Are you looking for ways to make more money from your web hosting business? If so, this guide is for you.
In it, we’ll share creative ways to add additional income streams to your existing business.
Whether you want to generate passive income or just want to find new ways to monetize your traffic, this guide will give you plenty of ideas to get started.
So let’s get started!
Table of Contents
The business of web hosting
Web hosting providers offer businesses, organizations, and individuals access to systems for storing information, images, and video.
A web host, or web hosting service provider, is a business that provides the technologies and services needed for the website to be viewed on the Internet.
Websites are hosted or stored on special computers called web servers.
When you create a website, you have to put it on a server so people can access it when they type in your domain name (www.example.com).
That’s where web hosting comes in – when you sign up for a web hosting plan from a company like Truehost, we store your site on our servers and give you access to it through our platform.
Talking of web hosting plans, here are different types of web hosting services:
- Shared Hosting: Your Website shares space with other websites on the same physical server, but each account has its own control panel & resource allocation limit e,.g CPU usage limits, etc.
- VPS Hosting: Your Website shares space & resources with other websites on the same physical server but has its own control panel and dedicated resources, e.g., CPU usage limits, memory, etc.
- Dedicated Hosting: You have an entire physical server to yourself. This is great for high-traffic sites or if you want complete control over your hosting environment.
- WordPress Hosting: WordPress hosting is optimized for running the popular WordPress CMS. These plans come with pre-installed WordPress, so you can start building your site immediately.
- Reseller Hosting: Reseller hosting allows you to create sub-accounts, each with its own cPanel and resources, that you can sell to others. This is a great way to start your own web hosting business without investing in infrastructure.
- Cloud Hosting: Cloud hosting uses multiple servers across the globe to store & serve website data, making it more reliable & scalable than traditional VPS or Dedicated Server solutions.
- Domain name registration: This is the process of reserving a domain name, such as www.example.com, so that a website or email address can use it. You make money by charging customers for this service as a web host.
- SSL certificates: These are used to encrypt data transmitted between a website and its visitors, providing an additional layer of security. As a web host, you can charge customers for the installation & usage of SSL certificates on their websites.
These are the typical services sold by a web hosting company, which makes you think, are there any other ways that a web hosting company could make money?
Creative Ways To Make Money With Your Web Hosting Business
1. Resell web hosting services
Looking to make a little extra money with your web hosting business in South Africa?
Why not try reselling web hosting services?
It’s a great way to make extra cash, and you can even do it without breaking a sweat.
In a nutshell, it means offering web hosting services to others on behalf of another company. Essentially, you become a middleman between the customer and the web hosting company.
As the middleman, you earn a commission for every customer you refer to the web hosting company.
Sounds pretty easy, right?
And it is!
Reselling web hosting services is a great way to make extra money without putting in much extra work.
2. Create a web hosting affiliate program
An affiliate program is basically a referral system where you give people a commission for bringing in new customers. This can be a great way to make some extra money, and it doesn’t require much work on your part.
This means you can create an affiliate program for your web hosting business. Here, you will reward anyone who sends paying clients your way.
How much?
Well, there are two ways you can reward them;
- Give a one-off fee of R300 per successful sale
- Use a percentage commission. For instance, at Truehost Cloud, we offer a 10% commission on every successful sale.
There are a few things to keep in mind when setting up an affiliate program, such as ensuring you have good terms and conditions and paying your affiliates on time.
But if you do it right, an affiliate program can be a great way to boost your income.
3. Sell web hosting add-ons and extras
By selling web hosting add-ons and extras, you can make much extra money without putting in much extra work.
For example, many hosting customers are willing to pay for domain name privacy add-ons. This service keeps their personal information hidden from the public WHOIS database. By offering this service, you can charge a few extra dollars per customer per year.
Other great extras you can sell are email accounts and storage upgrades.
If you’ve got customers who are using up a lot of space or bandwidth, they may be willing to pay for more. And if you offer email accounts with larger storage limits, you can also charge a premium.
4. Offer web design services
Web hosting and web design go hand in hand. And you can tap this stream and make more money?.
To get started, you will need to create a portfolio of your work. You can do this by creating websites for yourself or friends and family. Once you have a few samples to show potential clients, you can start marketing your services.
One of the best ways to market your web design services is through online directories. This will allow you to reach a larger audience and get your name out there. You can also use social media for marketing your services.
Be sure to create a page for your business on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
At the same time, you can upsell the design services to domain clients. Whenever someone orders a domain name or hosting account, recommend them your web design services at a discount!
5. Provide managed web hosting services
Managing services can be a great way to set your business apart from the competition in web hosting. By offering these services, you can provide your clients with higher support and peace of mind.
So, what exactly is managed web hosting?
In a nutshell, it’s when you take on the responsibility of managing your client’s website for them. This can include anything from keeping their site up-to-date and secure to providing customer support.
Offering managed web hosting services in South Africa can be a great way to differentiate your business and attract new clients. Not only will they appreciate the extra level of support, but you’ll also be able to command a higher price for your services.
If you are offering web hosting, you can add a new package where you manage the account for the client at an extra cost.
6. Manage client websites
Another one of the best ways to make extra money is to manage client websites. But how will it work? And how can you do it right?
Basically, you’ll be responsible for keeping your clients’ websites up and running. This includes tasks like updating software, backing up data, and troubleshooting any issues that arise.
To be successful at this, you’ll need to be organized and detail-oriented. You’ll also need to have a good working knowledge of various web technologies.
What are some things to keep in mind?
- Make sure you understand your client’s needs and expectations.
- Be organized and keep detailed records of all the websites you manage.
- Stay up to date on new web technologies and developments.
- Be available to troubleshoot any issues that may arise with client websites.
But how is this different from managed web hosting services?
Managed web hosting services are generally more expensive than traditional web hosting services. This is because they include additional features and support that you may not need if you manage only a few websites.
Additionally, managed web hosting providers will typically have their own staff to help with any issues that may arise.
Whereas, if you’re managing client websites on your own, you’ll be responsible for any issues that come up. This includes creating, publishing, and updating content.
7. Offer online marketing services
It’s not as difficult as you might think, and it can be quite profitable if you do it right. Here’s how it works:
First, you need to identify the businesses in your area that could benefit from online marketing services. Then, you approach them and offer your services.
To be successful, it’s important that you understand what online marketing entails and how to do it effectively. There are a lot of resources available on the Internet that can help you with this.
Once you’ve got the hang of it, all you need to do is put together a good proposal and pricing structure and start selling!
There are a ton of hosting companies offering social media management services, content marketing services, and ads services.
Conclusion
There are several creative ways to make money with your web hosting business. Whether adding more services or charging more, don’t be afraid to switch things up.
Find what works best for you and your customers, and go with it. With a little exploration, you’re sure to find the perfect solution for your needs.
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