Reseller Hosting Done Right

Blog Hosting and Reseller Hosting are two of the hottest topics in the web hosting industry. You’ve probably heard that Reseller Hosting fetches substantial profits and running blog sites can be very lucrative. What you probably don’t realize is that Blog Reseller Hosting makes even more money. If you are planning to become a professional blogger and want to host several different blogs, you may be interested to look into Blog Reseller Hosting as a better option..

READ THIS:BECOMING A BLOG HOST

Reseller Hosting Done Right

Of course, you can purchase separate hosting accounts for each blog site or perhaps have your blogs on sub-domains. But there’s nothing better than purchasing a blog hosting account that you can also resell. A blog reseller hosting account allows you to have unlimited domain names in a single account for the same value price of the standard or regular hosting; the edge is you can eventually expand your blogging network to include bloggers by setting up hosting for their blogs – for a fee. This option enables you to earn additional income by reselling blog hosting services to bloggers whether they are in your network or not. In a capsule: purchase a reseller hosting plan where you can host all your blog sites and start a reseller hosting business.

READ THIS:So You Have a Blog

The reseller industry is just like any business; the only difference is the product. By strictly following dynamic business strategies, you can stick to a solid plan of action; you have every reason to succeed. If you are sold on the concept of blog reseller hosting, take a look at some basic principles, techniques and tips on how to do reseller hosting right, to turn it into a huge success.
Getting Started
Like everything else, starting your reselling business requires some “shopping around”. You can begin by locating web hosts that offer reseller hosting packages. All it takes is a simple search on the Internet and it will yield dozens of choices; but you have to be clear on what you’re looking for, so it is extremely important that you have basic knowledge of what web hosting is all about. There are many factors to consider but here are the three most crucial ones:

READ THIS:Hosting Your Blog – A Starter’s Guide


            •           Compare prices and services offered.
             •           Check for future upgrades; you may want to expand and need more space in the future.
             •           Find out as much as you can and verify the quality of technical assistance and support you can get.
Attracting Buyers
After you sign up for a suitable reseller web hosting plan from a reliable web host, it’s time to get things going – you need potential buyers to notice and come to buy. Getting customers may seem a little tough at first but there are several options to approach this.
            •           An attractive but professional-looking website can go a long way. Make it simple but inviting. You can lend your web page a professional touch by adding your company name and logo. This can reinforce the perception of authenticity and legitimacy.
            •           Get the word out. Extensive web hosting knowledge may not be necessary to resell hosting, but you definitely need marketing know-how and advertising skills to make people aware of your reseller hosting plans. Make sure you clearly state the benefits that your customers can get and come up with competitive prices (cheaper is better) for your reseller services that can persuade people to use them.
            •           Tap your existing market. Remember those bloggers and blog owners on your Network? They are your potential new customers for your reseller hosting business. It may even come as a surprise to find that many of them would be interested. Place prominent notices about your hosting packages; mention your new website and the hosting service you provide on your blogs, on different social networking you use, and emails you exchange with everyone.
            •           Advertise to new customers. Don’t limit yourself to people you know. Expand your advertising effort to target an entirely new bunch of potential clients. Engage in advertising campaign that revolves around your hosting service. Offer discounts and promotions – or even membership incentives.
            •           Bundle it up in attractive packages. There is no better way to market your hosting plans than by bundling them with other services that you can provide. It definitely gives you the edge over the competition. You might want to offer search engine optimization, web design, domain name registration, SSL certificates and any other Internet marketing tools, or any combination of those services as part of your web hosting service. This attractive blend can only increase your chance of success.
Keeping Your Customers
To keep a solid clientele base, it is vital that you keep your customers happy and contented. Although the general maintenance of web hosting facilities is not yours to worry about, you are responsible for any direct interaction with your customers. Thus, even if it is not imperative on paper; you need to have a fairly good enough technical knowledge to understand email features, MySQL, PHP and other simple features to be able to offer advice and support to your customers.
It is equally important to keep abreast of new technologies that the hosting company releases from time to time and deploy them to your customers at the earliest possible time. This gives your current customers the option to upgrade to enhanced equipment or applications. You can also make use of your blog sites to provide useful articles on the different aspects of web hosting to help your customers gain more understanding of the industry as a whole and the services you offer in particular.
Managing Your Reseller Hosting Account
All reseller hosting accounts offer two separate control panels – the Web Host Manager (WHM) or Plesk and cPanel (or its equivalent). WHM/Plesk is the administration control panel that allows you to create and manage the sub-accounts for your customers. Some of the key functions that WHM can perform include:
            •           Restrict sub-account’s bandwidth, disk space and email accounts
            •           Change sub-account’s password.
            •           Send emails to sub-account users.
            •           Check server status
Here are some specific functions that you might find useful in managing critical categories such as Customer Management, Sales and Marketing, and Finance and Billing.
Customer Management
            •           Store and periodically update your customers’ details, order history and products purchased in one place.
            •           Place customers in segments according to volume of business and location for easy advanced search.
            •           Add, modify, or delete customer information.
            •           Lock or suspend customer accounts for purposes of security or to recover payments.
Sales and Marketing
            •           Create pricing plans, volume-based pricing, discounts and special offers.
            •           Target specific market and customer groups using integrated search and email tool.
            •           Customize additional package parameters like money-back guarantee, refunds or charges for deletion of account.
Finance and Billing
            •           Handle monthly billing, payments and multiple payment options, upgrades and downgrades, expirations and renewals.
            •           Online invoices and receipts – record each transaction and notify all parties concerned.
            •           Support for multiple currency options with daily updates on exchange rates.
            •           View order status.
            •           Integrate multiple payment gateways such as PayPal, Moneybookers, WorldPay, etc.
All the above discussions are but just a few of the salient points in terms of making profits from blog reseller hosting. You need to broaden your online business foundation and enhance your negotiation skills as you go along. Further, there are things that you also need to be aware of and be cautious about such as spammers, for example that can give your reseller hosting business a bad name. It’s not always possible to screen customers thoroughly while you are trying to build a solid customer base. Take heart, you will learn to spot troublesome users in time and your reseller hosting will continue raking in profits. Do it right and you can believe that the possibilities are limitless.
Back to Blog Web Hosting Article Index. By Mubeen Asif
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