I’ve seen the following situation arise again and again during the past several years:
- A great web designer or developer builds up a portfolio of customers that provide them with good referral business
- Each time the designer completes a project, they recommend a web hosting company they like for the customer to use.
- The customer takes the recommendation and pays anywhere from $10-50 per month for web hosting.
Many large web hosting companies now offer a special account type—usually called a “Reseller” plan. This account is specifically set up so that the account holder can pay a flat monthly fee for an account, and then host multiple subaccounts under it which the account holder manages and bills for. Here’s an example: let’s say that you purchase a reseller account for a flat fee of $30 per month. Let’s also say that you currently have ten customers who’d pay you to host their website. Here’s a projection of your earnings each month if you charged:
These profit numbers become even more attractive if you have 100 customers instead of just 10 (of course, at that point you’d probably need to spend more on the hosting plan, depending on your clients’ traffic).
So let’s say that you have decided to resell hosting to your clients. Let’s first look at understanding exactly what reseller hosting is from a technical perspective; then we’ll turn to helping you select the best provider.
- $5 per month: 10 customers x $5 = $50 per month – $30 for the reseller account = $20 profit each month
- $10 per month: 10 customers x $10 = $100 per month – $30 for the reseller account = $70 profit each month
- $25 per month: 10 customers x $25 = $250 per month – $30 for the reseller account = $220 profit each month
Let’s start with a solid definition of reseller hosting from a technical perspective. While in many ways reseller hosting plans are similar to normal shared hosting services, it can be helpful to understand the technical underpinnings of how it allows you to host multiple subaccounts under one master account. The information that follows was provided by Tom Hill, a server engineer with reseller host 34SP.com.
The fundamental components of a reseller hosting plan are:
Brent Oxley is the CEO at well-known hosting reseller, HostGator. Here is how he describes the main components of a HostGator reseller hosting account: “A reseller hosting account’s main component is WHM (Web Host Manager). It allows resellers to create and modify accounts, change settings, set up custom branding, and more. Below the WHM is a standard control panel (we use cPanel) for each account that allows individual websites to add and remove email accounts, upload and manage files, and more. HostGator reseller accounts also include a variety of nice add-ons, like an Enom account to reseller domain names, access to 4,500 free website templates, and a free billing system.”
Given the technical basics are all there in a reseller hosting account, what else should you look for in a provider? Here is what Oxley suggests: “I would consider 1) if the subaccounts have the features you and your own customers need, 2) that the extras offered by your host are valuable and useful to you, and 3) that the overall uptime and reliability of the host is good (99.5% or higher at minimum). When it comes to finding a reseller hosting company to use, reputation and longevity are everything.”
Josh Ewin is the director of sales and marketing at DedicatedNOW, a hosting company founded in 1997. The company provides managed and unmanaged dedicated web hosting services to thousands of clients. Many of those clients are hosting resellers. Ewin added his thoughts on the most important technical considerations when setting up a reseller hosting account. “Make sure you understand how to support your clients 24×7. (Say that 3 times over). The rest is pretty easy if you’re comfortable with setting up your own website. That stuff can be learned. The successful resellers know how to set up a process to support their existing clients and bring in new sales. Master those two things and you’re sure to win.”
- Web server and database components
- The web server is the software that resides upon the server hardware, listening for HTTP and HTTPS connections. The most common web servers are Apache and Microsoft’s Internet Information Services (IIS). Multiple websites are served by a single IP address, thanks to what’s called name-based virtual hosting, which uses the content of the HTTP headers to distinguish between requests to the same IP address for different domains. This allows resellers to easily and cheaply create multiple websites without paying for extra IP addresses or servers. The database server is the software that provides database functions upon the server hardware. It allows for data to be stored in a structured method that enables fast retrieval of data with a querying language, such as the popular Structured Query Language (SQL). Common database servers are the open-source MySQL and Microsoft’s SQL Server. Typically, a single instance of a database server can provide multiple databases, each with their own users. This allows resellers to create multiple databases or database users per client, providing segregated control and access to data.
- Mail server with SMTP/IMAP/POP3
- Email servers are tasked with two of the major functions provided for reseller clients: the sending and receiving of email. SMTP (typically used for sending email) is often provided by software like Qmail, Exim, and Postfix, in addition to many others. IMAP and POP are two protocols used for receiving email; both have their pros and cons, and both should be offered by any reseller. Typically, these services are provided by programs like Courier and Dovecot. Of special note, all-in-one services (such as Microsoft Exchange and Zimbra) are often touted as higher tier, enterprise-class email platforms that comprise all functions, along with (sometimes proprietary) synchronization of mailboxes, calendar, and scheduling functions, and also contact management. Such products are not essential for all levels of reseller hosting, but are often requested by larger clients.
- DNS server with full zone management
- Integral to the Domain Name System is a DNS server, which provides name server and domain name server duties to the reseller and their clients. Often this will involve the creation of branded name server addresses for which to use with domain names. Management of DNS zone files (a list of DNS records for each domain) is paramount to any reseller. It allows them to create subdomains, redirect traffic for other subdomains (say to services hosted at an office), or create new entry points to the same website for marketing purposes. By far the most common DNS server software in use today is BIND, an open source project.
- Brand-agnostic servers, to enable white-labeling
- Often a reseller would prefer that clients were unaware of the upstream hosting provider, so that they appear to be the provider, rather than simply a reseller. White-labeling covers a number of activities, such as company-branded name server addresses, for pointing to your name servers. Also, if clients are given limited access to a control panel (that is, Plesk, cPanel), the clients’ company logos and theme colors could be used. Often the upstream provider will supply separate mail server addresses purely for reseller use—the domain itself would have no relation to the provider company’s branding.
Research is going to be the key to selecting the very best reseller web host you can find. Whether it’s the word-of-mouth recommendation of a fellow designer, or online searches in search engines or forums, you’ll need to conduct some solid research to arrive at the best decision. Here are several suggestions on how to research a good reseller host.
I’m fond of turning to experts when my own knowledge is insufficient. Here’s how several experts would go about researching a reseller web host.
Monish Sood is Microsoft’s marketing manager for the worldwide hosting business and contributes to the Hosting Insights blog. He says, “Word of mouth is the most powerful way to attract and retain customers. Reputation is everything when it comes to service. When I was with a reseller hosting company, our number one source of new customers was through customer referrals. We surveyed customers frequently to gauge satisfaction and asked one very important question: would you recommend us to a friend? At Microsoft, we use customer references to feature hosting partners in our hosting catalogs. As part of the Microsoft Partner Network, hosting providers are able to survey their customers on overall satisfaction. The results are used to help partners earn points towards achieving the Hosting Solutions competency, which provides many great benefits, such as being listed in the catalogs—a great source of leads.”
“Any good solution starts with defining one’s own needs,” says Aaron Phillips, vice president of operations with cPanel, Inc. “Developers and designers have a lot of tough questions to ask themselves and then once the objectives have been answered they can seek a great solution. Levels of support, features, and reseller hosting companies all vary depending on the specific needs of individual developers and having some kind of defined needs list will go along ways. Finally when you have developed the needs and if you have a specific control panel or software package you like, you go to directly to the source (control panel companies website) to start your search. Affiliate marketing has diluted good information on the search engines.” Mr. Phillips added, “In the hosting industry their are many great choices and finding the one that best meets your needs will be worth every ounce of effort you put into it.”
William Toll, of NaviSite, suggests, “A web professional should start with their own network: ask around and listen to both the good and bad news about different hosting options. They will then quickly build a list of what to look for and what to look out for. Look for a hosting provider that focuses on reliability and security first; if that’s their focus, the web professional can rest assured that their clients will be in good hands. Once the short list of providers is finalized, it’s okay to ask them for a reference, preferably another web professional company. Any reputable hosting provider will be happy to supply such a reference. Also, if the company is a Microsoft shop, they should consider the WebsiteSpark program, which empowers the Web VAP with free software and tools.”
Stacy Griggs is vice president of sales at MaximumASP, a Microsoft-centric dedicated server provider. He adds his thoughts: “By far, the best way to select a hosting company is to talk with other designer/developers you personally know and trust. Additionally, you should look for a company that’s an expert in hosting your specific technology; for example, at MaximumASP we only host Microsoft technologies. Validate the reseller hosting company’s claims, also. If the company says they have great 24x7x365 service, call them at midnight; say that you’re a prospective customer and wanted to see how good their support is. Additionally, I would ask the company for a copy of their SAS70 report. A SAS70 report is prepared by a third-party auditor and verifies that the hosting company follows documented procedures. Most better-quality companies conduct an annual SAS70 audit, and will be happy to provide a copy of the results to their clients.”
34SP.com is a reseller hosting provider based in Manchester, United Kingdom. Stuart Melling co-founded the company over nine years ago and offers this advice: “Reputation, service, and support are the key components for success in a reseller hosting partner. Narrow your choices down to a select few, and then research them in every way possible. If you can, find others who have used the service and see what they think. Of course, there are search engines that you can query, as well as designer and developer websites like sitepoint.com. Plus, don’t forget the forums—there’s a forum devoted to dedicated servers and reseller hosting at SitePoint as well. That’s a great resource.”
Another good source of research is to view forums specific to the hosting industry. Additionally, there are a number of specialty sites that post hosting company news and reviews. Forums are popular as they offer an opportunity for customers to appraise reseller hosting companies, and share that firsthand information with others. In this way, forums act as a sort of extended word-of-mouth channel.
As mentioned above, the forums here at sitepoint.com are extensive and cover much ground on this topic across a variety of threads. There’s also another well-respected resource for reseller hosting forum research: webhostingtalk.com. This forum is devoted to web hosting topics and contains a forum subsection specifically for reseller hosting.
You might wonder how Twitter is any different from research with conventional search engines. The difference is in the real-time, uncensored feedback of actual customers of the web hosts you’re researching. You can gain an up-to-the-minute view of how that particular web host is doing. If there are recurrent problems, they’ll manifest themselves in a Twitter search. The most effective way to use the Twitter real-time search is over the course of several days or even weeks, as it gives you the best opportunity to assess performance. The methodology is as follows. Reduce your pool of potential reseller hosts down to just a few. Then go to Twitter.com and type in a search of the web host’s name. Scan the results looking for tweets that mention the web host and gauge the writer’s satisfaction level. Keep in mind that all businesses can have one or two unhappy customers at any given time, and that problems are inevitable. That’s why a search spread over a few weeks is best. If a company is having problems on a specific day, you’ll see that the situation is much better when you return a few days later—otherwise, that can be a red flag.
I hope I’ve convinced you to investigate reseller hosting if you’re a web professional; you might be missing out on a significant opportunity for additional revenue otherwise. What’s more, by providing your clients with web hosting, you help maintain the relationship. The tools and information I’ve supplied here should help you choose a suitable provider for your reseller hosting.
The consensus among hosting industry professionals is to conduct thorough research, and rely on personal recommendations from other developers and designers who’ve used various web hosts. You should also remember to use search engines, forums, and Twitter to back up your research efforts.
Frequently Asked Questions about Reseller Hosting
What is the difference between reseller hosting and shared hosting?
Shared hosting is a type of web hosting where multiple websites share the same server and its resources. On the other hand, reseller hosting allows you to purchase a large amount of hosting space and resell it to your clients. In essence, you become a hosting provider. This is a great option if you’re a web developer or designer who wants to offer hosting as an additional service to your clients.
How can I make money with reseller hosting?
With reseller hosting, you can purchase hosting space at wholesale prices and then resell it to your clients at a markup. You can also offer additional services such as website design, development, and maintenance. This can be a lucrative business model if you have a large client base or if you’re able to attract new clients who need hosting services.
What should I look for in a reseller hosting provider?
When choosing a reseller hosting provider, consider factors such as reliability, customer support, pricing, and the features they offer. Look for a provider that offers a high uptime guarantee, 24/7 customer support, competitive pricing, and a range of features such as cPanel, WHM, and billing software.
Can I customize my reseller hosting packages?
Yes, most reseller hosting providers allow you to customize your hosting packages. You can set your own prices, choose the amount of disk space and bandwidth each package offers, and decide which features to include. This allows you to tailor your packages to the needs of your clients and maximize your profits.
Do I need technical knowledge to become a hosting reseller?
While it’s helpful to have some technical knowledge, it’s not strictly necessary. Most reseller hosting providers offer a control panel that makes it easy to manage your hosting packages. They also provide technical support to help you resolve any issues that may arise.
How do I manage my clients’ websites?
As a hosting reseller, you’ll have access to a control panel that allows you to manage your clients’ websites. You can create and manage hosting accounts, monitor bandwidth usage, and handle other administrative tasks. Some providers also offer billing software to help you manage your invoices and payments.
What happens if a client’s website gets a lot of traffic?
If a client’s website gets a lot of traffic, it may exceed the bandwidth limit of their hosting package. In this case, you can upgrade them to a higher package or charge them for the additional bandwidth. It’s important to monitor your clients’ bandwidth usage to ensure they’re not exceeding their limits.
Can I offer domain registration services as a hosting reseller?
Yes, many reseller hosting providers offer domain registration services. This allows you to offer a complete package to your clients, including both hosting and domain registration. You can also make a profit by marking up the price of domain registration.
What is WHM and why is it important for reseller hosting?
WHM, or Web Host Manager, is a control panel that allows you to manage your reseller hosting account. It enables you to create and manage hosting packages, manage your clients’ accounts, and perform other administrative tasks. It’s an essential tool for any hosting reseller.
Can I upgrade or downgrade my reseller hosting plan?
Yes, most reseller hosting providers allow you to upgrade or downgrade your plan at any time. This gives you the flexibility to adjust your plan based on your business needs and the needs of your clients.
Derek VaughanDerek Vaughan is a web hosting industry veteran and expert. Mr. Vaughan has architected the marketing growth of several prominent web hosting success stories leading to acquisition including Affinity Internet, Inc., Aplus.Net and HostMySite.com. Prior to his entry into the web hosting industry, Mr. Vaughan was responsible for online marketing at The Walt Disney Company where he marketed ecommerce for the ESPN.com and NASCAR.com brands. Mr. Vaughan received his M.B.A. from Vanderbilt University and is currently Director of Marketing with website hosting firm 34SP.com. He also serves on the HostingCon Advisory Board.
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