Hi

I'm interested in providing web hosting for my customers.

Can anyone tell me what you have to do to do this?

I have no idea so any help is much appeciated!

thanks

read message boards and use a control panel such as http://www.cpanel.net/

sakina, your best bet would probably be to start out with a reseller account.
Do some research on hosts by reading forums etc. The level of service can vary drastically from one host to another.
When you have narrowed your choices down to a few hosts come back to the forums and ask for reviews on them.

Don't rush in to anything. A little research can save you a lot of headaches in the long run.

I agree - if you don't know what you're doing you shouldn't start big. A reseller account should be perfect for you.

Talking about Reseller Hosting - how common is it that a company you purchase reseller web hosting from provides technical support to your clients as well (anonymously)?

There are some operations out there that do this Art, but I have yet to hear of any that actually provide a stellar level of support, to the resellers or the end users.

It truly is hard to find such a company you can rely on. In that case, what are the potential technical problems that a Reseller with no server control provide to a customer? And what is the process like logistically?

For just starting out I would suggest a reseller package. It allows you to control all aspects of your clients accounts, but is still on a shared server. Once you have gotten larger, you can upgrade to a VPS server. You can get a cheap VPS at http://rapidVPS.com , or you can get a reliable VPS at http://liquidweb.com . When you out grow that, your next move is a dedicated server. I suggest that you use LiquidWeb for your dedicated server.
Best of luck to you!

Hi,
Ok. You can either, buy a server (most extreme method), become a
hosting affiliate with whatever hosting company you like, or become a hosting
reseller.

As an affiliate, you get some money as a referral fee. As a reseller,
you are responsible for a storefront and advertising.
silvermoon

Hi sakina welcome to HD.
Like all said that you should first start with a reseller but I'd also like to suggest that before starting with the reseller understand the basic concept of hosting and also gain some technical knowledge. It would help you to make a decent start in the hosting business.

I agree, the best way to start would be to buy a hosting reseller plan and get some experience in managing web hosting plans, servers and clients, providing customer support, running and developing a web hosting company web site.

Some of the virtual dedicated plans are reasonably priced as well nowadays, might be better to get on your own box that way you don't know to move within a few months to a dedicated from resell account

the best way to start is through a reseller account. Look in the ads section for reseller offerings.

As stated, start with a reseller plan.

However, most importantly, don't signup with the first host you find that has "Reseller Hosting" plastered on their site.

Do your research about a host you're interested in. Don't settle for the first name you hear. Many people get burned this way.

Once you have your reseller account in place, start by selling some space, or even providing some small accounts for free to your friends and people you know.

This will help you get your feet wet in the world of supporting your customers.

To answer Artashes' question....
Typically, a reseller will face all of the same technical issues that a datacenter faces. The only difference is, when the reseller has no control over the server, things start to get bad as the issue becomes more advanced.

Typically, a customer will see their host (reseller) as no less than a datacenter themselves. Thus will submit tickets and request support the same as a direct customer of the datacenter. A reseller with no server access however will typically have their hands tied in more advanced situations. They generally will not have anything to do but contact their upstream, who in fact has to contact their upstream at times.

Just remember, to a customer, you're not a "reseller". You are a host, that is hosting their website, business, livelyhood. So when problems occur, you will be the direct line of communication. It is then you responsibility to make sure things get fixed, even when you don't have the ability to do so yourself.

Great answer, Mark.
As I pretty much guessed - the reseller will have to contact his own host with the same customer question, and then simply work both sides - get back to the customer with the information, etc.

In that case I can see how critical it is to choose a reliable reseller program with good industry record.