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Step 1
Research web hosting options. The easiest way to start a web hosting business is to purchase a server from another website or access to a server--in a reseller package from a website. Reseller packages run from $19 to $200 a month and allow you complete access to DNS and other server controls, enabling you to resell web hosting space to others. Do a search in any search engine for reseller web hosts and you should come up with tons of possible options.
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Step 2
Purchase a domain name. This domain name should include the name of your web hosting business. It will be the place where you allow people to purchase web hosting from you, as well as the primary URL for your actual web hosting. It's important to carefully think about the domain name before buying it.
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Step 3
Purchase reseller web hosting. Once you've decided on a reseller web hosting package, it's time to purchase it. Sign up for hosting with the domain name you purchased in Step 2. Follow all the directions from the web host to set things up.
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Step 4
Create a business plan for your web hosting business. Many assume this is only necessary if you are starting an offline business, but even Internet businesses need a thorough business plan. In this business plan, you'll detail what your site will look like, how much you plan on charging for web hosting, what sort of web hosting packages you'll be offering, how much you'll be charging and the payment methods, among other things.
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Step 5
Build your website. During this step, you'll be adding information to the website about your business--the available hosting packages, the cost of each and the specifications of each package, amongst other things. If you get confused about the specifications included in each package, consult your hosting company for information on what sort of features you're getting with the reseller package. This will help you to build a website that has accurate information.
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Step 6
Add a payment interface so that people ordering your web hosting services will be able to pay. Most web hosts accept PayPal and credit cards, as well as money order, so it's a good thing to make sure yours does this. During this step, you'll want to research the various payment interfaces available, and if you're not that good at coding and scripting on your website, you might consider hiring a programmer to set the interface up for you.
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Step 7
Officially launch the website. Put all the files onto your server and ensure that every element of the site is working correctly. You'll inevitably find that there are things to fix, but you should be able to fix these issues quickly and get things up and running.
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Step 8
Market your web hosting services. Sign up for various web design and web hosting forums, and be sure to include a link to your business's website in signatures or, if allowed, posts. This will spread the word about your web hosting business which will increase the amount of business you get.
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Step 9
Set up new accounts as people sign up. You'll need to log into your website's DNS system manually to add domains to it. However, this is very easy to do as long as you follow the directions provided by your web host. You might eventually be able to get a script that automates this process for you.
