How to start an SMM panel: a step-by-step guide

What an SMM panel is, and what you actually run

An SMM panel is a website with customer accounts, a balance, a list of services and an order form. A customer adds funds, picks a service, enters a link and a quantity, and the panel places the order. Most panels do not deliver anything themselves: each service is connected to a provider, usually another panel, that does the work and reports the status back.

So the business you run is a storefront and a reseller at the same time. Your job is choosing good providers, setting prices with a margin, taking payments and answering your customers. The software does the rest: it sends orders to providers through their API, keeps statuses up to date and keeps every balance exact.

Step 1: choose a name and a domain

Customers will type your address and see it on every page, so pick a short name that is easy to spell and not too close to a known brand. Register the domain at any registrar you like. A .com is the safe default; a country domain works if your customers are mostly in one country.

Keep access to the registrar account safe: whoever controls the domain controls the panel address. Switch on two-step login at the registrar before you do anything else.

Step 2: decide how the panel software is run

There are two ways. You can buy a script and run it on your own server, which means installing it, patching it, backing it up and keeping it fast as orders grow. Or you can rent a hosted panel, where the software, the server, SSL, updates and backups are the provider's job and you only run the business. The script or hosted panel guide compares the two in detail.

With Arty the panel is hosted: you order it with your domain, an admin email and the currency the panel will use. There is no setup fee; at order you pay the first plan, $25, as an advance that comes off your first invoice. The pricing page shows every plan in full.

Step 3: point the domain and wait for SSL

The panel has to be reachable at your domain with a valid certificate before you share the link. With a hosted panel this is usually one change at your registrar: set the nameservers you are given, or add an A or CNAME record if you prefer to keep your DNS where it is. The domain guide explains both options and what to check.

Step 4: connect providers and import services

A new panel starts empty, and you stock it. Open an account with one or more providers, top up a balance there, and copy the API address and key into your panel. The panel can then import the provider's services, with their minimums, maximums and prices.

Do not import everything. Start with a small catalogue you understand, test each service with a real small order, and add more once you trust the provider. The provider guide has a checklist for testing them, and the API guide explains what happens between your panel and a provider.

Step 5: set your prices

Your price for a service is the provider's price plus your margin, in your panel's currency. Leave room for refunds, payment fees and the orders that need a refill. Most panels also offer lower prices to their best customers. The pricing guide walks through a simple way to set margins.

Step 6: add payment methods

Customers pay into their balance on your add-funds page. You choose the payment methods and open the accounts with those payment providers yourself, so the money goes to you. Check each provider's rules before you apply: some do not accept every kind of business, and an account closed later can hold your money for months.

Set a sensible minimum top-up and test every method with a small real payment before you announce the panel.

Step 7: prepare the pages customers read

Before launch, write the pages customers look at when they are unsure: terms of service, a refund policy, a short FAQ and a way to contact you. Say clearly how long services usually take, what a refill covers and when an order can be cancelled. Clear rules prevent most support tickets and most payment disputes.

Also check the rules of the social networks your services touch and the law where you and your customers are. Selling a service that a platform or a country forbids is a risk no software can remove.

Step 8: place test orders, then launch

Create a customer account on your own panel, add a small amount of funds and place one order for each kind of service you sell. Watch the status change, try a refill and a cancel, and open a ticket. When everything behaves the way your pages say it does, share the link.

A launch checklist

• The domain opens the panel over HTTPS, with no certificate warning.
• At least one provider is connected, and every service you sell was tested with a real order.
• Prices include your margin, and the minimum and maximum quantities are right.
• Every payment method was tested with a small real payment.
• Terms, refund policy, FAQ and contact details are published.
• Two-step login is on for the admin area and the registrar account.

Want to see how a finished panel looks before you decide? The live demo opens both the customer side and the admin side of a real Arty panel.