Web hosting is a large business which requires a large investment and organizational infrastructure. However, there is a way to do a mini version of the business commonly referred to as ‘Reseller Web hosting’. A good example would be the Web hosting Dubai industry, where new resellers appear every year trying to sell hosting services in local markets. Although it may seem doable, reseller web hosting can be a tricky business.

Here is a guide to get you started on reseller web hosting.

Reseller hosting explained…

Reseller hosting is a different kind of web hosting where the owner of a hosting account can allocate a portion of his hard drive space and bandwidth to host other third party websites. 

A reseller, generally, purchases hosting services wholesale, and sell it to website owners at a cheaper price compared to directly purchasing the service from a provider. It’s still profitable for the reseller. A reseller may even rent dedicated servers to website owners. 

Benefits

The main benefits provided by a hosting reseller include:

• WHMCS – solution for client management, billing etc. that effectively turns your website in to a shop with multiple functionalities
  
• SSL to secure all transactions on the website
  
• SSL reseller accounts so that hosting companies will be able to resell to their clients
  
• Domain reseller accounts so that hosting companies will be able to resell domain names to clients
  
• Free end user support
  

To start a web hosting reseller business, you don’t need to have technical knowledge. You will just be selling the service, and maintaining the websites of your customers. Technical maintenance and other issues will be handled by the hosting partner (from whom you have purchased to resell). 

One noticeable disadvantage of web hosting reselling is that it requires you to invest a lot in marketing and advertising, as it is a competitive business with a small window to make big profits. Although there won’t be any shortage of customers, you will have to stand apart from the rest with services that impress your clients. 

Pointers to keep in mind before starting a hosting reselling business

• Set yourself apart – Branding is vital to this business. Establishing an authority in the field and making a name for your business can give you an edge in the market. To garner a good online reputation, you will have to adhere to standard digital marketing practices from publishing blogs to social media and search engine optimization.
  
• Hosting partner – Choose a hosting partner that is both reputed and reliable. You will be reselling their service, and if they are not good at the business, naturally you won’t be either. 
  
• Patience – This isn’t a gamble. It’s a business that gives back. Execution and patience is the key. Establishing the business and growing it will be challenging. It might take months to generate good profit. But once it’s all said and done, web hosting reselling is a very lucrative business.