Reseller Hosting

Reseller Hosting

One of the more misunderstood types of web hosting is reseller hosting. In reality, reseller hosting is not a difficult concept to understand, but it is important to realize that it is targeted to individuals wishing to start their own web hosting company. Therefore, a single user purchasing reseller web hosting would be a mistake, as shared, VPS, or dedicated hosting would be more in line with their needs.

Is It Right For You?

Basically, reseller hosting allows an individual to utilize another company’s servers for their own, separate web hosting company. A reseller is typically placed with several other resellers on a dedicated server or VPS, given a set amount of resources, and from there they are free to market themselves as a standalone company to attract new users. At that point, they’re usually on their own.

Make Sure You Know Your Options

If you’re considering purchasing a reseller hosting package with the intent of starting your own company, there are several important issues to consider. First, how will you attract customers? The web hosting business is a highly competitive market, so don’t assume that your customers will simply find you.

Will Reseller Hosting Work For Your Business?

Another question to consider is how will you handle billing? There are a number of billing systems designed specifically for this purpose, but they usually come with a monthly licensing fee. Sometimes, the provider of the reseller package will bundle a billing system with the package itself, so be sure to ask before committing.

Finally, and most importantly, how will you handle support queries? Will the parent hosting company take care of support requests, or will you be responsible? If you are responsible for technical support, remember that you will most likely not be given complete control of the server, limiting your ability to diagnose and repair problems. Also, unless you have a very small number of customers, it is dangerous to assume that you will be able to handle all support requests on your own. Your customers may be located in a vastly different time zone, and customers will usually demand a quick response time to queries. You don’t want to get stuck with a problem at 1 AM and have it go unanswered for six hours, so if your new company grows to a decent size, consider hiring an outsourced tech team to take care of your problems.

Overall, just be aware of what you are getting into before purchasing reseller hosting.

—->I host this site, as well as hundreds others on a private server with Host Gator. They offer reseller hosting, and I highly recommend them without reservation. Their support and speed has been fantastic. Sign up HERE.

Photo by Anders Ljungberg