Researching Reseller Hosting by Derek Vaughn
Anyone who has researched reseller hosting knows that there are a vast number of reseller web hosts offering an array of products to choose from. So how does one select a reseller host who will provide an excellent product backed by dependable servers with outstanding customer support? Here are a few suggestions which you might not have considered to help you select the reseller host that is right for you.
Reputation - Most of us would probably think to turn to the major search engines and review the rankings for reseller hosts. This is the first step in determining a hosting company's reputation. You can search for company names, types of hosting (for example - ASP.NET reseller hosting), or hosts in a particular region. Be sure to look at what others are saying about any reseller hosting companies you may be considering. William Toll, Senior Director, Product Management, with Navisite explains his view on selecting a reseller host based on reputation, ''There are many hosting providers that can enable a reseller hosting business, there are few that can enable a great reseller platform to build a business on. Most resellers should think from their target customer backwards - select a hosting provider/platform that will meet the needs your customer base. For example, if the reseller is going to target a financial vertical they should select a hosting provider that can pass any due-diligence that a customer in the financial industry may ask. Is the facility SAS 70 Type II certified? Does the provider offer the ability to expand offerings to include complex hosting solutions that may unlock the ability to offer solutions that meet more than just the "website" hosting service that a reseller might start with. In the end - look for quality, flexibility and a provider that will grow with you. And - never be shy to ask for a reference.''
Geography - Depending on your clients and objectives, you may need to narrow your reseller hosting search down to a specific region. The most compelling reason to select a hosting server in a specific country is to take advantage of Google's search rankings segregated by countries and ranked via Google search specific to that country. For a list of all the different country-specific Google URLs, you can view this page. At the bottom is the list of country-specific Google links. For example, to see results most relevant to France one would search Google.fr. Even more targeted are the web page results which originate from that particular country. Google provides a radio button selection at the top of the search box which allows you to search the web or only pages originating from that country. It has been demonstrated that websites originating in a specific country are given preference in a Google search conducted via the Google URL for that country. So as an example, if you or your clients want to rank well in France - you should select a hosting reseller which has its data center in France. This will give you an edge in rankings for Google.fr.
Stuart Melling, co-founder of reseller hosting company 34SP.com in the United Kingdom agrees, ''We see a number of our clients that originate in countries outside the UK, but who want to serve a UK client base. These resellers need a UK-based hosting provider who can offer a data center which is in the United Kingdom. This means that their customers will be treated as a local company by search engines when ranking companies in the UK search listings.''
Service and Support - It is often the case that selecting a reseller with great service and support can be elusive. This is because practically every hosting provider will claim that their support is fantastic, and the buyer will only truly get a sense of the level of support after the sale. Additionally, buyers will frequently spend most of their search efforts comparing the feature set, specifications and price rather than concentrating the search efforts on service and support. So how can the service and support aspect of a hosting reseller be investigated prior to purchase? Here are some suggestions.
1. Use a review site - preferably one that relies on current customer reviews. For uptime and reliability consider checking Netcraft. This is an independent third party verification of uptime as measured across multiple measurement points. Of course Reseller Hosting Guide is a great source of reseller hosting data as well. There are also valid comments on many resellers at forums such as webhostingtalk.com as well.
2. Turn to experts who review sites and make recommendations. One example is the Daw Web Hosting Blog.
3. Use Google to search for negative reviews.
4. Use Twitter search to see what current customers really think. Go to the Twitter.com homepage and enter the hosting company's name into the search box. The most effective way to use Twitter's real-time search is to try a search repeatedly over the course of several days. That way you will pick up a good cross section of commentary on the company's performance.
5. Email, call or chat into support during a time when you might likely be using support if you were to be a customer. This will give you a sense of wait times, and the quality of the service answers. Remember to contact the support department, not sales.
Good luck in finding the perfect reseller hosting company. Don't skimp on doing your homework on reseller web hosting, remember that research time spent before you sign up is time well spent.
About the author:
Derek Vaughan is a web hosting industry veteran, marketing consultant and writer. Mr. Vaughan has architected the marketing growth of several prominent web hosting success stories leading to acquisition including Affinity Internet, Inc., Aplus.Net and HostMySite.com. Prior to his entry into the web hosting industry, Mr. Vaughan was responsible for online marketing at The Walt Disney Company where he marketed ecommerce for the ESPN.com and NASCAR.com brands. Mr. Vaughan received his M.B.A. from Vanderbilt University and currently serves on the HostingCon Advisory Board.
Related Sections:
Doing Research on Possible Hosts
Source:
http://www.resellerguide.com/articles/research-hosting-companies/researching-reseller-hosting/255
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