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About Web Hosting Companies in the UK
by Anton Behr
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Overview
Web hosting is a service that allows an individual or organization to put their website up on the Internet. This is usually done by paying a web hosting company who will then 'host' the client's web page in a space on the company's own server. This is generally separate from purchasing a domain name, which allows you to incorporate your name into the name of the site, but many companies also sell names as well as server space.
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Considerations
Things to consider before purchasing web hosting from any company include cost, the disk space provided, bandwidth available and what you personally need from the website. Many ISPs provide limited web hosting as part of their Internet package. If you are only putting up a personal page or a single page website, then that might be sufficient for your needs.
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Function
All web-hosting involves paying for your website to be hosted on a server. However, there are different levels of server access that a purchaser can pay for. One of the most common options is that of a shared server, where a number of people share space on the same server. This is one of the more economical versions, since everyone shares the cost of the server, but the purchaser lacks administrative control. The next step up from a shared server would be a Virtual Dedicated server. This is a single physical server that has been subdivided to create a number of virtual servers, giving the purchaser the feel of having their own dedicated server. Which is the most advanced and expensive form of hosting and involves the client leasing an entire server for their own use. Most users don't have a need for this service.
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Types
There are a number of Web Hosting Companies available in the UK. 123-reg is affiliated with Pipex and provides an all-in-one service where you can purchase domain names, web-hosting, blogs and various add-on's to the service that will design your website, blog or shop for you. Their starter pack is only £1.85 a month and provides 100 MB of web space and 1.5 GB bandwidth. One.com is another Web Hosting company, and they provide four GB of web space and unlimited bandwidth for £3.60. HostPapa.co.uk provides unlimited webspace and bandwidth in return for £4.16.
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Benefits
A website is an invaluable marketing tool in today's world. It is common practice for consumers, employers and even people you've met at a party to look up your web presence. If the site they find is quick to load, attractive and professional looking, then it can only be to your advantage.
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Warning
There are so many options out there that it is easy to get confused and make the wrong choice about your web host. Since most companies require a 12-month contract, this can be a fairly serious mistake. It is important to know what you are looking for in a website and what your bandwidth and webspace needs are likely to be. 123.reg provides a reasonable and reliable service, but compared to HostPapa, their web space and bandwidth allocation is very low. On the other hand if you aren't going to be making regular changes to your site or you aren't expecting a lot of traffic, then going for a huge webspace/bandwidth allocation on the theory that bigger is better can also be a mistake.
