Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Web Hosting : Should I host my own clients websites?

[stefan83]

Hi

I've been freelancing for a while now and work is really starting to pick up. Previously, I've just got the client to setup their own hosting space themselves (usually with some help) but I've been recently consdering whether to host the websites myself by buying a hosting package with more features, space and databases etc. Are there any real benefits other than having more control over the website and it becoming more appealing to clients if they dont have to worry about hosting themselves? Its quite a large initial cost to setup an account with unlimited MySql databases so I just wnat to know if I'll be doing the right thing. What about having to ask the client for further payments later down the line when their hosting period expires. Doesn't this just cause different problems? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Stefan

[HostStellar_Jansen]

Including hosting as part of your package for whichever business you are involved in would definitely increase the overall appeal of the package and potentially increase your sales and business revenue.

You can purchase a reseller hosting account and create separate cPanel accounts for each client - this way they can also have access to their websites. Regarding the payment issues, some hosting providers do include a billing system in their packages and you could use this to automatically setup your clients' hosting package and when their term is almost up, the system would automatically send out the necessary invoices.

[madlymasterful2018]

What amount of traffic is included in that website and what kind of servers you have rented?

[Website themes]

Makes sense to offer the total package but at the same time you have to think about whether you can handle the additional work load. If your going to be hosting your customer's sites as well then you are responsible for their uptime, hosting customer support, handling abuse reports and also backups. At the very least you will have make sure you make daily backups.

[iHubNet-Matt]

I think it would be a great idea to give your clients hosting also, but the risk would be you'll have to take responsibility for their hosting. If there is any problems you should be able to manage it. Try with a reseller with your requirements and give it a try and see how it goes. And I think reseller hosting is a best way to learn about the hosting business.

[energizedit]

I think it is a good thing to do. But as others stated it increases work on your part in then having to support their hosting too.

[tulaweb]

There are reseller hosting packages that include end user support, and unless you are in a position to provide technical support, all the time, you should be sure to get that feature. Offering hosting as part of the package will make your services more marketable, and it makes your life a bit easier if you don't have to deal with a different environment, for each of your customers. You didn't say what you are doing for your customers, but I assume you are developing sites for them.

[TheChemist]

Originally Posted by stefan83

Hi

I've been freelancing for a while now and work is really starting to pick up. Previously, I've just got the client to setup their own hosting space themselves (usually with some help) but I've been recently consdering whether to host the websites myself by buying a hosting package with more features, space and databases etc. Are there any real benefits other than having more control over the website and it becoming more appealing to clients if they dont have to worry about hosting themselves? Its quite a large initial cost to setup an account with unlimited MySql databases so I just wnat to know if I'll be doing the right thing. What about having to ask the client for further payments later down the line when their hosting period expires. Doesn't this just cause different problems? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Stefan

I think it would definitely be a positive thing for you to host your clients. Or atleast offer it to them. What I would do if I was in your position is tell them upfront. Say something along the lines of "I am not sure if you have your own domain yet, if you don't you can go to whateverdomainregisteryourecommend.com. And just to make it known every web site needs web hosting. I provide web hosting for $4.99/mo (price would depend on site size) but if you pay yearly for the hosting you will get a 15% discount."

Or you could tell them how much it would cost for the design and the site to be online for a full year. They usually bite at that. I have done a few websites for small business local to my area and when I tell them that aside from design costs to keep your domain online for the year it is going to cost you 59.99$ which will include your .com domain name. Works great!

Good luck

[content-wise]

Although it would be a good idea to host your clients yourself, the decision boils down to just a few factors. You have to consider the fact that you will be providing support for them. Do you have the skills? You should have some experience with working with WHM, if you want to. But why not, give it a try.

The closest thing that comes to hosting clients is referring them to a host that you know. Nowadays, many many hosts have a referral program of some sort. Take advantage of that, and refer them to it. In addition to the client paying for his web design, you get commission, which is nice. Also, you won't have to worry about support.

The reason why some design/development companies don't offer hosting and domains to their client is because they don't have to deal with technical support. Site down? Call someone else. Domain expired? Call someone else. It saves time, really.

[simplesite]

I read all the answers.

I now host a few joomla sites for about $5 a month but the thing is that the owners need to update their sites to stay secure. There has been a lot of hacking going on so to make sure they have the latest joomla version but also up to date extensions to prevent hacks and such.

How much extra is reasonable to charge for this kind of joomla site maintenance?

[CloudWeb]

Originally Posted by simplesite

I read all the answers.

I now host a few joomla sites for about $5 a month but the thing is that the owners need to update their sites to stay secure. There has been a lot of hacking going on so to make sure they have the latest joomla version but also up to date extensions to prevent hacks and such.

How much extra is reasonable to charge for this kind of joomla site maintenance?

Just an idea, but using a tool such as Softaculous for 1-click installs will handle this for you instead of performing manual Joomla installs and updates for each site.

[NetHosted-Darryl]

Definitely worth getting hosting with Softaculous / Installatron as it makes upgrades (and installations) extremely easy, I think pricing you really have to work out on a per client basis. If you are going to be putting in some time maintaining there website then charging them a few dollars a month for this time seems reasonable if you do not feel your existing fees cover this work.

[zvjezdan]

Originally Posted by cloudweb

Just an idea, but using a tool such as Softaculous for 1-click installs will handle this for you instead of performing manual Joomla installs and updates for each site.

It's not that simple if you have joomla with hacked core.

[simplesite]

No, there is no hacked core. Great, I will check this script out. Thanks.

[Stream101]

Responding to the OP:

My opinion is yes. With hosting your client's websites, you know how your server is configured and should anything need to be adjusted, it can be done ASAP. It will also allow the less "tech-friendly" clients to be able to get their site up fast!