Reseller Web Hosting FAQ

What exactly is Reseller Hosting?

When hosting companies offer their services to smaller businesses or individuals who want to resell the actual hosting services as part of their own offerings, this is referred to as reselling. This is extremely beneficial to resellers because they do not require hardware, bandwidth, or IT staff to run the services.

Who would be interested in reselling web hosting?

A typical example would be a person or company who wishes to start their own web hosting business. Another example is a web designer who wants to offer hosting services to demonstrate to his or her customers that they support the “whole” package. Being a sort of web host can be useful in a variety of situations.

What exactly is private labeling?

When a hosting reseller advertises his company as the actual service provider and does not use the name of the underlying web-hosting provider, this is known as private labeling. Customers will not try to go around the reseller for a better price if they do not know who the actual provider is. In most cases, the customer is unaware that he is dealing with a reseller.

So I can start a web hosting business without any hosting equipment?

Yes. You don’t need web servers, DNS servers, mail servers, or even an Internet connection. Many reseller hosting companies will provide you with the tools you need to succeed in the online hosting market. You can even find resellers who have ready-made templates and can have “Your Name” hosting company’s website up and running in no time.

How simple is it to set up and create web hosting accounts for my clients?

This is determined by your service provider. Most of them offer an easy-to-use control panel from which you can manage the majority of your company’s operations. This simplifies the creation and maintenance of your customers’ accounts.

Who do my customers contact if they have a problem?

Even if you are not the actual provider of the resources, it is still your responsibility to provide first-tier support to your customers in most cases. You will be able to repair certain aspects of your customers’ websites, but for more technical issues, you will need to contact your provider for assistance.

What hosting services can I resell as my own?

Almost any type of account is available for resale. Shared hosting, dedicated hosting, and even co-location are all options. The available types will differ from provider to provider, so before signing up with one, make sure to find one that offers all of the plans you believe you will require.

Can I resell extra add-ons to the hosting plans that I sell?

Yes. Many providers charge a fee for additional services such as additional pop3 accounts, e-commerce add-ons, domain registration and transfer, and database support. These extra features are usually available for reselling as well, allowing you to provide your customers with a full range of hosting options. Again, the availability of these features varies depending on your provider.

What are some good questions to ask before signing up with a Reseller Hosting Provider?

Some good questions to ask your prospective hosts are listed above. Knowing the answers to these questions will allow you to better prepare yourself and your customers for the type of service you can offer.

• Do you offer Private Label Resale?

• What account types can I provide?

• What extra features can be added to a user account?

• How will I be able to modify a customer’s account, and how much control will I have?

• How quickly can I bring on a new customer?

• During what hours is your management team available to address problems and issues?

• How frequently do you back up the servers?

• What kind of uptime guarantee do you have?

Terminology glossary

Bandwidth

How much data can be transmitted over a wired or wireless communications link, such as the Internet, in a given time period?

Co-location

Co-location, in general, refers to the movement or placement of objects together, which may or may not imply a specific order. On the Internet, this term refers to the provision of space for a customer’s telecommunications equipment on the premises of the service provider. For example, a website owner could host the site’s own computer servers on the Internet service provider’s premises (ISP). Alternatively, an ISP could place its network routers on the premises of a company that provides switching services to other ISPs. The alternative to collocation is to have the equipment and demarcation point at the customer’s location.

The Control Panel

Some web hosts provide an administrative tool to help you manage your hosted website.

Hosting on a dedicated server

The Dedicated Hosting environment provides you with a dedicated server or servers that are solely dedicated to your website. As opposed to shared hosting, you do not share a server with other customers.

DNS

The domain name system (DNS) is the method for locating and translating Internet domain names into Internet Protocol addresses. A domain name is a memorable and meaningful “handle” for an Internet address.

Hosting that is shared

Shared hosting is a type of Web hosting in which the service provider serves pages from a single Web server to multiple Web sites, each with its own Internet domain name. The majority of web hosting companies offer shared hosting. Although shared hosting is a less expensive way for businesses to establish a Web presence, it is usually insufficient for high-traffic websites.

Uptime

Uptime is a term used in the computer industry to describe the amount of time a computer is operational. Downtime is when it is not operational. Uptime is sometimes expressed as a percentage. For example, one uptime standard that is occasionally discussed is a goal known as five 9s—that is, a computer that is operational 99.999 percent of the time.