Should I host my client's website or not?

starteasy

New Member
Lol, for that you will have to do your own research :)

If you look carefully, you can find some that pay up to 30%. It is about being tricky, but where there is a will, there is a way.

Good luck :)
 

3dmagicaldesign

New Member
If your hosting is a big one and you can give him access so that he can handle his/her account it won't be a problem, wetgravy has a point when he says that it is very annoying to have a client yelling at you for your server down. But if you explain your client that hosting his website is a service that you just retail, that you are not the support, that when he/she has a problem he needs to contact the support to this address or email, etc, I think you won't have problems and you will make some profits.

I host some clients account and I charge them $350 year for hosting, I haven't had problems.

If you clear the things before you start the hosting service and you trust your main hosting service 100% I don't see the reason why you can provide this service.
 

kremo5le

Member
Ferociously ferocious?

If you can provide your clients a good hosting package with a control panel, and good support (24hrs) you should go for it.

If you can't provide them with that, let someone else do it. You don't want to loose them as a design client if you can't offer the hosting and support they are looking for. We offer a affiliate program, if you're interested email us.

Hope that helps.

Luther

Ferocity Host
www.ferocityhost.com

Hello Luther and thank you for your advise. I do think you are right about quality hosting.

As far as your service, it looks like your site has no SEO info, meaning that it's new, new business, no ranking, etc. This doesn't speak too much of what you are offering.

Thank you anyway!

kRem
 

starteasy

New Member
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.
 

RAJO

New Member
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
 

kremo5le

Member
Re-seller is the way to go!

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

Member
It is the way it is...

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

New Member
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

Member
Re-seller Show Off

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! :D
 

starteasy

New Member
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

New Member
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

Member
Hosting Your Client's Website

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. :D
 
Hosting your clien website-big responsability-

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


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 :D
 
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