What is Reseller Hosting?

Reseller hosting is one of the few good ways to make money online. Learn about what it is and how to use it in today's post.

Updated: 14 Dec, 21 by Antoniy Yushkevych 15 Min

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Have you ever wondered why every entrepreneur asks- are you selling directly to consumers? They ask this single question repeatedly to know whether the business avoids expensive development and daily running costs.

It doesn't matter if the business is run by an individual or by hundreds of people. When you are selling products online and sending them straight to your customer, you are saving yourself a lot of time and money in terms of management.

Now, the same concept of taking someone else's product with design and branding rebuild can be applied to Reseller hosting

Online web hosting has opened new doors of opportunities to make a decent side income or side-hustle for up-and-coming entrepreneurs. Reseller hosting also doesn't limit people with different skill sets because individuals from different backgrounds such as web designing, development, and online digital agency are doing extremely well in return.

For example, if you are a designer, you can avoid a fixed payment from one customer and convert them into a monthly paid subscriber of your hosting services. By allowing your customers to do the hosting, you will position yourself to make recurring income.

This article will show you the different reseller hosting dynamics and how you can expand your business without worrying about setting multiple hosting operations. Stay till the end because we got something special for you!

When you begin to break down different aspects of reseller hosting, you may be confused because there are several perspectives on this subject. From a technical viewpoint, reseller hosting allows one manager to host multiple sub-accounts of customers under one administrative account.

You will buy a web host plan that can host a massive audience at once. One resells these plans to customers by dividing the bulk plan into various smaller plans and selling them at a good affordable price to individual consumers. By hosting in this manner, the reseller gets a good cut, and all the users gain can afford the plan, and at the same time, they have more flexibility with these types of reseller hosting providers. 

  • Web Server & Database 

Some of the most fundamental components of reseller hosting are our web and database servers. Each provides value in a unique way to the reseller. When it comes to web servers, the software handles the connections between HTTP and HTTPS while staying on top of the hardware parts. The two most prominent web servers in the marketplace are Apache and Microsoft's Internet Information Services. If you want the hardware to come into play, you have to structure your database server. The database gives some basic functions to work on the hardware to increase the retrieval speed of data. It is executed using a querying language called SQL. 

  • Mail Server 

The reseller assigns the two most important functions to the mail server: sending and receiving an email. To send an email, they use SMTP given that the software used is in the likes of Qmail and Exim. To receive emails from customers, one should prefer implementing IMAP and POP protocols. They may have some disadvantages, but they are offered by almost every reseller in the marketplace. 

  • DNS Server 

A DNS server serves as an integral part of the entire reseller operations. This server is responsible for providing name server and domain name server to the reseller's respective clients. DNS server is crucial because it comes with full zone management. This means that, like extreme traffic to one domain, DNS redirects it to other subdomains whenever something unusual happens. It also helps in creating new entry points which solely serve different marketing purposes. 

  • Control Panel 

A control panel is also called Web Host Manager, and it takes care of all modifications to accounts and other settings associated with each of them. A robust control panel can increase reselling products' overall efficiency and give more room to set up custom branding for each account. Control panels carry many add-ons, so one can effortlessly add new accounts and instantly upload all necessary files. 

  • No Backend 

One of the biggest benefits of implementing any reseller hosting plan is that you do not need to deal with any backend work. Without worrying about the backend, you can work on the designs and strategies to attract new audiences. This means you can create new income opportunities using websites without having to learn the technical knowledge. 

  • Inexpensive

Cost is always an issue when it comes to setting up new businesses, but when planning to use reseller hosting, it is relatively cheap and more reliable. 

  • More Room for Improvement

When you relentlessly work on building an audience, reseller hosting supports you with more features and reduces technical issues. You don't have to be concerned about technical aspects such as server updates, client security, and maintenance. By avoiding all of this extra work, you can completely concentrate on growing your online business. 

  • Personal Branding

This is where it gets interesting! You have the opportunity to create your own digital identity and brand using custom designs and personalized features provided by reseller hosting. It not only makes you more authentic, but it also brings in more traffic and revenue. 

  • Reliability of Web Hosting Provider 

When you are not in control of the servers, you don't have much flexibility to what you can and cannot offer to your clients. If your provider is reliable, then he or she will accept your terms and provide more flexibility. Even though you are not in charge of anything, you still get a say in what needs to be done at any given point in time. On the other hand, if you come across someone who isn't your expectations regarding server uptime, your reputation will suffer badly. So make sure to check their background with reseller hosting and read many reviews from their previous clients. 

  • Changing Host Managers is not Recommended 

When you and your provider come into agreement to discontinue, it will cost you a lot. With changing hosting providers, you have to take all your client's data from one server to another, not a piece of cake. It takes a dedicated server or any private server to store data, which doesn't come cheap. 

  • Customer Support 

When you build an audience and decide to sell them a product, you must be ready to answer all of their queries. If you are unavailable to respond, customers will have a bad buying experience, and it will look really bad for your business in the future. 

  • Performance 

When we talk about reseller hosting performance, it all comes down to disk space, bandwidth, and CPU cores. If the read-write speeds are well balanced, you can easily distribute the available resources between your clientele. To give you some recommendations in this category is difficult because the requirements will drastically differ for each reseller and business. 

  • Scalability 

Do you want to grow your business to the next level? A big YES! If you cannot meet the demands, your system is lacking in this category, and you need an upgrade. The scalability factor ensures equal distribution to new customers by adding more resources. We recommend you go for cloud hosting because it can quickly perform when the demand skyrockets. 

  • Guaranteed Uptime

It is a no-brainer to every reseller. You always have to get guaranteed uptime in your reseller hosting plan with SLA allowing you to obtain good compensation when the provider fails to meet his end of the bargain. This agreement is the cornerstone of maintaining a high reputation because if your website is down for a significant amount of time, it will result in many bad user experiences. 

  • Security 

Malware scanners and DDoS protection are a few main features to include in your hosting plan. Some resellers provide fewer security tools to safeguard client's data, so check all the encryption SSL certificates. It would help if you also considered backup or recovery solutions that you are willing to offer to your clients. 

  • Reviews & Support 

Reviews from reputable sources can highlight different providers with their pros and cons. You can also contact previous users to understand how the entire plan works, along with monthly pricing. As mentioned earlier, customer support is a must-have feature to provide a seamless experience for all of your clients. Look for 24/7 support from your provider and see how the interaction goes via chat. 

Now that you have the knowledge to choose the best-suited plan for your online business let us dive into some of the most prominent and reliable hosting resellers in the marketplace. Each of them adds value in their way, but the flexibility in features and support are all common. Make sure to check each one to narrow it down to the one that aligns with your company's requirements. 

  • Hostgator 

Simple to use, Hostgator provides a reseller hosting service, and every plan comes with an array of features. This is mainly recommended for novice retailers because it works great when it is used for small businesses. The site-building software accompanied by Hostgator is something else, and it makes users avoid any hassle related to technical aspects of reseller hosting. The uptime is outstanding, and one can come to terms with the service agreement. 

  • A2 Hosting 

This is another top pick in our list because of its fast loading time and an incredible feature called Turbo speed, making it the fastest hosting reseller in the market. Along with high speed and performance, you also get 24/7 support from technical experts. This will ensure you get immediate solutions to solve for your clients. Some main features included in their web hosting plans are account migration, server location options, and billing software. It can be Blesta or WHMCS. The per-month cost is around 14 dollars, and it can serve up to 40 clients. They also provide a money-back guarantee, so you don't have to worry about the software not reaching your expectations because you can always go with the refund plan. 

  • Hostwinds Web Hosting 

When you want a robust reseller hosting software that can adapt to any functionality, then you may want to consider Hostwinds. It is an excellent overall performer, which can deal with both large and small businesses. The customer service is flawless, and some online reviews also indicate a smooth, flawless user experience. Hostwinds performed terrifically during various testing to check guaranteed uptime. They also offer VPS plans to go along with reseller hosting software. 

  • SiteGround 

Are you a website developer or designer? If you do work on WordPress, then SiteGround can take your online business to the next level. It is our top expert pick because clients can rely on their top-rated assistance team. The control panel or client area dashboard is another user-friendly feature that is easy to access and allows more custom branding. However, the only impediment to SiteGround is that you would have to choose between one of their expensive plans to avail more resources and personal branding of websites. 

  • InMotion Hosting 

Like every provider has a speciality, Inmotion also comes with one. They have the best bandwidth levels, and one can even add a virtual private server if one decides to migrate their clients' data. It is also beneficial because it brings a great advantage to eCommerce and web hosting managers. They have plans that are generous to offer more SSD space. Security scans and automatic backups are some reliable features to consider when going with Inmotion hosting. 

  • GoDaddy 

GoDaddy is an internet sensation when it comes to web hosting, and that is with good reason. They are giant in this space because of their variety of features for specific purposes. Each plan offers cPanel and free WHMCS, so you always have a reliable control panel with an easy navigation dashboard. Free SSL certificates are given with GoDaddy, and they offer up to 250 white-labeled accounts. With GoDaddy, your bandwidth is unmetered, so you can distribute it in any way you want with your clients. 

  • Liquid Web 

Liquid Web reseller is unique in offering feature-packed plans that come with great uptime and customer service. Those two serve as the main factors to contribute towards its overall excellence. However, they do lack versatile hosting plans suitable for small and large eCommerce businesses. The server specs are powerful, and you won't have to worry about performance at all. So it all comes down to your requirements and spending ability every month on reseller hosting. 

  • Flywheel 

This is another reseller who serves well for designers and agencies. They target the creatives of different industries because they have the extra services to provide. The dashboard is intuitive for Flywheel, and that is something your clients will definitely love. The billing is impressive with Flywheel because they can prepare a personalized package. This allows users to choose their own billing cycle. 

  • Namecheap 

Namecheap is known for its excellence as a domain name registrar. This is a task we discussed in the main components of reseller hosting. Namecheap does a great job of handling a large number of sub-accounts at an affordable cost. Unlimited domains and bandwidth are another plus point for this software. You will also be given access to anonymous nameservers, but you will not receive SSL certificates, which may or may not jeopardize your clients' data safety. 

  • GreenGeeks 

This is a special one! GreenGeeks is famously known for using green energy for all its clients. It builds up a trust factor between your customers because they know it is eco-friendly. Each plan belonging to GreenGeeks provides customizable white-labels and cPanel accounts. This reseller has got it all, from nightly backups to website builder tools. The price is a bit high compared to others, but they do provide high data transfer capacity.

That brings us to the end of the article, and we hope you now have a clear idea of what reseller hosting is, how it works, and which one brings your business the most value. Choosing a reliable hosting plan is not easy, but it is also not that hard as others like to emphasize. By considering the factors mentioned above, you will have the best web reseller hosting provider to support your online business. If you have decided on the reseller who can cater to all your needs, you can set up all your operations with the packages and branding in a couple of hours. 

Antoniy Yushkevych

Antoniy Yushkevych

Master of word when it comes to technology, internet and privacy. I'm also your usual guy that always aims for the best result and takes a skateboard to work. If you need me, you will find me at the office's Counter-Strike championships on Fridays or at a.yushkevych@monovm.com