Introduction

Reseller hosting is a unique business model in the web presence industry, in which a hosting company allows some or all of their products and services to be marketed, distributed and sold by other third parties, (small to mid-sized businesses as well as entrepreneurs, in most cases).

This method enables the account owner, which is the reseller, to act as a hosting service without the need to build, maintain and manage a complex technological infrastructure.
This ‘White Label’ model enables the client to purchase services at a low-cost wholesale price from the host he works with and then repackage, rebrand and resell them under his own business identity or brand name, as if he is the ‘original’ web hosting provider.

Under this type of arrangement, the host handles all the professional technical backend operations such as network maintenance, server management, hardware setup, software upgrades, connectivity, load balancing, security configuration, etc.

The account owner can manage the hosting environment and allocate disk space, bandwidth, e-mail addresses, MySQL databases and other typical server resources to each of the hosted websites’ owner.

A reseller plan offers the client the opportunity to focus on building a new business or expanding an existing one, while the host takes care of the entire ‘dirty’ technical work.
Many of the large hosting companies in the market provide reseller web hosting as a separate product from their standard shared, VPS or dedicated server plans.

Target Audience

A reseller web hosting plan is a good solution for two main types of users.
The first, aspiring entrepreneurs who wish to start a new commercial hosting service, but wish to do so as middlemen only, without having to deal with the cost and hassle of establishing and maintaining the actual infrastructure.

The second type includes established businesses that wish to build a new source of regular income as a secondary profit stream and plan to offer these services as an add-on.

This group includes freelance web designers and programmers, web development companies, system integrators, SEO agencies, online marketing consultants and other internet or IT related businesses that have their intimate circle of regular customers who consult them for potential hosting solutions.

These businesses often want to offer a more comprehensive package, by providing hosting solutions to complement the core work they do for their clients.

Benefits

• This plan provides the account holder with the opportunity to start his own web hosting company and make money under his own brand.
• It’s a great way for existing IT related businesses to add value for their existing and future clients and make extra money on the side.
• It’s an inexpensive way to start a vibrant career in the hosting industry without any significant monetary investment.
• The reseller doesn’t need to have extensive web-hosting related technical skills.
  Most common issues can easily be resolved within the reseller’s control panel or by submitting a support ticket to the parent hosting provider.
• The reseller doesn’t have to purchase expensive equipment or maintain the network.
  All downtime issues, software and hardware upgrades and general infrastructure development are the responsibility of the hosting provider.
• The reseller can offer customizable packages and pricing structure, so tailor-made solutions can easily be designed for the customers.
• Reseller accounts will typically include a greater amount of technical features compared to basic hosting plans.
• Having a white label plan means that the parent host’s logo or other branding features do not appear on the user’s control panel, billing software and other administrative systems and tools.
• Complete control over resource allocation, so end-customer needs can always be met satisfactorily.
• Easy-to-use control panel offers the ability to manage and monitor multiple end-user accounts conveniently.
• Many hosts offer their white label plans with free WHMCS, which is a system that handles client management, billing and support ticket requests.

Before Choosing: Features to Consider

In order to make sure that you make the right decision as a consumer, it is crucial to conduct proper research and verify that certain hosting features that you need are actually being offered by the providers that you consider.
Doing so will help you decide which company is the best fit for your individual needs.

Such features may include:

• Payment via PayPal
• Linux / Windows
• Free WHMCS / Blesta License
• Free SSL Certificates
• Dedicated IP
• cPanel and WHM
• Plesk
• Free eNom Reseller Account
• End User Support
• Free Domain
• Website Builder
• SSH Access
• SSD Drive Storage
• Unlimited Disk Space

Paying for Reseller Hosting Services with PayPal

Many popular webhosts in the market which offer reseller accounts accept a variety of payment methods, including PayPal.