Information On Starting A Web Hosting Business
Have you ever wonder what it takes to be a web host? Usually, people think of a web host as a company that owns a lot of servers and who employs a lot of techies to maintain and solve technical problems. You can actually go into the web hosting business without owning a single server. You can lease server space from an established web host, the resell it under your company name. A lot of people have found this business interesting. If you want to find out more about this business, read on for more information.
Like any other kinds of leases, you have to pay the company a monthly fee for the lease. You lease a certain amount server space and you resell it to your clients. Typically, your clients do not even know who actually owns the servers. As far as they are concerned, you are the web host.
You should find out how the company handles technical problems. When your client experiences a problem with his website, he will contact you because you are his host. Then you, in turn, need to contact the company from which you had leased space. In addition, find out what other technical aspects are handled by the leasing company. Find out their backup schedule or when they need to bring down the server for maintenance.
Once you have your leased space ready to go, figure out how much you will charge your customers. Provide different tiers of service at different prices. Think of incentives that you can provide, like thirteen months for the price of twelve. Offer introductory prices. You can even post your services on something like Craigslist.
Spend some time and effort building up a good reputation. This does not happen overnight, and it will take time. To get some publicity, you can consider offering free hosting to your local non-profit groups. This benefits the organization because they can save money on hosting. It will benefit you by boosting your reputation. When word gets around about your hosting services, customers will come.
Think of a catchy name for your hosting business. The name should be meaningful to you and it should be easy to remember. Choose your company name carefully because it will have a lot to do with your brand image.
Find out all you can about your leasing company and the equipment that they run. Remember, to your customers, you are web host, and a web host should know the technical aspects of the server. Find out what the maintenance schedule is so that you can forewarn your customers about outages. Find out what server software they are using and what type of script support they offer. The more you know, the more helpful you can be to your customers when they ask you technical questions about hosting.
Becoming a web host may not have been foremost in your mind as a viable business for you. However, it is possible and it can quite profitable. Continue to learn more about it, and you may end up with an interesting business.
