Manage client accounts
As a reseller, you look after many hosting accounts at once, one for each client. Clear habits make that work faster and safer: every client knows what they have, problems stay contained, and you can answer questions without digging. This guide covers general practices for creating, running and closing client accounts. The exact screens depend on your host, so the steps describe actions you take in your reseller control panel rather than specific menus.
One account per client
Give every client their own hosting account, even small ones and even if one person owns several businesses. Separate accounts mean:
- Problems stay contained. A hacked or overloaded site cannot touch another client's files.
- Access is simple. You can give a client sign-in details for their own account without exposing anyone else's.
- Leaving is easy. When a client moves elsewhere, you can hand over or close one account without untangling shared files.
Create packages first
A package is a named set of limits you apply to a client account: disk space, monthly data transfer, number of email accounts, databases, domains and so on. Create your packages before you create any accounts.
- In your reseller control panel, open the section for packages or plans.
- Create a package for each tier you sell, with a clear name such as
small-siteoronline-store. - Set each resource limit. Base the numbers on what real sites use, with room to grow.
- Save, then use the package whenever you create a matching client account.
When you change a package, check whether the change applies to existing accounts on it. Raising a limit is safe; lowering one can push an existing site over its limit.
Onboard a new client
A repeatable checklist helps you set up each client the same way.
- Create the account in your reseller control panel, choosing the package and the client's main domain, for example
example.com. - Sort out the domain. Register it for the client, or ask them to point an existing domain at your nameservers or at the account's IP address. See Connect a domain to a website.
- Check DNS. Confirm the A records for the domain and
www, and add any records the client needs for other services. - Set up email. Create mailboxes or forwarders, and make sure the MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records are in place. See SPF, DKIM and DMARC explained.
- Turn on SSL. Make sure a certificate is issued for both
example.comandwww.example.com, and thathttp://redirects tohttps://. - Send a welcome message with what the client needs: how to sign in, email settings, how to reach you for support, and what their package includes.
Suspend or terminate?
These two actions sound similar but have very different results.
| Suspend | Terminate | |
|---|---|---|
| What happens | The site and email stop working, but all data is kept | The account and all its data are deleted |
| Can be undone | Yes, unsuspend to restore service | Usually not, unless you have a separate backup |
| Typical reason | Unpaid invoice, abuse report, a hacked site being cleaned | The client has left and their data is no longer needed |
Suspend first when in doubt. Before terminating, take a final backup and keep it for as long as your terms of service say, in case the client asks for their data later.
Deleting a client account removes its website files, databases and mailboxes. Confirm with the client in writing, and download a full backup before you terminate.
Keep credentials separate
- Use a different strong password for every client account and for your own reseller account.
- Store them in a password manager, not in a spreadsheet or email.
- Never send passwords and usernames in the same message. Share them through a secure channel, or let the client set their own.
- Turn on two-step sign-in wherever your host and the client's software offer it. Protect your hosting account explains why.
- When a team member or contractor leaves, change any passwords they knew.
Move client sites in and out
When a new client arrives with an existing site, follow the same process as any migration: copy files and databases, test with your computer's hosts file, then switch DNS. Plan a website migration has the full checklist.
When a client leaves, give them a full backup of their files, databases and email, and the details they need to move their domain. Keep their account suspended rather than deleted until they confirm the new site works.
Backups for each client
Your host's backups protect the server, but you should still know how to restore a single client's site quickly.
- Find out how often backups run, how long they are kept and how to restore one account.
- Before risky changes for a client, such as a major software update, take a manual backup of that account.
- Test a restore occasionally, for example to a staging copy, so you know it works before you need it.
- Tell clients in your terms what backups you provide and what they should keep themselves.
Document everything
A short record for each client saves hours later. Note the package, domains and where each is registered, DNS provider, email setup, software installed and its admin address, important dates such as domain renewals, and any special settings. Keep the record next to, but separate from, the client's passwords.
DomainPilot reseller hosting gives each client a separate account in a white-label control panel, includes daily backups and domain reselling, and offers free migration of client sites. For help with a client account, contact DomainPilot support. To ask for a migration, use the migration request form.