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Reviewed
Resellers have become extremely important to online business. With the growth of the freelance web design industry, the reseller industry grew along with them. Web designers are always looking for the best dedicated servers for web hosting to be able to offer to their clients, and resellers can generate a solid income from reselling hosting space.
Someone who can offer high-quality web hosting to businesses is an essential part of the business ecosystem. If you’re looking to start a reseller business to provide web hosting to your clients, you want to make sure you’re working with the best. Forbes Advisor has rounded up the best web hosting resellers and compared them so you can hit the ground running.
Featured Partners
1
Bluehost
$2.95 per month
Unmetered bandwidth, SSD storage starts at 10GB
Free domain name & SSL for a year
2
HostGator
$2.75 per month (for first 36 months)
30 days
Free SSL certificate, free website transfer
3
Web.com
$2.75 per month
Yes
Customizable templates, Easy drag-and-drop technology, SSL certificate
| Company | Forbes Advisor Rating | Best For | Starting Price | Money back guarantee | LEARN MORE | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DreamHost |  |
4.8 |  |
Best for Environmental Sustainability | $2.59 per month | 97 days | Learn More | On DreamHost's Website | |
| HostGator |  |
4.7 |  |
Best for Scalability | $36.99 per month (Snappy 2000 plan) | 30 days | Learn More | On HostGator's Website | |
| A2 Hosting |  |
4.4 | |
Best for Performance | $22.99 per month (Kickstart Plan) | 30 days | Learn More | On A2 Hosting's Website | |
| Hostwinds |  |
4.4 | |
Best for Customer Support | $5.24 per month (Basic Plan) | 72 hours | Learn More | Read Forbes' Review | |
| KnownHost |  |
3.8 |  |
Best for Managed Services | $6.97 per month (Basic Plan) | 30 days | View More | ||
| AccuWeb |  |
3.8 | |
Best for Global Reach | $11.99 per month (Bronze Plan) | 30 days | View More | ||
| Liquid Web |  |
3.7 |  |
Best for Enterprise Solutions | $99 per month (Bronze Plan) | None | Learn More | On Liquid Web's Website | |
| GreenGeeks |  |
3.7 | |
Best for Eco-Friendly Initiatives | $19.95 per month (RH-25 Plan) | 30 days | Learn More | On GreenGeek's Website | |
| GoDaddy |  |
3.6 | |
Best for Marketing Tools | $107.88 per year (Basic Reseller plan) | 30 days (for annual plans) | Learn More | On GoDaddy's Website |
A reseller buys domains from a web hosting service and sells them to other businesses and people who need to have websites. You provide the websites to people who need them at a price that you determine. You can build a business as a freelancer or use reselling as an agency providing web design services.
If you’re in the business of web development or design, think about this: your clients are already looking to you as the expert for building their online presence. So, why not make their lives easier by also handling their hosting needs? By offering hosting as part of your services, you give clients a one-stop solution, making it simpler for them to manage their digital footprint. Plus, they’re more likely to stick with you for the long haul because you’re handling more aspects of their online world.
Now let’s talk about your business. Adding hosting to your service list isn’t just good for your clients; it’s a smart financial move for you. It’s essentially a recurring revenue model that can help you weather market ups and downs. The icing on the cake? Starting a hosting reselling business doesn’t break the bank. Most of the technical heavy lifting is managed by the hosting provider, so you can get started with a modest investment.
Clients often shy away from dealing with hosting because they’re not tech experts. They’re afraid they’ll choose the wrong hosting plan, leading to website performance issues or even downtime. By taking care of hosting for them, you’re lifting that burden and ensuring their website runs smoothly.
And let’s not forget ongoing maintenance and support, which is something clients almost always require. By controlling the hosting environment, you can easily perform updates and handle any hiccups, strengthening your role as an indispensable asset in your clients’ business operations.
Reseller hosting enables you to sell web hosting plans to others and make a profit. Essentially reseller hosting plans and programs enable you to start your own web hosting business by selling other hosting companies’ web hosting plans. It is particularly common amongst web design agencies who offer fully managed website services to clients who pay them one fixed monthly rate.
The cornerstone of your web hosting reselling venture will be your choice of hosting service. Opt for a hosting provider that grants you the flexibility to set your own pricing model, as this is where your profit will be generated. Investigate the scope of hosting plans they offer: do they include popular CMS hosting options, such as WordPress? Pay close attention to their technical infrastructure as well. Look for data centers that use renewable energy or implement advanced security measures; these features can become selling points for your clientele.
After you’ve secured your hosting partner, your next step is to outline what you’re going to offer your clients. Consider combining hosting with other value-added services, such as website maintenance, SEO and email hosting. Tailoring bundles for specific sectors, such as e-commerce or personal blogs, can also give you an edge.
Marketing is the engine that will drive your reseller hosting business forward. Employ digital marketing techniques, such as pay-per-click advertising, social media promotion and email newsletters, to reach your target audience. Create informative content that addresses common questions or challenges your potential customers might have. A well-executed content marketing strategy can establish you as a reliable authority in the field.
Your interaction with clients doesn’t stop after they make a purchase. Offering excellent customer service is a surefire way to secure repeat business and receive positive testimonials. Having a dedicated support channel, whether it’s via email, chat or a toll-free number, will give your clients peace of mind. Leverage any white-label support services offered by your hosting provider to maintain consistency and quality in your customer interactions.
Reseller hosting is available from many of the leading web hosting providers, such as HostGator, A2 Hosting and Hostwinds. Each web host offers a slightly different structure for reseller hosting pricing and plans, though most are on a monthly subscription basis where the reseller buys a plan that comes with a set amount of storage and bandwidth for a fixed monthly rate.
For example, HostGator offers reseller plans starting at $19.95 per month for 60 GB of storage and 600 GB of bandwidth for unlimited sites. HostGator resellers can then sell web hosting packages to their own customers at a price they choose to set. For example, a reseller has 10 clients and charges $10 per month each. The reseller will earn $100 per month with a profit of about $80.
Featured Partners
1
Bluehost
$2.95 per month
Unmetered bandwidth, SSD storage starts at 10GB
Free domain name & SSL for a year
2
HostGator
$2.75 per month (for first 36 months)
30 days
Free SSL certificate, free website transfer
3
Web.com
$2.75 per month
Yes
Customizable templates, Easy drag-and-drop technology, SSL certificate
We gathered data on the top reseller services and created a shortlist of nine. We looked at user reviews and feedback from the Better Business Bureau, G2, HostAdvice and Trustpilot. We also compared the bandwidth and storage availability of all of these services.
We also considered affordability, customer service, reseller-specific features, and more. All of these scores were individually weighted based on how important these sub-criteria are for the overall success of a reseller service.
When picking a reseller service, you should think about what it provides with regard to how large you want your reseller business to be and how much website management you want the web hosting company to do for you.
In reseller hosting, you purchase a bulk amount of hosting resources from a primary provider and then allocate these resources into smaller hosting plans that you sell to your clients. Essentially, you act as an intermediary, offering customized hosting plans, managing billing and providing customer support, while the primary provider takes care of the data centers and server maintenance.
Not all hosting companies function as resellers. Many are primary providers that own and operate their own data centers and server infrastructure. These companies offer both direct hosting services to clients and sell bulk resources to resellers. However, there are hosting companies whose business model focuses solely on reselling hosting resources from primary providers.
A reseller business means you are subcontracting web hosting to your own clients. You own the domains through your contract with the web hosting service, and your clients buy the ability to have a website from you. Many companies that offer reseller services also have referral or affiliate programs. This means that you can refer clients to a web hosting service, and you’ll receive a referral bonus when they sign up. This is better for people who don’t have the time to host a reseller business but the income is a lot less consistent.
It depends on which reseller service you choose. Many web hosts let you have access to WHMCS, which provides client services, such as onboarding and invoicing. Others manage it themselves or let you manage it yourself. In general, you will have a central place where you can keep track of clients, payments, websites and domains. However, most resellers let you include your own branding.
A web hosting reseller’s offering should come with many features, including domain hosting, ample bandwidth and disc space, quality customer support, the ability to configure accounts and manage accounts based on your situation and the ability to brand the hosting provider with your own brand, which sometimes is referred to as “white labeling.”
Reseller hosting can be a lucrative venture when managed effectively. The profit largely depends on your ability to add value beyond simple hosting plans. Combining hosting with other services, such as website maintenance or email hosting, can increase your earning potential. The flexibility to set your own pricing also allows you to control your profit margins.
