting offers you a way to earn residual income.  Many customers, after initial setup, will need very little work every month to maintain their account, but the same check keeps coming in, month after month. These add up quickly and can turn into a tidy profit if you can get customers on board right away.
• With most reseller options there is no equipment to buy. Therefore you can save yourself the expense of purchasing a server and lease space on a server in the datacenter, usually on a monthly plan.
• A reseller business is very compatible with other services such as website design, website development, gaming forums, domain name registration and blogging.

Cons

• You must be knowledgeable at handling the ins and outs of web hosting, this can take some time for those not familiar with the industry.
• Problems happen at the oddest times in this industry. A customer usually forgets his password right as you are sitting down to dinner or boarding a plane.
• Web hosting is a 24/7/365 business and you will receive emails and phone calls during the holidays, on vacation and on Sundays. Due to the time sensitive nature of the business, you will need to respond as soon as possible.
• Many customers will need to be hand-held through every facet of your relationship.

The reseller business can offer you some insight into many types of businesses in a variety of industries which can help you manage and grow your own respective business.  Sound like too much work? Consider becoming an affiliate where the web host pays you for leads you send to them. Each time you send a lead, you receive money.  Good luck with your new endeavor!

Reseller Web Hosting has significantly gained its popularity among the many different types of web hosting which are available in the market today. Reseller hosting is a great way to earn additional income in if one has the interest and keen knowledge in running their own reseller hosting business whether for part time or full time.

Despite the great prospect of seeing attractive returns from this reseller business within a short duration of time, normally in less than 9 months time. No one should rush head over heels into this business without having careful consideration and assessments on some of the potential problems and risks with this type of web hosting business in the long run.

Lack of control

In the Reseller hosting business, the reseller only has some limited control over what they can do and what they cannot do. It is the hosting company which the reseller is "partnering" with who holds a large extent of the power on the rules and process of the web hosting itself.

Uncontrollable downtime

The Reseller is not responsible of the web-hosting server and there is really nothing that they can do to decide or to influence or improve the downtime of their web-hosting server. In many cases, the hosting company which you are getting the web spaces from does not have the same consciousness and urgency for the downtime as much as you have for your clients.

This will bring a lot of headaches for you, and eventually your reseller business will end up with bad names and reputation because for your clients, you are their web hosting provider which offer your reseller plan and services. The hosting company is transparent to them in this situation. There is nothing that you can help when this happen. Thus, in order to avoid getting yourself into this dilemma, check out carefully on their background and find out more in terms of their downtime frequency and the quality of their customer service. Seek for professional advice and testimonials. Research as much as possible before getting yourself locked into a partnership with the hosting company.

Unsure on the types and version of the software and hardware used by the hosting company

It is transparent to the reseller on the types and technology of the software or hardware which are used by the hosting company. Should the hosting company is still hanging on with their aging EOL server, which consistently causing unnecessary down-time and incompatibility to support some of the latest software in the market. It is the reseller who will get all the blames and accusation when this happened.

Doubtful reliability and service quality of the hosting company

Quality should always be the key attracting factor for any reseller above all the rest of the criteria. Opting for a reseller plan from a hosting company that doesn't have quality products and services will only jeopardize the reseller business in no time. With the increasing competitiveness in this tough industry, your competitors are always looking out for opportunities to over-take you whenever they can. In worst case scenario, the reseller might need to fold up their business at the end of the day.

Ensuring that the pricing structure is reasonable and in accordance

The pricing structure of the hosting company needs to be reasonably quoted in accordance to the general market price trend. Any variances out by more than 10% as compared to the market price will be considered as non-compliance, assuming the service quality and web hosting options are averagely the same.

Best Windows Reseller Hosting Recommendation

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ASPHostPortal.com was established with the goal to provide high quality hosting services for everyone. We believe that providing high quality services should come at an affordable price. For this reason we have provided exceptional plans, at the lowest prices, for the best services possible, on fastest nodes ever. Today, we offer DotNetNuke 8.0.2 hosting with cheap price and good service.

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Modules are completely integrated with the site security and internationalization settings. Modules can be easily added, edited, deleted, restored, moved around on a page, or transferred to other pages. DotNetNuke is fully localized. Built-in multi-language localization features allow administrators worldwide to easily use and adapt DotNetNuke software for their own use. Over 50 Language Packs are available through the DotNetNuke community.

ASPHostPortal.com provides Premium DotNetNuke 8.0.2 hosting plan on high performance servers and high-speed internet connection in the world. Every server is equipped with at least 2x Intel Xeon Quad-Core processors and massive amounts of memory. We are using SSD’s for storage, which provides much higher performance in terms of I/O and data transfer speed. The servers are connected to the network using multiple 1Gbps ports (bond network). To learn more about our DotNetNuke 8.0.2 Hosting, please visit http://asphostportal.com/DotNetNuke-8-0-2-Hosting

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A common grouse which most web hosts have is collection of payments and fees. Delayed payments from customers can mean that web hosts have to rework their monthly budget and cash flow and adjust their outward payments accordingly. This itself can be time-consuming and expensive. The advantage that web hosts have over other businesses is that they have full control over the clients account and can suspend the services or terminate the account at will. This article highlights a couple of reasons why you should pay your renewal fees or hosting charges to your web host, on a timely basis.

Prevent Account Suspension

Most web hosts automatically setup their services to Suspend or even terminate an account, if the renewal or subscription fees are not paid on time. This can be managed by an Automated Billing System which integrates with the Hosting Server and controls the Accounts. The billing system can send out automatic reminders for the payment and can also provide an online payment collection service. This means that clients can pay their renewal fees online at any time of the day, from anywhere in the world. If the deadline is missed, the account may be suspended after giving a Suspension Notice to the client. Account Suspension can lead to services becoming unavailable and visitors seeing a Suspension Message on all the pages.

Prevent Last Minute Delays

Last minute payments can be subject to several delays and failures which will ultimately lead to non-payment and the account getting suspended. Last Minute payments are often affected by bank delays, postal delays, payment processing issues, expired credit cards, connectivity issues and so on. Don't wait till the last minute to make the payment, lest one of these factors prevents you from doing so and your payment becomes overdue and your account getting cancelled.

Prevent Your Website Ranking from falling

With a suspended account, you can't do much. Search Engines will realise that your account is suspended and that no fresh content is being served up from it. This will lead to your ranking falling in various search engines. It may also lead you to fall so drastically that you are unable to recover from it. A prominent financial analyst Saneil Shah pointed out that "the cost of remembering and paying your hosting fees on time is minuscule compared to the loss your website will face if your website is suspended". He went on to say that "losing your website ranking could lead to a permanent loss, which may be irrecoverable".

Avoid Late Fees

Some hosting providers charge a Late Payment Fee to penalize clients for paying late as well as to deter procrastinators. While this may not be very helpful in getting payments on time, it surely helps the web host by compensating for the delay in payment. Late fees can be a fixed amount or even a percentage of the outstanding payment. This could increase the payment to a significantly high amount. When the payment due is high, there may also be interest on the outstanding amount along with the other charges. The simplest way to avoiding all these excess payments is to pay your dues on time.

Build Trust and Goodwill

When your payment for web hosting or related services is made on time or before time, it eases the burden of your web host in collecting the payment. Web hosts keep a mental note of your payment patterns and how many times they have to chase you up to recover the dues. Having a client who pays on time is a pleasure for any business and may lead to your host being helpful and even going beyond the line of duty to help you out when you most need it.

Best Windows Reseller Hosting Recommendation

ASPHostPortal.com  is the leading provider of Windows Reseller hosting. ASPHostPortal proudly working to help grow the backbone of the Internet,the millions of individuals, families, micro-businesses, small business, and fledgling online businesses. ASPHostPortal has ability to support the latest Microsoft and ASP.NET technology, such as: WebMatrix, WebDeploy, Visual Studio 2015, .NET 5/ASP.NET 4.5.2, ASP.NET MVC 6.0/5.2, Silverlight 6 and Visual Studio Lightswitch, ASPHostPortal guarantees the highest quality product, top security, and unshakeable reliability, carefully chose high-quality servers, networking, and infrastructure equipment to ensure the utmost reliability.