Optimising your online presence starts with reliable website hosting in the UK. This guide covers essential information for UK businesses seeking robust web hosting solutions. We will explore different types of website hosting available in UK data centres, key considerations for selection, and why local hosting matters.

What is website hosting?

Website hosting is a service that allows organisations to post a website or web page onto the internet. These are located around the world but local services in the UK are usually most appropriate for UK residents and businesses. A web host, or hosting provider, offers space on a server as well as the technologies and services needed for the website to be viewed online. When internet users want to view your website, all they need to do is type your website address or domain into their browser. Their computer will then connect to the server where your website is hosted. To be honest, there’s a lot of techy bits that go between the browser and the server, but you shouldn’t need to worry about those at this stage.

Essentially, website hosting is like renting space on a server with all of the software and programming to make it work. The server stores all your website’s files and data. When someone visits your site, the server delivers those files to their browser. Therefore, choosing the right UK–based website hosting is crucial for your website’s performance and availability.

Types of website hosting

Various types of website hosting are available in the UK that cater to different needs and budgets. Understanding these options helps you make an informed decision and choose an option that is most appropriate to your needs.

Shared hosting

This is the most common and cost-effective type of hosting. With shared hosting, multiple websites share resources on a single server. It’s ideal for small businesses and personal blogs with low traffic. However, performance can be affected by other websites on the same server. Although, for most small business websites, a shared hosting plan is usually fine, as long as you check the contention rate for resources (i.e., whether your site will be slowed down by other sites on the same server).

VPS hosting

Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting offers a more powerful solution. A single physical server is divided into multiple virtual servers, each with its own dedicated resources. Consequently, VPS hosting provides more control and better performance than shared hosting. However, as a result, the cost of hiring a VPS is often considerably more than shared hosting, so you will need to decide whether it is appropriate for you.

Dedicated hosting

For large websites with high traffic, dedicated hosting is often the best choice. You get an entire physical server to yourself, meaning maximum control, performance, and security. On the other hand, it is also the most expensive option and often requires hands-on maintenance.

Cloud hosting

In the UK, this is a relatively new type of website hosting. It uses a network of virtual servers. Your website’s data is spread across multiple servers, which offers excellent scalability and reliability. If one server fails, another can take over seamlessly. Cloud hosting is touted as a cost-effective option because you pay for the resources you use. However, paying for each service and resource individually soon causes the cost to mount. In addition, you have to manage and maintain the cloud services yourself, so you need to prepare for a very steep learning curve.

WordPress hosting

Specifically optimised for WordPress websites, this hosting type offers features tailored to the popular Content Management System (CMS). It can come in shared, VPS, or dedicated forms.

Factors to consider when choosing website hosting

Selecting the right website hosting UK involves weighing several critical factors.

• Reliability and uptime: Your website needs to be accessible to visitors at all times. Look for providers guaranteeing high uptime percentages, ideally 99.9% or higher. After all, downtime means lost business. 99.9% uptime means that the server is guaranteed to be available all but one half day per year.
• Speed and performance: Website loading speed significantly impacts user experience and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). So, choose a host with fast servers, ample bandwidth, and good infrastructure. For instance, a slow website can frustrate visitors, driving them to your competitors, and will be penalised by search engines.
• Scalability: As your business grows, your website traffic may increase. Your hosting solution should be able to scale with your needs. Consider whether you can easily upgrade your plan.
• Security features: Cyber threats are ever-present. Ensure your website hosting provider in the UK offers robust security features. These include SSL certificates, firewalls, malware scanning, and regular backups.
• Customer support: Good customer support is invaluable, especially when technical issues arise. Check for good responsiveness and reasonable speed of support.
• Pricing and plans: Compare pricing structures and what each plan includes. Be wary of unusually low prices that might hide hidden fees or poor service. Also, beware of low-priced offers which ramp up in price in your second year (when you don’t want to move hosts).
• Control panel: A user-friendly control panel, such as cPanel or Plesk, simplifies website management. It allows you to manage files, databases, and emails easily.

The importance of UK-based website hosting

Choosing a website hosting provider based in the UK offers several distinct advantages, particularly for businesses targeting a UK audience.

• Improved speed for UK visitors: Servers located in the UK mean lower latency for visitors within the country. This results in faster loading times and a better user experience. In effect, data has less distance to travel. It may also improve reliability if undersea data cables are attacked by a hostile party when your server is located in the same country as your visitors.
• SEO benefits: Search engines often consider server location when ranking websites. For UK-specific searches, a UK-hosted website might rank higher. This can give a minor boost to your visibility.
• Data protection and compliance: Hosting your website in the UK helps with data protection regulations, such as the GDPR. Storing and processing data according to UK and EU laws is essential, and there’s no better way to do that than by storing data in the UK. This offers peace of mind and legal compliance.
• Local support: A UK-based host often provides support during local business hours. This can be more convenient for resolving issues promptly.
• Currency and payment: Dealing with a UK company means simpler billing and payment in GBP. There are no exchange rate fluctuations to worry about and payment transfers can occur without hassle.

Website security and hosting

Website security is paramount. Your website hosting provider plays a significant role in protecting your site from threats.

• SSL certificates: An SSL certificate encrypts data transferred between your website and visitors. It’s essential for security and builds trust with users. Many hosts offer free SSL certificates for general website encryption; however, if you are collecting personal data from visitors you should buy an SSL certificate with a warrantied encryption value.
• DDoS protection: Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks can overwhelm your server and take your website, email, and other services offline. Reputable hosts provide DDoS mitigation.
• Firewalls: Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) filter and monitor traffic between a web application and the Internet. They protect against common web exploits, similar to your own firewall on your computer or Wi-Fi hub.
• Regular backups: Accidents happen. A good UK website hosting provider performs regular backups of your website data. Normally, you will want nightly backups. This allows for quick restoration in case of data loss.
• Malware scanning and removal: Hosts often offer tools to scan for and remove malware. This keeps your website clean and secure. Usually, hosting providers offer these scans as an additional subscription-based service.

Read our article on website security (coming soon).

Reliable hosting providers

Choosing a reliable website hosting provider in the UK is perhaps the most critical step. Look for companies with a proven track record. Check customer reviews and testimonials. Consider their infrastructure, support, and security measures. A good host will proactively monitor their servers and respond quickly to any issues. They will also offer clear service level agreements (SLAs) regarding uptime.

Ensure your website is always online. Ask Redcentaur about their reliable hosting solutions.

Further reading

Website development UK: A complete guide for businesses

Website maintenance: Essential for UK businesses (coming soon)