Your server is in one location. Your clients' visitors are everywhere. A CDN bridges that gap.
What a CDN Does
A Content Delivery Network caches static content (images, CSS, JavaScript) on servers worldwide. When a visitor loads a page, static content comes from the nearest CDN server instead of your hosting server.
| Content Type | Served From | Latency |
|---|---|---|
| HTML (dynamic) | Origin server | Full round trip |
| CSS/JS (static) | CDN edge server | Minimal |
| Images | CDN edge server | Minimal |
| Fonts | CDN edge server | Minimal |
Impact on Loading Speed
| Visitor Location | Without CDN | With CDN | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Same country as server | 50-100ms | 30-60ms | 20-40% |
| Same continent | 100-200ms | 40-80ms | 50-60% |
| Different continent | 200-400ms | 50-100ms | 70-80% |
For clients with international audiences, a CDN transforms their website speed.
Cloudflare Integration
Cloudflare is the most popular CDN for hosting resellers:
Free Tier
| Feature | Included |
|---|---|
| Global CDN | Yes |
| DDoS protection | Basic |
| Shared SSL | Yes |
| Page rules | 3 |
| Analytics | Basic |
Pro Tier ($20/month)
| Feature | Included |
|---|---|
| Everything in Free | Yes |
| WAF (Web Application Firewall) | Yes |
| Image optimization | Yes |
| Mobile optimization | Yes |
| Analytics | Enhanced |
Setup for Clients
- Create Cloudflare account (or partner account)
- Add client's domain to Cloudflare
- Update nameservers (or use CNAME setup to keep your nameservers)
- Configure caching rules
- Enable HTTPS settings
CNAME Setup (Preserving Your Nameservers)
If you use custom nameservers for white-labeling, use Cloudflare's CNAME setup (available on Business plan or via Cloudflare Partners):
www.clientsite.com CNAME www.clientsite.com.cdn.cloudflare.net
This way, clients still use your branded nameservers while getting CDN benefits.
Pricing CDN as an Add-On
| Tier | What They Get | Your Cost | Sell Price | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic CDN | Cloudflare Free | $0 | $5/month | 100% |
| Enhanced CDN | Cloudflare Pro | $20/month | $35-50/month | 40-60% |
| Enterprise CDN | Custom config | Varies | $100+/month | 50%+ |
The Basic CDN tier is practically pure profit since Cloudflare's free tier costs nothing.
CDN Configuration for WordPress
Optimal Cloudflare settings for WordPress sites:
| Setting | Value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| SSL mode | Full (Strict) | End-to-end encryption |
| Cache level | Standard | Best for dynamic sites |
| Browser cache TTL | 4 hours | Balance freshness and speed |
| Always Online | Enabled | Shows cached version if server is down |
| Auto Minify | CSS, JS, HTML | Smaller file sizes |
| Brotli compression | Enabled | Better than gzip |
When to Recommend CDN
| Client Scenario | CDN Needed? |
|---|---|
| Local business, local visitors | Optional |
| National business | Recommended |
| International audience | Essential |
| E-commerce with global shipping | Essential |
| Media-heavy site (photos, videos) | Highly recommended |
Pair CDN services with fast origin hosting from Space-Node's reseller platform. NVMe SSD origin servers combined with CDN edge locations give your clients the fastest possible experience globally.
