[Leigh McCulloch]

I operate a web hosting service and am currently considering expanding into providing our own web design services to our clients (we currently recommend our clients to partnered webdesigners). What do you think is the first step we should take to making this move? Would it be better to brand them seperately and operate under two different trading names? Or will customers appreciate having webdesign and webhosting handled by the one entity?

Cheers,
Leigh

[sypher]

I also offer everything under one banner, its alot easier for the designer because you then only have to rely on yourself.

It depends how much traffic your getting through the site, as adding more web design service oriented content etc may turn off your potential hosting customers.
First i would try making a seperate one maybe under a subdomain with maybe one link from your hosting index page to the web design page. See what kind of traffic your getting through, if you need more try adding more content on the hosting page about web design services. If its decreasing your hosting customer average keep back a little.

I would highly target your current hosting customers, tell them about maintenance etc try and get them as regular web design customers even if its just for small edits.

[RaelRode]

Personally, I would operate under two entities. This makes it look better for then end client because lets say your hosting business is called Fast Hosting, it'd be better to have a more creative name for your web design side.

[Karl Buckland]

RaelRode, on Jul 25 2007, 11:21 PM, said:

...lets say your hosting business is called Fast Hosting, it'd be better to have a more creative name for your web design side.

It'd be better to have a more creative name for your hosting business too!

[RaelRode]

Sirkent, on Jul 26 2007, 09:38 AM, said:

It'd be better to have a more creative name for your hosting business too!

Yea but that was just an example.

[Steven Gardner]

I think for small businesses having the two services side by side is great. I do think that the bigger clients however will want the hosting done by larger established hosting companies who offer top security (actual and online) and all the other benifits. This may then put them off using you as a web designer. Define your market and do some research for what your customers would want. I have no hosting experience what so ever but i would in the beginning atleast keep them as a seperate entity.

[marcamos]

I also offer the two services for my clients (hosting & domain name acquisition / design & development). It attracts more clients because they know that they only need to chat with me, provide some money, and not ever get involved with setting up things they know nothing about.

On the flip-side, I have had one or two larger clients that told me, very graciously, that they'd prefer to host their website with a more well-known provider. I completely understood, and in fact thought to myself, 'Good, because I wouldn't want all that traffic on my VPS.'

So it always works out

[web designer]

I for one would choose operating under the same trading name.

The fact that your hosting company starts offering web design services too shows your customers that the business is expanding. There is nothing more appealing to a customer that seeing that your business is going good and expanding its services. This will give the customer the trust it needs not only to solicit web design services but to remain a hosting client too.

Some of your web design clients will want hosting as well. If you do a good job on the design and gain their trust they will prefer to solicit your hosting services as well rather than start looking for another company that offers hosting.

I work in a company that offers web design, hosting and seo too and they go together pretty well

[Locksmithcharlottenc]

I think it depends how much traffic your getting through the site, as adding more web design service oriented content etc may turn off your potential hosting customers.