Are you a web developer or web designer looking for additional income? Or are you a tech-savvy person interested in starting a business from home? Either way, you may want to start a web hosting business.
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With no shortage of new websites being built every day, web hosting is in demand, and there is a market for new and upcoming web hosting businesses.
Today, you’ll learn what web hosting is and everything you need to start your web hosting business.
What Is Web Hosting?
First, let’s describe how web hosting works.
Web hosting is an online service that enables a website owner to publish their website on the internet.
When a user signs up for a web hosting service, they’re essentially renting space on a physical server where all the data and files for the website are stored.
A server is essentially a high-powered computer specially designed and programmed to store large amounts of data and code, process requests to deliver this data over the internet or a local network, and manage the files and processes so everything runs smoothly.
The server is at the heart of your web hosting business, and how you choose to sell web hosting space to your customers impacts the direction of your business and how much profit you can project to earn. Just find a reputable provider for your domain, and you’ll be up-and-running in no time.
Types of Web Hosting Businesses
Below are the three types of web hosting businesses you can start.
1. Reseller Hosting
Reseller hosting involves finding a large web hosting company, buy wholesale hosting services from them, and then resell the service to your customers at a profit.
This involves the least amount of technical knowledge, as the company you bought the reseller packages from will take care of server management, operating systems, billing systems, and technical support systems.
In other words, it’s a complete solution that’s very simple to set up. The time you save by going this route can be put toward promoting and marketing your business.
However, the services you provide are limited by the type of service you opted to resell; there’s very little room for customizations.
Also, since you’re reselling, your prices will likely be higher than those offered by bigger web hosting companies.
2. At-home Server
Having an at-home server means you actually buy the hardware, set up the operating system, and then configure it to connect to the internet.
This isn’t for beginners; this is for the technologically savvy who want full control over your server setup, as well as the freedom to pick and choose the services you can offer your customers and the ability to expand as much as you want at any point in time.
However, the upfront costs can be prohibitively expensive; aside from the hardware and software, you would need a reliable high-speed internet connection, an uninterruptible power supply, and a cooling system to make sure your server doesn’t overheat even at peak usage.
3. Datacenter Colocation
A colocation center is a large commercial data center that rents out its hardware, space, and bandwidth to businesses.
So instead of buying and setting up your own server at home, you rent the server and the internet connection from a larger company that takes care of most of the maintenance and the overhead costs of electricity and internet connection.
However, you’d still need some technical knowledge as you’ll have to set up the operating system and all the needed software to be able to manage that server.
What You Need To Start a Web Hosting Business
Technical Knowledge
You need extensive knowledge of web hosting, including server management, data security, optimizing speed and bandwidth, ticketing systems for issues and concerns, control panels, and many more.
If you don’t have this knowledge, you can enroll in courses so you can learn all this or (less preferable) hire someone else who is already knowledgeable to manage the technical part of the business while you handle customer outreach, promotion, sales, and payment processing.
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Capital
As you’ve probably learned at this point, you’d need to have enough money to cover your initial costs when starting a web hosting business.
Time
Every startup business demands a major time commitment at the beginning.
Building your website, testing landing pages, creating and tweaking ads, posting on social media, and every other effort to promote your business are all time-consuming.
Not to mention troubleshooting, providing customer support, processing payments, and all other management and maintenance tasks.
Steps to Start Your Web Hosting Business
We highly recommend starting as a reseller, as it’s the easiest to get into and requires the least amount of technical knowledge.
For the sake of simplicity, I’ll outline the steps to start your web hosting business as a reseller.
1. Perform your market research.
Web hosting is a competitive industry, but if you do your market research thoroughly, you can find your niche market.
The advantage of targeting a niche market instead of the general public is that you’re able to focus your marketing efforts specifically on the customers within that niche.
Also, you can tailor the services and extra features you provide to your niche market’s needs and goals.
Plus, you can compete more successfully within a niche that has relatively fewer competitors by providing excellent customer service and after-sales care.
Examples of niches you can target:
- Small businesses
- Local SMBs
- Non-profits
- Affiliate marketers
- Music content
- Photography sites
- Podcasters
- Weddings
- Travel websites
- Restaurants
2. Choose the right reseller hosting provider.
Choosing the right reseller provider is critical to the success of your web hosting business.
Here are the things you need to look for in a reseller hosting provider:
- High uptime rates (99.9%)
- Top-level performance (TTFB, page load time)
- Security and protection from DDoS attacks
- Technical support available 24/7
- White label branding (so that your customers wouldn’t realize you’re a reseller)
- Simple creation and management of your own web hosting packages
- cPanel administration
- Built-in billing software
- Positive feedback and reviews from other resellers
Based on these criteria, here are some providers to consider:
3. Create your web hosting packages and decide on the prices.
When you’ve selected your reseller provider, you can figure out what services to include in your packages and how much each package will be.
When figuring out your pricing, do your best to get to prices that will allow you to earn a profit after your initial costs that your target niche will be willing to pay.
4. Set up your website and social media.
If a website for a web hosting business looks dated or loads slowly, would you subscribe to them?
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Of course not.
Since you’re in the digital industry, your website and online persona will be subject to more scrutiny than usual, so bear this in mind when you decide on your branding, domain name, social media handles, and website design.
5. Implement an automatic billing system.
This part will largely depend on your reseller provider, so make sure you get guidance from them on how to set it up.
6. Select and subscribe to customer service software.
Excellent customer service may be one of your only advantages against your competitors, so it’s critical to choose the right partner.
Remember that your clients will depend on you to handle their technical concerns quickly and on demand.
Your reseller provider should be able to provide 24/7 technical support, but you also need to implement your own customer support channel through email.
Zendesk is a popular choice for digital businesses, but startups may balk at the price. Look into other companies like Help Scout or ServiceNow.
7. Start finding clients for your web hosting business.
Once all of the requirements of your business are in place, you can start spreading the word and finding clients.
You’ll need to advertise your business and make it clear why they should choose your service and not one of the bigger hosting companies.
Your marketing strategy will depend on your target niche. For instance, if you want to get your local businesses to sign up with you, you might have to introduce yourself and your business in person or through your local Facebook groups.
On the other hand, if you want to get online entrepreneurs and startups, you can take out targeted Google Ads and social media ads.
Don’t forget guest posting on blogs related to your target niche. Stress the benefits of your service to them and their business.
8. Keep your clients satisfied.
Treat your clients as if any single one of them can end your business at any time.
Always be transparent about any technical issues and be fair about financial situations.
Pay attention to what your clients like and don’t like, and use this information to improve your business and reach out to new clients.
Start Your Web Hosting Business Today!
Hopefully, this guide to starting your web hosting business has been helpful.
But in case you want more inspiration, check out our list of online business ideas to build.
Or maybe you want to work with your hands instead; here are our guides to some potentially lucrative home-based businesses.
