Starting A Reseller Web Hosting Company

For successfully being able to run a good reseller web hosting company, you need to have a sound knowledge of the science of computers, besides patience in abundance. After the innovation of the Control Panel, many people may think that a sound technical knowledge is no more the necessity, as the Control Panel makes the job of getting a pre-built server, and thus hosting a site, very easy. But things are a bit complex. Though you can get a dedicated server on lease and after having a good knowledge of Control Panel, you actually can commence hosting of sites, but always keep in mind that certain limitations are associated with the Control Panel.

For a successful run of your web hosting company in the long run, consider the ten steps that are mentioned below:

Step 1: Choose a policy that you want to utilize

You can consider using UNIX over Windows since the former is an open source program and thus cheaper, apart from having a stable environment for web hosting. Though most of the programs can run on both of these, ASP, MS-SQL, .NET, etc. are supported only by Windows. If you aren’t sure about which host you want to use, you can select a web host that would offer both the operating systems under a single plan.

Step 2: Select the Control Panel which you wish to use

Control Panels can vary from the simple ones which are very user-friendly with the basic features along with the administrative ones, to the complex ones like the H-Sphere System.

Step 3: Select the reseller hosting provider

This is a very vital choice in beginning a web-hosting corporation. Ensure that the corporation orders same rank at par with your favored reseller-hosting corporation. Clients will not believe that corporations giving inexpensive systems are good. Points where the web host can win are:

* Customer support: Ensure that the company has round-the-clock telephone support for the customers. If not, they should have a good email support with quick response to queries. These factors will give the customers a fair idea of how the company will be able to help them when they need them.

* Control Panel and the platform: Ensure that your Control Panel has several features which you can use.

* Flexibility and features: Make sure that the initial cost that you charge to the customers includes enough bandwidth, not only for them to begin smoothly, but even be sufficient when their business expands.

* Reputation of the company: A good company always has customer forum where prospective customers can check out the forum and talk to other members about what their experience with the company has been like.

* Knowledge of the business in the area: If the business has been dealing with web hosting work for a long time then it is superior.

Step 4: Get your hosting plans set up and decide on matters of price

You may have plans of preparing a number of policies for the clients but don’t pile up policies on them. You can give around 3-5 policies. Take a detailed view of all your opponents and see what they are planning. You will get a small group of clients who are not happy. If you oversell assets it is okay, then you may compensate for it by charge people for advantages like domain registrations, IP addresses, web stats and so on.

Step 5: Get a business website developed

Make sure to keep your website as simple as possible, and also ensure that it is user-friendly. Customers always look for something which they want, so make sure that you satisfy their needs. So it would be a better option not to waste time on telling the prospective customers about you. Rather, you can use the space to tell them how you will be able to solve their needs with affordable price and good service. You might want to use as little words as possible, but make sure that the main page has a minimum of 500 words. This would be very crucial for getting results in search engines. You can either design a website by yourself, or hire the services of a professional.

Step 6: Get the site ready for e-Commerce

You will need a payment entry, a trade account and a SSL certificate to get payments online. These are some characteristics of online trade you have to get used to.

Step 7: Offer the customers’ good support

Getting the backup of your clients is essential as far as web-hosting plans are concerned. You can get either a policy or a Control Panel with a ready helpdesk, like H-Sphere. For starters you can use these service system that you will be producing, but after that it’s your choice. You can have a column of Frequently Asked Questions [FAQ's] that will solve some preliminary troubles of the clients. Ensure an efficient email system and a fast phone backing to solve the clients’ problems in a short time.

Step 8: Preparing the expenses of the customers

For this purpose, you will require a billing soft ware with a merchant gateway, mainly the one which integrates with your control panel like the H-Sphere. Some examples are:

* H-Sphere: this is a complete expense calculating software that will get you complete power on all assets and helps you prepare expenses you will ask for.

* PayPal: This is a relatively simpler system which is compatible with a majority of the Control Panels.

* Authorize Net: This is a flexible gateway system which is compatible with all leading credit card providers, and also with most of the Control Panels.

Step 9: Prepare an email for greetings

A welcome email is a must for your new clients. In your welcome email, you can include the following things:

* Complete details of the plan the customer has selected

* the registrar and the DNS changes

* a username along with a temporary password

* a direct link to the Control Panel

* links to the important areas like customer support, FAQ’s, etc.

Step 10: Marketing the website

Though it is a fact that marketing a website is a costly affair and consumes a lot of time as well, it is very important since good marketing will ensure that customers keep visiting your site all the time. Keep in mind that website marketing is not a one-time affair, but an ongoing one. Some aspects which you must consider in this regard include:

* attracting search engine results

* affiliate programs and paid advertising

* newsletters

These tips are the very fundamental ones and are exemplary not comprehensive. Making a web-hosting site is demanding, but not unattainable if you are dedicated to the matter. Several fresh businesses are forthcoming every day but it has not yet reached the level of completeness, as efficient corporations are still absent. Keep in mind the customer demands and then of course, unconfirmed reports can do a lot! Bear in mind, the client is the master!