Building relationships with web design clients using web hosting

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1 Building relationships with web design clients using web hosting A study into the use of web hosting to develop lasting relationships with clients & generate recurring revenue. 1

2 Contents Executive summary 3 The challenges facing web designers 4-5 Making the right choice 6-7 Choosing the right solution 8-9 Conclusion Sources of information 12 About us 12 2

3 Executive summary Industries such as web design are facing an increase in competition which, in turn, is forcing prices down. This report highlights the importance of developing close relationships with web design clients to ensure recurring revenue, and the vital role that selling hosting plays in this process. It discusses the problems facing web designers in an increasingly competitive market and suggests how reseller hosting helps enter the client and designer into an extended partnership which is mutually beneficial and profitable. Research conducted by Heart Internet amongst UK web designers has shown that industries such as web design are facing increased competition which, in turn, is forcing prices down. In order to combat this, many web designers have looked at adding extra services in order to keep their clients with them, ensuring more regular and recurring income. Typical examples of these services include website maintenance, SEO, digital marketing, copywriting, and web hosting. Web hosting, in particular, not only ties the client into a regular fee but it allows the client and web professional to build up a long-term relationship. The best reseller hosting platforms have the ability to help integrate web hosting into an existing business by allowing the reseller to fully customise the features and branding. Providing a reliable service builds a relationship of trust and loyalty, which further enhances the likelihood that the client will continue to spend money with the reseller for both web hosting and the other services they provide. It also leads to the client recommending the reseller s services to other parties, one of the most powerful marketing tools at a business s disposal. 3

4 The challenges facing web designers Once the client has their new website, there are few reasons for them to stay in contact with the designer, and it could be years before more work is required. More data from the survey further highlights the challenges of finding new clients, with 80% saying that work was more difficult or just as difficult to come by in the last 12 months, showing the importance of holding onto existing clients. As the web design industry becomes more and more competitive, the need to develop longer lasting relationships with clients has never been stronger. The problem facing web designers is that once the initial job is done, there is no guarantee that the customer will come back for further work. Research conducted by Heart Internet amongst web design industry professionals found that 79% agreed that prices were being forced down due to increased competition. Once the client has their new website, there are few reasons for them to stay in contact with the designer, and it could be years before more work is required. When the client decides to make a change and there is no established relationship with one particular designer, they will approach several different designers to see who is the most competitive. More data from the survey further highlights the challenges of finding new clients, with 80% saying that work was more difficult or just as difficult to come by in the last 12 months, showing the importance of holding onto existing clients. 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Easier More difficult The same Fig 1: Is it easier or more difficult to find work compared to 12 months ago? Many more designers are venturing into additional services in order to retain customers; Heart Internet s research found that the most popular extras they provide are website development, website maintenance, digital marketing, copywriting and web hosting. In fact, the research shows that on average, web designers offer more than three additional services alongside the primary focus of their business. Key statistics from the Heart Internet web design survey: l 88% say that clients underestimate the cost of web design l 80% said work was either more difficult or just as tough to find in the last 12 months l 79% think that prices are falling due to increasing competition l 75% predict that work will get no easier to find in the next year The conclusion we draw from this is not only do web designers need to attract new clients, but they also need to keep existing ones coming back for more. 4

5 Building bonds Building strong bonds between professional and client is important in order to achieve the goal of a healthy income. Reseller hosting enables both the professional (e.g. the designer) and the client to enter into a long-term plan which benefits the future of both parties. Not only will resellers ensure recurring income from clients by claiming a monthly fee, but they maintain strong channels of communication through the form of technical support, consultancy, and being the first port of call if they need changes or updates to their website. The client also benefits as they get more for their money, and they rely on the reseller for a vast array of services. Becoming a one-stop shop Not only will resellers ensure recurring income from clients by claiming a regular fee, but they maintain strong channels of communication through the form of technical support and consultancy. Reseller hosting does not need to replace the main function of a particular business, but it can be integrated alongside other services to increase product range and customer choice. The offer of web hosting to a potential new client will help them solve the problem of sourcing a web host themselves, or even alert them to the fact that they are in need of a host. The customer benefits from this by having all their web services in one place, saving them the headache of sourcing different providers of the services they need, giving them convenience as well as choice. This enables the reseller to act as a consultant as well as a service provider, advising the client what they can do to improve their website and which products can help them to do this. Taking control of word-of-mouth A strong and healthy relationship with the client will lead to recommendations and reviews which are among the most effective marketing tools at a business s disposal. It creates the opportunity for a business to use examples of what other people are saying to persuade prospective customers into buying. Given that web hosting is an on-going arrangement from the client, any recommendations or reviews the reseller gets are from current customers that are continuously happy with their service, not just ones that have had one good experience. 5

6 Making the right choice Choosing a reseller platform which is completely whitelabel should be a pre-requisite for web professionals who are looking to start offering web hosting. It is vital that the choice of hosting package enables the reseller to offer a product which not only provides effective web hosting, but allows the reseller to fully profit from it. 100% customisable Choosing a reseller platform which is completely white-label should be a prerequisite for web designers who are looking to start offering web hosting. Being able to create completely unique hosting packages that fit within the rest of the product range will help the integration of the service to be much easier. The customer will see that this is an added service and not an advert for another hosting company. It also allows the reseller to build a brand and to maintain consistency across their website. Another way in which customisable features benefit the reseller is the ability to modify and edit their packages as they see fit, helping them to co-ordinate offers, pricing-structures and the branding of such features. Customer support Customer support is an area which makes or breaks web hosting credibility, as this is what builds reputation and trust amongst customers. Seeing as the reseller is responsible for their clients website, it is advisable that a web hosting company with a reputation of excellent support is chosen. Should the client have a problem, the reseller may need to rely on the support of the web hosting provider to help resolve it. A speedy and accurate response will help to build an effective safety net for both the reseller and the client, whilst simultaneously helping to build trust, develop loyalty and, more importantly, keep the customer happy. By choosing a reseller platform which offers 24/7 support, the reseller is reassured that they are never without a lifeline should an error occur. This also helps to overcome any skills gaps as the reseller can offer full support to their clients even if their knowledge of web hosting has limits, giving the client confidence in the reseller s ability to solve problems. 6

7 Room to grow It is also important to allow for flexibility as the reseller gains more clients. Reseller packages with unlimited web space and bandwidth will not restrict the number of websites that can be hosted and therefore not stunt the growth of the business. This will also save the cost of creating multiple accounts to cater for new clients as well as keeping all the clients in one place for convenience. In summary, the key features to look for in a good reseller package are: l Fully white label features for easy integration into existing services l The ability to sell unlimited websites l Around-the-clock reseller support l Unlimited web space and bandwidth in anticipation of growth 7

8 Choosing the right solution The Reseller account gives us an incredibly powerful system with fantastic levels of control... our clients love it! Rocket Powered, Heart Internet reseller since 2006 Heart Internet s reseller platform has been designed with exactly these key features in mind, allowing the reseller to successfully integrate web hosting alongside a business such as web design and other typical web designers services. All products are white label and can be tailored to appear exactly as the reseller wants them to, with no endorsement of Heart Internet whatsoever. Resellers have access to a wide range of web hosting products including domain names, VPS, Dedicated Servers, SSL certificates and a massive range of add-ons and web-apps. The reseller can offer choice to the client about exactly what they want for their website and puts them in a unique position of being able to make suggestions of how the client can improve their site. Heart Internet has a 100% UK based support team which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days of the year to help give resellers the resources and confidence to provide effective support to their clients. I m staggered at how well Heart Internet s systems and servers work considering the price we pay. I m yet to see a better package of reliability, features and support Azure Design, Heart Internet reseller since 2004 Unlimited web space and bandwidth are also included in the reseller package, giving the freedom and flexibility needed to be able to host as many clients as they need and successfully supplement their income as well as allowing room for growth. Heart Internet has advanced features to optimise the reseller hosting platform for managing multiple accounts, including multisite FTP which makes managing clients website files simple and quick, and is a feature which no other UK web hosting company has. The feature allows the reseller to view groups of FTP files simultaneously, rather than having to log in and out of each individual client s account to view them or make a change, saving the reseller huge amounts of time if changes need to be made. 8

9 The Benefits Heart Internet prides itself on delivering quality services and for this reason we have stayed with them in the face of fierce competition Glenovation, Heart Internet reseller since 2004 As the Heart Internet reseller package has been specifically curated for web designers, there are further benefits to take advantage of. Heart Internet offers exclusive discounts of up to 50% on other web hosting products, helping the reseller to improve their own websites at the same time. Resellers with Heart Internet benefit from a platform that has been recognised by PC Pro and About.com as the best reseller web hosting provider. Resellers are also given access to HostPay, a bespoke customer CRM and billing system, for free. The Heart internet reseller hosting package has a cancel anytime policy as well as a 30-day money back guarantee. Reseller web hosting key features Web Space Bandwidth Host websites and domains Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited 24 x 7 x 365 Fast UK Support 4 Fully brandable white label features 4 Resell Web Hosting 4 Resell Domain Names 4 Resell Custom VPS 4 Resell Dedicated Servers 4 Resell Hybrid Servers 4 Resell Hosted Exchange Mailboxes 4 Resell SSL certificates 4 Resell Website Builder 4 Resell Mobile Website Builder 4 Free access to HostPay Ecommerce System Exclusive discounts on other Heart Internet products 4 4 9

10 Conclusion The best reseller packages offer flexibility and the option to integrate web hosting into an existing business model, rather than just adding it to the range of existing services. Selling web hosting to clients not only increases profits, it also develops long lasting relationships with clients. Given that the client enters into a long-term commitment with the reseller, a relationship develops leading to trust, loyalty and recommendation to others. With these key gains, a business such as web design (or any other web related service) is safeguarded against a downturn in financial or economic circumstances. Resellers also draw clients towards the other services offered by a business, for example, a client looking for web hosting is alerted to a web designer or conversely, a customer looking for web hosting is drawn to design services. Providing product choice encourages the client to spend more, which sidesteps having to lower prices to stay competitive. The best reseller packages offer flexibility and the option to integrate web hosting into an existing business model, rather than just adding it to the range of existing services. White label products allow the reseller to build their own web hosting packages that reflect their own brand and not just become an advert for the web hosting provider. Heart Internet s reseller package provides the UK s most advanced reseller platform. Support should also be a key area that the reseller considers as this will help to build a reputation for delivering outstanding customer service. The reseller must be able to rely on fast and accurate support from the web host so that they, in turn, respond to their clients issues. Web hosting companies that provide 24/7/365 support create a safety net for both the reseller and client as they have reassurances that problems are always rectified. This promotes loyalty amongst clients who are then likely to recommend the service to others. Allowing room to grow will avoid complications as the reseller reaches more clients. Reseller packages with unlimited web space and bandwidth allow the reseller to host as many sites as possible without fear of reaching limits or having to turn business away due to lack of resources, maximising income opportunities. Heart Internet s reseller package delivers on all these fronts, providing the UK s most advanced reseller platform. Not only do Heart Internet provide around-the-clock support, unlimited resources and fully white label features, but the package has been deliberately curated to make reselling web hosting easy to integrate into an existing business model. 10

11 Heart internet also gives resellers the means to profit on web hosting products by offering exclusive discounts. Features such as multi-site FTP allow a simple and speedy way of dealing with client requests as the reseller can access multiple accounts simultaneously, helping both the reseller and the client complete their objectives. Heart internet also gives resellers the means to profit on web hosting products by offering exclusive discounts as well as full access to other resources such as the massive 1-click-install library which clients can use to customise their own sites. The whole platform is enhanced by HostPay, a customer CRM and billing system created especially with resellers in mind, for free. Go to to start setting up your reseller web hosting account and see how your business can benefit. 11

12 Sources of information Heart Internet survey of 500 web designers, About us Launched in 2004, Heart Internet has grown rapidly to become one of the UK s leading web hosting and reseller hosting companies. Offering the UK s most advanced reseller hosting package, Heart Internet s core values are based around high-quality products at competitive prices. Heart Internet strive for innovation within the web hosting industry by continuing to develop market leading technology that benefits their customers websites. Heart Internet Ltd 2 Castle Quay Castle Boulevard Nottingham NG7 1FW 12 t: