Processing power
Processing power determines how fast and reliable your web server is. Your server’s processing power is primarily determined by two server components:
The central processing unit, often referred to as the computer’s brain, the CPU performs tasks like graphics rendering. Web servers also sometimes use virtual CPUs which isolate some of a physical server’s resources so they can be dedicated to a single customer. Server speed and reliability generally improve as the number of CPUs or vCPUs increases.
RAM is data storage connected directly to the CPU. This direct connection lets the CPU draw information from RAM more quickly than it can draw information from the read-only memory — ROM — stored on a hard drive or solid-state drive. The more RAM you have, the faster your server will be.
Storage
The amount of storage you have dictates the number of pages a website owner can publish and files — like images and videos — a site can store. 1GB of storage generally allows a site owner to publish 10 large pages or 100 smaller pages.
Consider your average client’s goals when looking at storage on reseller hosting plans. Storage of just 5GB might be enough for each client if they’re looking to create static small business websites, making 30GB enough to provide hosting for six clients. If those same six clients want to create long-running blogs or host videos on their sites, you’ll need at least 60GB to start, and you’ll probably need to increase that storage as your clients’ sites grow.
You’ll also want to pay attention to the type of storage used. Most web hosts use SSD storage for its fast and reliable performance. Some companies use NVMe storage, an enhanced version of SSD storage that provides even faster, more reliable performance. Both are good options, but you’ll want to avoid using hard drive storage, as HDD storage is slower and doesn’t provide the reliability needed to run complex applications.
Bandwidth
Technically, bandwidth is a measurement of how quickly data is transferred from your web server to visitors’ browsers, expressed as gigabits per second. Many web hosts use bandwidth interchangeably with data transfer, which is the amount of data that can be sent to and from your website in a given month. This means that bandwidth determines the number of monthly visitors your clients’ sites can accommodate.
Some reseller plans offer unlimited or unmetered bandwidth. There’s usually fine print somewhere in the contract detailing a limit because truly unlimited bandwidth is impossible, but these plans offer enough bandwidth to accommodate most small-to-medium-traffic sites’ needs.
Other reseller plans express bandwidth limits as a number of gigabytes, such as 100GB. You can generally think of 1GB of traffic as enough for 1,000 monthly visitors (or more if web pages are kept small). Determining how much traffic your clients’ sites can expect is difficult, so more bandwidth is always better for reseller hosting.
Uptime
Uptime is the percentage of time a site is available online. Users who find a website offline when they try to visit will typically go elsewhere, resulting in lost traffic and possibly lost money for your clients.
The industry standard is a guaranteed 99.9% uptime, guaranteeing less than 10 minutes of downtime a week. Some companies guarantee 99.99% uptime, ensuring less than two minutes of downtime per week, or even 100% uptime.
A higher uptime guarantee is great, but a 99.9% uptime guarantee doesn’t mean 10 minutes of downtime every week. Several of the web hosts I’ve tested, like A2 Hosting, had 100% uptime during my test week despite only guaranteeing 99.9% uptime.
Site speed
Site speed is a measurement of how long your site takes to load. Most experts recommend a site loading time of three seconds or less, as the bounce rate decreases by 32% when loading time goes from one to three seconds. (Bounce rate refers to the percentage of visitors who leave after viewing only one page.)
Site speed is majorly impacted by a site’s layout and content, but server speed also plays a role. Web hosts can improve server speed by using top-of-the-line hardware, optimized server configuration and additional performance tools such as:
- Cachingis a protocol that places static site data in fast-access storage so browsers can access it without needing to pull the whole site from the server and compile the data every time, therefore improving site speed. Many web hosts use LiteSpeed servers, which feature built-in caching.
- Content delivery network is a network of connected servers around the globe. A website’s data is connected to each of these servers. This improves site speed by allowing visitors’ browsers to pull site data from the server closest to their geographical location.
- File compression compresses your code and other files to improve data transfer speed, in much the same way that ZIP files compress groups of files into one small folder so they can be downloaded quickly.
Security
There are two main security measures every web hosting company should provide:
- Secure socket layercertification is a protocol that encrypts data sent to and from your website, protecting sensitive information like payment details. The “s” at the end of “https” indicates that this protocol is active on a site, signaling to browsers and VPNs that it’s safe. It’s so important that many browsers and VPNs won’t let visitors load a site without it. Google also penalizes sites without SSL.
- A firewall is a software application that scans all data submitted to a site and prevents malware and other suspicious data from infiltrating the site or its server. Firewalls can’t guarantee 100% protection, but a high-quality one can protect sites from most malware.
Many web hosts offer additional layers of security, such as:
- Distributed denial of serviceprotection is a protocol that prevents malicious traffic from overwhelming your server and causing sites on it to shut down.
- Brute force attack protection is a protocol that prevents malicious actors from breaking into sites by submitting numerous (often thousands) login credential variations in rapid succession until one works.
- Malware scanning is a 24/7 service that notifies you if malware is detected on your site. Some services also automatically remove the malware for you.
- Automated backups are a service that creates a secondary copy of your site on a daily or weekly basis and stores it somewhere other than your primary server. This makes it possible to quickly restore sites that break due to botched updates or shut down due to malicious activity.
You’ll want to provide as many of these security measures as possible to your customers, as this increases both the price you can charge and the amount of trust your customers have in your services.
Account management and billing tools
Your reseller hosting plan should provide all of the tools you need to manage your customers’ accounts. This includes the ability to create hosting plans and control the server resources provided to individual users and websites. Web Host Manager connects directly to cPanel, a popular server management tool used to configure advanced settings for individual websites. This gives developers the full ability to configure both the server itself and individual customers’ websites.
Automated billing may be accomplished through a proprietary system or something like WebHostManager Complete Solution, which is a tool that lets you automate several aspects of your reseller hosting business and create a client portal with a knowledge base and support ticket system.
Scalability
You don’t want to be forced to switch web hosts every time your company grows. Look for a company with plans suitable for not only the number of sites you expect to host this year but also the number of sites you expect to host in five years and 10 years.
White label reselling
White label reselling lets you sell hosting services under your own company’s name, without any of the host’s branding on your sales/registration pages. This service helps you build a consistent brand and is especially important if you’re planning to offer regular web hosting services rather than full-service web hosting and development.
Customer service
You’ll be responsible for providing customer support to your customers. This means your team must be accessible through multiple channels, fast and knowledgeable in dealing with basic technical issues. Your team won’t be able to handle all advanced queries, especially if they’re related to the server functionality provided by your host, and that’s where the customer service from your hosting company comes in.
Your reseller host should provide 24/7 customer service via phone, live chat and email. Representatives should respond quickly and provide helpful solutions for any problems you or your customers are facing. This ensures your ability to relay those solutions to your customers promptly.
Reputation
Choosing a trusted company is important regardless of the type of web hosting you’re buying — you want to make sure you’ll actually get the features the company promises — and it’s doubly important when you’re buying reseller hosting. Your company’s reputation will be tied to the quality of hosting you provide, which depends on the quality of the hosting you’ve purchased.
We’ve taken great care to only include hosts with excellent reputations on this list. You can also read reviews on sites like Trustpilot and check out in-depth guides like the web hosting reviews we’ve conducted on CNET. You can also ask full-service developers who offer hosting about the companies they use.
Pricing
There are several factors to consider when deciding if a reseller hosting plan is worth the price:
- Introductory pricing: Some reseller plans offer an introductory discount for the first term of your hosting contract. This means you’ll be paying more per month when your contract renews, sometimes up to two or three times more. Make sure to factor this into your long-term profit and loss analysis.
- Additional fees: You’ll need to offer things like domain registration and automated backups if you want to be a truly full-service web agency. Pay close attention to any extra fees charged for these features.
Profitability
Another important thing to consider is how difficult it will be to make a profit on your reseller hosting plan. To figure this out, you’ll need to know how much storage/bandwidth you’ll be offering to each customer. This tells you how many customers you can split your resources between. Next, calculate how much you want to make and divide this by the number of customers you can fit within the plan you’re considering. This tells you how much you’ll need to charge to make a profit.
Finally, take a look at other providers offering similar plans. If the competitors’ prices are close to what you’ll need to charge, you’ll probably be able to get customers to pay. You might be able to get customers if you charge significantly higher prices than the competition, but it will be harder. Conversely, if you can charge less than your competitors, it’ll be easier.