The reseller service allows anyone with basic administrative skills to set up a small hosting company without owning their own hardware. Since the reseller takes care of all routine actions (communication with customers and providing technical support), he is provided with significant discounts, due to which he makes a profit.
Quite often, web-studios developing Internet sites use reselling hosting. This approach allows us to provide a full package of services, and technical support does not create problems, since the web studio already communicates closely with the client.
How is reseller hosting organized?
Hosting resale is carried out using special software, the process looks quite simple:
1. The reseller rents a server from a major provider, on which the software necessary for reselling hosting is installed in a semi-automatic mode. Usually the package includes cPanel and WHM/WHMCS.
2. The reseller creates accounts for its customers and provides access to the cPanel.
3. Clients work with the reseller on the terms set by him, paying for services through the panel in automatic mode. Renting hosting for them is no different from working with a regular top-level provider.
In fact, reselling is an intermediary activity in which the reseller provides services under its own brand and sets its own tariffs. He does not have to deal with the maintenance of the server hardware and software, but communication with end customers and technical support at the hosting level falls entirely on his shoulders.
How to become a reseller?
To do this, you need to rent a dedicated server and install the selected distribution of the server OS on it, as well as the software necessary for reselling hosting.
All the necessary equipment is already installed in the data center and configured. Your tasks include only working with clients and solving their technical problems.
Features of the reseller
It is important to understand that a reseller is responsible to its customers. For full-fledged work, you need to work at an expert level with cPanel and WHM, have basic administration skills and be able to quickly transfer sites from another hosting (most clients will not be able to do this on their own).
Keep in mind that even if the hosting rental is perfectly automated, the client will always be able to find problems, and the ability to quickly fix them is the main requirement for a reseller.
How to become a successful reseller?
If you plan to make reselling not just an ancillary service, but a serious business, be sure to follow two basic rules:
1. Respond promptly to customer issues. Reseller hosting is an interesting and profitable, but by no means a carefree job. Customer tickets must be answered as quickly as possible, especially during business hours.
2. Give yourself a competitive edge. The hosting market is crowded with other providers and resellers, and in order to interest the client, you need to offer him serious advantages or unique opportunities.
How reselling works
In fact, the reselling model is quite simple.
In general, resellers do not need special software: entrepreneurs can process customer orders manually, for example, by exchanging information via e-mail. But they do not like this idea, because it is easier and more reliable to accept payments, issue services and issue closing documents automatically.
The provider only needs to create special tariffs for resellers and think over the service provision policy. The reseller, on the other hand, must create a new type of service and integrate his billing with the provider’s billing by copying its tariffs. After that, he will be able to resell these services under his own brand and through his billing.
Reseller hosting: advantages and disadvantages
It is impossible to treat the presented service unambiguously. It has positive and negative aspects regarding resellers and their customers. Its benefits include:
- The purchase of the service occurs at a low cost. Its sale to several customers brings tangible profit to the tenant. In order not to spend money on goods and employees for your online store, try this way of earning.
- The reseller has two options for reselling the platform: on their own behalf or on behalf of a popular brand.
- The owner of the server can independently create a tariff scale.
- Site administration should be carried out by an experienced system administrator. The user has two solutions to the problem: ask for help from resellers or find your own person. One qualified person is enough for one control panel.
- The buyer also benefits from cooperation with the reseller. He can order the minimum amount of resources for the functioning of the online platform.
- The new service has a negative side. Working with resellers can result in the following troubles:
- Using the services of little-known companies can end badly for the client. One-day firms quickly go bankrupt. No one will return the money invested. Together with finances, the data of the user and his client audience disappear.
- If the hosting reseller is an unskilled specialist, technical support will suffer.
To avoid trouble, choose an organization according to the following characteristics:
- The positive reviews outnumber the negative ones.
- The organization must be known and reliable.
- Pay attention to the creation date of the hosting company’s domain. Older platforms are more trustworthy than newer fly-by-night firms.
- Tariffs at low cost, prepayment for six months in advance should arouse suspicion.
It is real to make money from reselling hosting. Contact trusted hosting companies.