Currently, we offer static IP’s for every customer. This is because we feel that every customer, regardless of how small their site is, should have the option to automatically add SSL to their site without having to upgrade to a package with a static IP. This is why we just offer static addresses for every package.
Now, I am looking for suggestions as to why I should continue to do this. Is my reasoning valid or is there a better way?
If I should be using HTTP Headers instead of static addresses for hosting accounts, how do I configure virtualmin to use headers instead of allocating addresses from the ip range specified per template?
Well, I’d probably suggest that’s more of a business decision on your part.
The only reason to provide a dedicated IP on a shared hosting server is for SSL.
But if a good many of the people you do business with want to have SSL – perhaps your customers tend to provide online sales or such – then it may make sense for you.
If you have a lot of customers who don’t require SSL… you could provide a lower cost plan for folks who don’t require IP addresses.
One option would be to offer a base-plan at $N a month, and just offer an additional charge for an IP address if they decide to go with SSL. It doesn’t have to be a whole new plan, it can just be a small cost for the IP itself.
But if your business is geared towards customers who use SSL, for online sales and so forth, building an IP into the cost of the initial plan may make sense for you – and may make your business look more geared towards them.
Thanks for your reply. I am interested in just making the IP address optional since not every customer requires an IP address. How, in a virtualmin template, do I tell it to use a shared IP address instead of a static public IP address from the range that I can specify in the settings?