The Benefits of UK Web Hosting

Web hosting is a very competitive field with web hosts springing up all over the world, giving consumers a lot of choice and options for their business. Data centers can send pings and information across the globe in a matter of seconds, virtually eliminating the need for local hosting. However, there are still a few reasons why a local host is a better option than an international one:

1. Same currency – A small detail, but with the British pound performing as strong as it is, it means the difference between accounting problems and seamless integration.
2. Quick ping times – A web server in Dallas, Texas may send a complete website to a surfer in London, England in eight seconds. A server in London will send a signal to a user in London in less than one half of a second. The time difference, though seemingly insignificant, means quicker response times during server loads. If your website is ecommerce driven, that could mean the difference between earning an income and experiencing downtime.
3. Local customer service and support – Rather than talking with someone based in India, talk with someone who speaks the same language that you do. Local web hosts are much more likely to employ local residents to act as service staff.
4. Search Engine Visibility - If you have a .com domain but your target market is in the UK then your hosting should be in the UK too. Placing hosting over in the US can mean you don't show up in SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) of UK only results

Remember that web hosting is not a cut and paste commodity- just like anything else, there are quality web hosts and there are second rate web hosts. Before you choose your web host, always find out a few pieces of important information:

1. Hosting package features – Web space, bandwidth, e-mail accounts, domains, server side includes, etc. are all important features that you should know. You want to have as much control over your hosting package as possible.
2. Location of the web servers – The further away from you the server is, the longer it is going to take to send and receive files. This affects more than just your FTP performance- it also affects server response times, and may indirectly affect server responsiveness.

More importantly, it affects service issues. If your website goes down (for whatever reason), a server that is located internationally will be harder to conduct support on than one that is local. Time differences can play havoc with communication, and you definitely don't want to be getting up at 4 am so that you can talk to a support guy in a different time zone.

Fluid Creativity offer a range of web hosting solutions for your business. Talk to your hosting professionals today to see what we can offer your business.