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: Select a platform which you wish to use
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: Choose the reseller-hosting contributor
To start a web hosting company, this is a very significant decision. You have to remember that your web hosting company will command equal status as your preferred reseller hosting company. Customers do not think that the companies which offer cheap packages are better. A few areas where the company should score are:
* Customer support: Make sure that the company has telephone support for the customers round-the-clock. If that is not possible, they should at least have a good e-mail support system with rapid response for queries. These aspects will give the customers a good idea of how the company will be able to assist them when they need help.
* 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.
* Experience of the company in this field: Obviously, the longer the company has been in the field of providing web hosting services, the better it is.
Step 4: Get your hosting plans set up and decide on matters of price
Though you might want to offer a host of plans to the customers, don't overload them with too many of them to select from. For starters, offering three to five plans would be sufficient. Also have a close look at the competitors and keep a check on what they are up to. You can also try finding a niche of the customers that is still left unsatisfied. It is fine enough if you oversell your resources if you can make up for it by charging the individuals with services like web stats, domain registrations, IP addresses, etc.
Step 5: Prepare a company website
You should ensure that you keep your site as simple as you can and also make sure that it is user0friednly. Customers will look for what they want and you have to satisfy their needs. Thus, there is no point wasting the customers' time telling them about you. You should utilize the space to tell them how you can satisfy their demands at a reasonable price and offer great service. You may use as few words as possible but make sure that the main page has 500 words at least. This is important for getting results in search engines. You can design the site yourself or hire a professional to do it for you.
Step 6: Get the site ready for e-Commerce
You will be required to get an SSL certificate, besides a payment gateway and a merchant account, for being able to accept payments online. These are some e-Commerce features which you must get your site ready with.
Step 7: Offer the customers' good support
Customer support is very important as far as web hosting services goes. You can opt for a platform or a Control Panel which has a built-in helpdesk, like H-Sphere. You can commence with supporting those services which you are selling, but beyond this, it all depends on you. You can have a Frequently Asked Questions [FAQ's] which will help the customers solve some of their common problems. Also, you must have a strong email support and a quick telephone support for enabling the customers to resolve their queries in very little time.
Step 8: Preparing the expenses of the customers
You will need a billing software with a merchant gateway for this purpose, principally the one which integrates with your Control Panel like the H-Sphere. A few 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 system is a moderately easier one that is well matched with many Control Panels.
* Authorize Net: This is a flexible gateway system that is compatible with all major credit card providers and also with most Control Panels.
Step 9: Design a welcome email
Make a welcome greeting email a compulsion for the clients. In that email, you should take in the following points:
* Complete details of the plan the customer has selected
* the registrar and the DNS changes
* An username and a provisional password
* An exact connection to the Control Panel
* links to the important areas like FAQ's, customer support, etc.
Step 10: Promoting your website
Promoting a website is an expensive matter and eats up a great amount of time but it is very essential as high-quality advertising will make sure that clients come to the site continually. Remember that website promotion is not a temporary matter done once, but it is a continuous process. Some details you have to keep in mind are:
* Availing of all search engine outcomes
* Associate plans and remunerated promotion
* Information sheets
These are the basic steps involved in marketing. Building a web hosting site is difficult but not impossible if you commit yourself to it. There is a shortage of good companies, and thus, the market has not reached saturation yet. You have to take good care of customer needs, and then word of mouth will do the rest of the work for you.
For a successful run of your web hosting company in the long run, consider the ten steps that are mentioned below:
Step 1: Select a platform which you wish to use
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: Choose the reseller-hosting contributor
To start a web hosting company, this is a very significant decision. You have to remember that your web hosting company will command equal status as your preferred reseller hosting company. Customers do not think that the companies which offer cheap packages are better. A few areas where the company should score are:
* Customer support: Make sure that the company has telephone support for the customers round-the-clock. If that is not possible, they should at least have a good e-mail support system with rapid response for queries. These aspects will give the customers a good idea of how the company will be able to assist them when they need help.
* 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.
* Experience of the company in this field: Obviously, the longer the company has been in the field of providing web hosting services, the better it is.
Step 4: Get your hosting plans set up and decide on matters of price
Though you might want to offer a host of plans to the customers, don't overload them with too many of them to select from. For starters, offering three to five plans would be sufficient. Also have a close look at the competitors and keep a check on what they are up to. You can also try finding a niche of the customers that is still left unsatisfied. It is fine enough if you oversell your resources if you can make up for it by charging the individuals with services like web stats, domain registrations, IP addresses, etc.
Step 5: Prepare a company website
You should ensure that you keep your site as simple as you can and also make sure that it is user0friednly. Customers will look for what they want and you have to satisfy their needs. Thus, there is no point wasting the customers' time telling them about you. You should utilize the space to tell them how you can satisfy their demands at a reasonable price and offer great service. You may use as few words as possible but make sure that the main page has 500 words at least. This is important for getting results in search engines. You can design the site yourself or hire a professional to do it for you.
Step 6: Get the site ready for e-Commerce
You will be required to get an SSL certificate, besides a payment gateway and a merchant account, for being able to accept payments online. These are some e-Commerce features which you must get your site ready with.
Step 7: Offer the customers' good support
Customer support is very important as far as web hosting services goes. You can opt for a platform or a Control Panel which has a built-in helpdesk, like H-Sphere. You can commence with supporting those services which you are selling, but beyond this, it all depends on you. You can have a Frequently Asked Questions [FAQ's] which will help the customers solve some of their common problems. Also, you must have a strong email support and a quick telephone support for enabling the customers to resolve their queries in very little time.
Step 8: Preparing the expenses of the customers
You will need a billing software with a merchant gateway for this purpose, principally the one which integrates with your Control Panel like the H-Sphere. A few 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 system is a moderately easier one that is well matched with many Control Panels.
* Authorize Net: This is a flexible gateway system that is compatible with all major credit card providers and also with most Control Panels.
Step 9: Design a welcome email
Make a welcome greeting email a compulsion for the clients. In that email, you should take in the following points:
* Complete details of the plan the customer has selected
* the registrar and the DNS changes
* An username and a provisional password
* An exact connection to the Control Panel
* links to the important areas like FAQ's, customer support, etc.
Step 10: Promoting your website
Promoting a website is an expensive matter and eats up a great amount of time but it is very essential as high-quality advertising will make sure that clients come to the site continually. Remember that website promotion is not a temporary matter done once, but it is a continuous process. Some details you have to keep in mind are:
* Availing of all search engine outcomes
* Associate plans and remunerated promotion
* Information sheets
These are the basic steps involved in marketing. Building a web hosting site is difficult but not impossible if you commit yourself to it. There is a shortage of good companies, and thus, the market has not reached saturation yet. You have to take good care of customer needs, and then word of mouth will do the rest of the work for you.
About the Author:
About The Author : Tired of hyped up web hosting companies that don't deliver? Compare uptime ratings and read real user reviews for the best hosting companies at www.webhostingmadness.com.
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