Thread: Should I host my client's website or not?

Hello,

Quick questions only for the experts: Should I host my clients website or should I just encourage him to use his own? Why?

Thanks

This is a question that I too keep thinking about.

I think the best option is get them to use your affiliate link and hook them up with a good host. (I am going to chose this as I am going to be a bit busy in the coming months)

But if you are doing this in a big way you can get a reseller and host all their sites. You can charge them $10 per month and take care of it.

Originally Posted by Farrhad A

This is a question that I too keep thinking about.

I think the best option is get them to use your affiliate link and hook them up with a good host. (I am going to chose this as I am going to be a bit busy in the coming months)

But if you are doing this in a big way you can get a reseller and host all their sites. You can charge them $10 per month and take care of it.

Nice strategy. I would also recommend a good host, and offer them some kind of discount in return for the commission. This way, if the website is down, it isn't your fault. Charging for upkeep will also gain you more profit.

Originally Posted by Dziner

Hello,

Quick questions only for the experts: Should I host my clients website or should I just encourage him to use his own? Why?

Thanks

Hello Dziner,
One question, Do you have a reseller account or just a standard hosting account? If you do have a reseller account then by all means host him (You can do it for free or charge him/her for the service).

If you do not have a reseller account with your host then it is best to either use an affiliate referal or to invest in a reseller account. Reseller accounts are not expensive (You can get one for 10-15 bucks)

I would not advise allowing users to have access to your account on a non-reseller enviroment because it is possible for this person to gain access to your files.

Please feel free to PM Me with any questions, I have been in the web hosting biz for several years and would not mind helping you with any questions.

I think your right I will take a reseller. I will surely contact you when I am starting out.

Originally Posted by Dziner

I think your right I will take a reseller. I will surely contact you when I am starting out.

Great to hear, If you want, I can give you a free 30 day trial at K-Disk so you csn test the water when you are ready, Just shoot me an e-mail.

Host it, do all the work, but charge more

I have been building sites for ten plus years, and to this day I still refer them to a host. I get a small cut, and no customer service calls when they have a problem with their email or billing. I guess I could stand to make more, but I can make more building sites or doing analyses. I have seen a few friends have their accounts deactivated due to billing issues. Want to deal with that? Want to deal with an evil spammer trying to abuse your system? No, way, no how, at least for me.

Originally Posted by camp185

I have been building sites for ten plus years, and to this day I still refer them to a host. I get a small cut, and no customer service calls when they have a problem with their email or billing. I guess I could stand to make more, but I can make more building sites or doing analyses. I have seen a few friends have their accounts deactivated due to billing issues. Want to deal with that? Want to deal with an evil spammer trying to abuse your system? No, way, no how, at least for me.

Point Taken, Hosting is not for everyone, it must be ran as a business first. There is nothing worse then a friends account being suspended so if you intend to host your friends, please lay out some ground rules.

Originally Posted by camp185

I have been building sites for ten plus years, and to this day I still refer them to a host. I get a small cut, and no customer service calls when they have a problem with their email or billing. I guess I could stand to make more, but I can make more building sites or doing analyses. I have seen a few friends have their accounts deactivated due to billing issues. Want to deal with that? Want to deal with an evil spammer trying to abuse your system? No, way, no how, at least for me.

I totally agree. If you don't have a background in server administration, I suggest you let your client relate directly with the Web host instead of being a middleman. It's true that you can gain a greater margin with the added service, but with all the problems that plague hosting services, it's generally not worth the time of a freelance designer/developer.