What You Need To Start

To get your web hosting company up and running, you need the following items to get started. I’ve listed the following in order of importance, so make sure you take care of step one before moving to two.

Reseller Hosting Account

First you need to purchase the actual space that you are going to resell, so take a look my top 4 recommended companies below, and decide which one fits your needs and budget. All 4 are highly reputable web hosting companies.

1. Host Gator
2. Just Host
3. Host Clear
4. Super Green Reseller Hosting

Domain Name

Now you need a domain name to attach to your account. Your hosting company site will also be hosted on your reseller account, so buy a domain from one of the two companies below.

1. GoDaddy
2. Netfirms

Method of Payment Collection

How do you want to collect payment from your customers? There is a quick free way to get started and another option to consider once you start growing big.

1. First option is to go free by using PayPal or Google Checkout. Just sign up at either places and then hold tight. No monthly fees here, just per transaction fees.
2. The alternative (and something to consider when you grow big), is to setup a credit card terminal on your site so the whole payment process is done on your site. With this option, you keep the customer on your site and get to brand the whole process, but there is a monthly fee and transaction fee included.

Your Own Design

Your new reseller hosting company is as unique as you make it, meaning your design has to stand out from the crowd or you’ll look like another generic hosting company. There are detailed tips that I cover later on, but having a solid website design and logo will help you brand your company, and make it stand out from the others.

1. Themeforest – For Pre-made Templates
2. 99 Designs – For Cheap Logo Design
3. oDesk – Find Freelance Designers

Security Measures

Potential customers will expect to have a safe and secure checkout process, as well as secured login to their special clients-only area, and cPanel area. You can take care of all this by simply buying and installing a SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate. I use GoDaddy SSL, works like it should, and its only $12.99 for the first year!

1. GoDaddy SSL Certificate

Support System

When you purchase your reseller hosting package, there are a couple tools to help you help your customers. They are, the support contact form, knowledgebase, and “frequently asked questions” pages. The support contact form can be setup so your customers can send specific questions to certain divisions like sales or support. Knowledgebase is simply an area where customers can browse to answer their own questions, and the F.A.Q. page works in almost the same way. Need a more robust support system? Check out my recommendations..

1. Kayako
2. Omnistar

Got everything? Head over to the next article “What To Expect“, to continue.