Becoming a web hosting reseller is a great way for people with a passion for technology to earn plenty of residual income. When you own a hosting business, you can establish, manage, and maintain the back-end of your website, with plenty of extra options for domain management and email too.
In this article, we’ll look at some of the details that you need to know before you begin your journey as a web hosting reseller, from which options might be available to you, to what you need to get started. We’ll also examine some of the biggest benefits to starting a business in the hosting industry, so you can make an informed decision about whether becoming a reseller could really be the right option for you.
Reseller Hosting Options: Choosing your Route
As mentioned above, there are different paths available when it comes to reseller hosting options. Here, we’ll look at some of the most common strategies, and the details that you need to know about each:
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Reselling co-location servers: If you own your own server and you understand the basics of server management, then you could always choose to store and run a machine from a data centre. This will give you the opportunity to store your machine in a more secure location, with more fire protection, bandwidth, backup generators, and security than a standard office building.
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Reselling dedicated servers: A dedicated server is a hosting solution that allows you to use all the resources available on a single server machine. The equipment available is owned and operated by the company responsible for the data centre where the server can be found. However, the use of the machine belongs exclusively to the user. By working with a managed dedicated server, you can remove some of the stress of troubleshooting and maintenance associated with reselling hosting packages.
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VPS Hosting: Virtual Private server host reselling is about giving out slices of a much larger primary node. The primary node can be a very powerful dedicated server that’s divided into numerous virtual environments. Usually, these accounts are meant for development purposes only, because the resources available are largely limited compared to other types of hosting. Regardless of this, many resellers have come to see VPS hosting as a great transitional option from reseller hosting to using dedicated servers.
Starting Your Hosting Reseller Business
Once you know exactly which route you want to take with your hosting reseller business, you’ll be able to jump into action. Typically, if you’re unfamiliar with the concept of email management, web hosting, and domain services, it might be a good idea to take some extra time out to research the options available to you and make sure that you fully understand the scope of the challenge you’re facing.
Many coders and web designers find that transitioning into being a reseller can give them complete control over the web presence and management of a client. However, reselling, just like any other kind of business strategy, will require hard work. You’ll need:
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A powerful and reliable computer that you can use to run your business.
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The highest-quality speed of Internet you can find.
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A phone line that’s dedicated to your business
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A tax or occupational license to ensure that your business is running legally.
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A merchant account and gateway software that allows you to take credit card payments
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A private work area for your home where you can focus on growing your company.
Of course, you’ll also need to make sure that you choose the perfect web host to exist behind your reselling business. Choosing the right web hosting company is essential, and you’ll need to keep the following considerations in mind when making your decision:
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How good is the company’s reputation? Check their track record by researching their name online and looking for details on reputable forums.
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Do they own a private data centre? Although this isn’t a mandatory requirement, it’s worth noting that companies with their own data centres are more capable of ensuring strong communication between departments like security, support, maintenance, and accounting. Additionally, their ability to monitor their own company might be able to save you some crucial time and frustration.
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Do they have constant support available? Support is key to running an effective web host reselling business. Look at the options that your host has available for support, such as live chat, email ticketing, and phone help.
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Does your host support the platform you’ve chosen, such as Linux or Windows?
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Does the host that you’ve chosen have a range of software options available that you need to make sure that your business is running efficiently, such as a powerful control panel, accounting management software, and tools for web development?
The Benefits of Becoming a Web Host Reseller
Now you know your options for becoming a web host reseller, and what you’ll need to get started, it’s important to think about what the benefits of this career path could be for you. After all, becoming a reseller won’t always be a walk in the park. You’ll need to be knowledgeable about some of the basic details of web hosting, and you should be prepared to deal with some unexpected problems from time to time.
Web hosting is a business that runs at all hours of the day, which means that you will receive emails and calls at all times of the day – even on your vacations and holiday breaks. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t plenty of great benefits to consider too. Just some of the best parts of becoming a web host reseller include:
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It’s a great and simple way for you to earn residual income: A lot of customers will need very little work each month to help them maintain the details of their account. However, you’ll still get the same check month after month. Eventually, the amount you earn can quickly add up into a significant income for you and your family.
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Most of the time, when you start a business as a web host reseller, you won’t have any expensive equipment, hardware, or software to purchase. This means that you can save yourself a lot of money when it comes to purchasing things like a server and data plans.
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Host reseller businesses are often very compatible with other services such as web design, development, domain name registration and blogging. This could mean that you can continue to build and change your offerings according to what your clients need.