Earning a Profit with Web Hosting

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by: MattHedges
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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.

You should consider the following ten steps to ensure the successful run of your web hosting company in the future:

Step 1: Select a platform which you wish to use

You can think of using UNIX over Windows as the former is an open source program, and therefore cheaper, besides having a stable environment for web hosting. Although most of the programs can run on both of them, ASP, MS-SQL, .NET, etc. are supported by Windows only. If you are not sure about which host you want to use, you can choose a web host that will offer both the operating systems under one plan.

Step 2: Select the Control Panel which you wish to use

Control Panels differ from the easy ones that are extremely accessible and have essential characteristics together with the organizational ones and also the multifaceted ones for example 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:

* Client backing: Make sure that the corporation gives 2 hours phone service to the clients. If this does not work, they must have an efficient email system with fast answers to questions. Such points give clients a good concept of how the corporation could support them whenever needed.

* Control Panel and the platform: Make sure that your Control Panel has many features which you can use.

* Flexibility and features: You have to ensure that the initial costs that you charge to your customers includes sufficient bandwidth, not just to begin smoothly but also to be enough when their business expands.

* Reputation of the company: A good company would have a customer forum, so customers normally check out the forum and interact with fellow members to know what their experience with the company has been.

* 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

You may have plans of preparing a number of policies for the clients but don't pile up policies on them. You can give around 3-5 policies. Take a detailed view of all your opponents and see what they are planning. You will get a small group of clients who are not happy. If you oversell assets it is okay, then you may compensate for it by charge people for advantages like domain registrations, IP addresses, web stats and so on.

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 will need a payment entry, a trade account and a SSL certificate to get payments online. These are some characteristics of online trade you have to get used to.

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

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: IT includes a full-fledged billing system which gives you full control over all resources and enables you to plan prices which you would like to charge from the customers.

* PayPal: This system is a moderately easier one that is well matched with many Control Panels.

* Authorize Net: This is a flexible gateway system which is compatible with all leading credit card providers, and also with most of the Control Panels.

Step 9: Prepare an email for greetings

A welcome email is a must for your new clients. In your welcome email, you can include the following things:

* Complete aspects of the policy chosen by the client

* 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

Though it is a fact that marketing a website is a costly affair and consumes a lot of time as well, it is very important since good marketing will ensure that customers keep visiting your site all the time. Keep in mind that website marketing is not a one-time affair, but an ongoing one. Some aspects which you must consider in this regard include:

* attracting search engine results

* affiliate programs and paid advertising

* newsletters

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

Republished with permission from WebHostingMadness.com, a publisher of hosting company ratings, comparisons and detailed articles about web hosting.

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<h1>Earning a Profit with Web Hosting</h1> <p> 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.<br /><br />You should consider the following ten steps to ensure the successful run of your web hosting company in the future:<br /><br />Step 1: Select a platform which you wish to use<br /><br />You can think of using UNIX over Windows as the former is an open source program, and therefore cheaper, besides having a stable environment for web hosting. Although most of the programs can run on both of them, ASP, MS-SQL, .NET, etc. are supported by Windows only. If you are not sure about which host you want to use, you can choose a web host that will offer both the operating systems under one plan.<br /><br />Step 2: Select the Control Panel which you wish to use<br /><br />Control Panels differ from the easy ones that are extremely accessible and have essential characteristics together with the organizational ones and also the multifaceted ones for example the H-Sphere System.<br /><br />Step 3: Select the reseller hosting provider<br /><br />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:<br /><br />* Client backing: Make sure that the corporation gives 2 hours phone service to the clients. If this does not work, they must have an efficient email system with fast answers to questions. Such points give clients a good concept of how the corporation could support them whenever needed.<br /><br />* Control Panel and the platform: Make sure that your Control Panel has many features which you can use.<br /><br />* Flexibility and features: You have to ensure that the initial costs that you charge to your customers includes sufficient bandwidth, not just to begin smoothly but also to be enough when their business expands.<br /><br />* Reputation of the company: A good company would have a customer forum, so customers normally check out the forum and interact with fellow members to know what their experience with the company has been.<br /><br />* 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.<br /><br />Step 4: Get your hosting plans set up and decide on matters of price<br /><br />You may have plans of preparing a number of policies for the clients but don't pile up policies on them. You can give around 3-5 policies. Take a detailed view of all your opponents and see what they are planning. You will get a small group of clients who are not happy. If you oversell assets it is okay, then you may compensate for it by charge people for advantages like domain registrations, IP addresses, web stats and so on.<br /><br />Step 5: Prepare a company website<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Step 6: Get the site ready for e-Commerce<br /><br />You will need a payment entry, a trade account and a SSL certificate to get payments online. These are some characteristics of online trade you have to get used to.<br /><br />Step 7: Offer the customers' good support<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Step 8: Preparing the expenses of the customers<br /><br />Get software for calculating with a trade entry, especially one that combines with the Control Panel like H-Sphere. Some of them are:<br /><br />* H-Sphere: IT includes a full-fledged billing system which gives you full control over all resources and enables you to plan prices which you would like to charge from the customers.<br /><br />* PayPal: This system is a moderately easier one that is well matched with many Control Panels.<br /><br />* Authorize Net: This is a flexible gateway system which is compatible with all leading credit card providers, and also with most of the Control Panels.<br /><br />Step 9: Prepare an email for greetings<br /><br />A welcome email is a must for your new clients. In your welcome email, you can include the following things:<br /><br />* Complete aspects of the policy chosen by the client<br /><br />* the registrar and the DNS changes<br /><br />* a username together with a temporary password<br /><br />* An exact connection to the Control Panel<br /><br />* Connections to the significant topics like client support, FAQ's and so on.<br /><br />Step 10: Marketing the website<br /><br />Though it is a fact that marketing a website is a costly affair and consumes a lot of time as well, it is very important since good marketing will ensure that customers keep visiting your site all the time. Keep in mind that website marketing is not a one-time affair, but an ongoing one. Some aspects which you must consider in this regard include:<br /><br />* attracting search engine results<br /><br />* affiliate programs and paid advertising<br /><br />* newsletters<br /><br />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. <h2>About the Author</h2> Republished with permission from WebHostingMadness.com, a publisher of <a href="http://www.webhostingmadness.com">hosting company ratings</a>, comparisons and detailed articles about <a href="http://www.webhostingmadness.com">web hosting.</a> </p>

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