Should I host my client's website or not?

kremo5le · 10-20-2008, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by starteasy

Don't know why anyone would want to host their own server (I know in some cases its a great idea). I say work smarter not harder. CBF dealing with midnight server issues and downed sites. Handball that to someone else whilst you lay in bed making money.

Hey brother, you are 100% right about it. I think that I will be opening some sort of reseller account to start using that as "recommended" hosting for my clients. Why not?

kremo5le · 10-20-2008, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RAJO

separate the hosting from design . hosting has a lot of problem (server down . can't do that and this ........etc) .stay fox in design or hosting

Oh yeah, you bet this is the best way. Who wants those headaches, and for free? Let the customer deal with the hosting account just like we deal for our sites.

starteasy · 10-20-2008, 11:37 PM

Never had the server go down in 6 years. Another bonus of reselling from a massive hosting company. As long as you pick a good one that you can trust, of course.

kremo5le · 10-20-2008, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by starteasy

Never had the server go down in 6 years. Another bonus of reselling from a massive hosting company. As long as you pick a good one that you can trust, of course.

6 years is a good time-frame for reliable service--congratulations. I'm gonna go for HostGator on of these days. I think they are one of the best. Wasn't you who recommended them to me? If so, thank you very much!

starteasy · 10-21-2008, 02:42 AM

Yeah that is who I use. Excellent customer service. As I am in Aus and they are in US, I dont call them, but their online chat has had all my issues resolved within 10 minutes. Which as you all know, is an unreal resolution timeframe considering today's level of customer service! (eg paypal, ebay and microsoft!! WORST EVER!)

4folds · 03-28-2009, 08:23 AM

I totally think you should host websites for clients. In my book it gives you so much more control over how things function and are setup. And, your clients will love the fact that you are giving them personalized customer service instead of them having to talk with the endless machine trying to get an answer.

What you want to look for is a Reseller situation. This way you have a "master control panel" and then sub-panels for all of your clients. You get to setup all your accounts yourself, setup email, stats, etc... There is then no delay for you to get a new account running.

You also should charge for the service and make "residual money". It's a great way to create a flat cushion of money coming every month from your client base. I charge anywhere from $10 to $25 per month for the hosting of their website depending on what they need (i.e. how big the site is, special functions they'll need, etc...). This fee is only for hosting, I charge other fees for any web maintenance...

My current Reseller account is with MidPhase and I've been happy with their Tech Support. When something goes wrong the client will contact you, then you can either see if it's something you can fix in your own control panel (which is often the case) or contact your techs via the phone or email in a trouble ticket. The key is how fast your techs respond and how good they are...

Hope this helps!

kremo5le · 03-31-2009, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4folds

I totally think you should host websites for clients. In my book it gives you so much more control over how things function and are setup. And, your clients will love the fact that you are giving them personalized customer service instead of them having to talk with the endless machine trying to get an answer.

What you want to look for is a Reseller situation. This way you have a "master control panel" and then sub-panels for all of your clients. You get to setup all your accounts yourself, setup email, stats, etc... There is then no delay for you to get a new account running.

You also should charge for the service and make "residual money". It's a great way to create a flat cushion of money coming every month from your client base. I charge anywhere from $10 to $25 per month for the hosting of their website depending on what they need (i.e. how big the site is, special functions they'll need, etc...). This fee is only for hosting, I charge other fees for any web maintenance...

My current Reseller account is with MidPhase and I've been happy with their Tech Support. When something goes wrong the client will contact you, then you can either see if it's something you can fix in your own control panel (which is often the case) or contact your techs via the phone or email in a trouble ticket. The key is how fast your techs respond and how good they are...

Hope this helps!

Hello there,

Even though the post is old, the message is not. What you say here makes 100% sense. I'm also thinking about providing more ways for my clients to choose from. Hosting is one of them. Yes, you also have control and this is something that will benefit you as a designer. Who will they go to? YOU!

k.

designedbylucas · 04-03-2009, 03:09 PM

Honestly, I would not host any one’s website. I started hosting sites 2 years ago. My purpose was to create a steady flow of money every month. But the truth is that it takes a while to make a profit and in addition the responsibility is too big. Some clients depend on their website, and their business run out of the site. When something goes wrong you could get in a lot of trouble.

We have been doing iy since 2006
http://www.designedbylucas.com

Quote:

Originally Posted by kremo5le

Hello folks!

Quick questions only for the experts: Should I host my clients website or should I just encourage him to use his own? Why?

THANK YOU ALL!

kRem

10-20-2008, 11:37 PM	#33
starteasy Bronze Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Adelaide Posts: 46	Never had the server go down in 6 years. Another bonus of reselling from a massive hosting company. As long as you pick a good one that you can trust, of course. __________________ Cheap and Effective Web and Print Design at StartEasy Computing - Where it's Easy from the Beginning

10-21-2008, 02:42 AM	#35
starteasy Bronze Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Adelaide Posts: 46	Yeah that is who I use. Excellent customer service. As I am in Aus and they are in US, I dont call them, but their online chat has had all my issues resolved within 10 minutes. Which as you all know, is an unreal resolution timeframe considering today's level of customer service! (eg paypal, ebay and microsoft!! WORST EVER!) __________________ Cheap and Effective Web and Print Design at StartEasy Computing - Where it's Easy from the Beginning

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03-28-2009, 08:23 AM	#36
4folds New Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 12	I totally think you should host websites for clients. In my book it gives you so much more control over how things function and are setup. And, your clients will love the fact that you are giving them personalized customer service instead of them having to talk with the endless machine trying to get an answer. What you want to look for is a Reseller situation. This way you have a "master control panel" and then sub-panels for all of your clients. You get to setup all your accounts yourself, setup email, stats, etc... There is then no delay for you to get a new account running. You also should charge for the service and make "residual money". It's a great way to create a flat cushion of money coming every month from your client base. I charge anywhere from $10 to $25 per month for the hosting of their website depending on what they need (i.e. how big the site is, special functions they'll need, etc...). This fee is only for hosting, I charge other fees for any web maintenance... My current Reseller account is with MidPhase and I've been happy with their Tech Support. When something goes wrong the client will contact you, then you can either see if it's something you can fix in your own control panel (which is often the case) or contact your techs via the phone or email in a trouble ticket. The key is how fast your techs respond and how good they are... Hope this helps!