by Matt Hedges
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: Decide on the Control Panel of your choice
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: Select the reseller hosting provider
For starting a web hosting company, this decision assumes a very significant importance. Keep in mind that your web hosting company will command equal status as your preferred reseller hosting company. Customers never assume that companies offering cheap packages are better. Some important areas where the company should score include:
* 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 its policy: Ensure that the Control Panel carries all the characters you can utilize.
* 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.
* Status of the corporation: An efficient corporation will have a client forum. Then clients will be able to look into the forum and communicate with other associates and share experiences.
* 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
Make sure to keep your website as simple as possible, and also ensure that it is user-friendly. Customers always look for something which they want, so make sure that you satisfy their needs. So it would be a better option not to waste time on telling the prospective customers about you. Rather, you can use the space to tell them how you will be able to solve their needs with affordable price and good service. You might want to use as little words as possible, but make sure that the main page has a minimum of 500 words. This would be very crucial for getting results in search engines. You can either design a website by yourself, or hire the services of a professional.
Step 6: Get the site ready for e-Commerce
You shall have to get an SSl certificate, apart from a payment gateway and a merchant account to be able to accept payments online. These are some e-commerce features which you should equip your site with.
Step 7: Offer the customers’ good support
Customer support is crucial and has been as far back as web hosting goes. You can choose a platform or a Control Panel which has a built-in helpdesk, such H-Sphere. You can begin with supporting those services that you are selling, but beyond this, everything depends on you. You can have a FAQ’s section which will assist the customers to solve some of the common problems. You should also ideally have an e-mail and a telephone support system to answer your customers’ queries as soon as they are made.
Step 8: Preparing the expenses of the customers
Get software for calculating with a trade entry, especially one that combines with the Control Panel like H-Sphere. Some of them 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 is a comparatively simpler system which is compatible with most of the Control Panels.
* Authorize Net: It is an adaptable entry method that is well matched with the foremost credit card sellers, and many of the 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:
* full detail of the plan the customer has selected
* the registrar and the DNS changes
* a username together with a temporary password
* An exact connection to the Control Panel
* Connections to the significant topics like client support, FAQ’s and so on.
Step 10: Marketing the 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:
* attracting search engine results
* affiliate programs and paid advertising
* Information sheets
The steps mentioned below are just the basic ones, and not exhaustive. Though building of a web hosting site is challenging, it is not impossible if you are committed to it. Though many new companies are coming up each day, the market is not at the saturation point since there is a lack of good companies. You just need to take care of customer needs - word of mouth will do the rest. Remember, customer is the King!