UK Shared Hosting
UK Shared Hosting
UK shared hosting has become increasingly popular as more users of web hosting have realised just how much UK web hosting services can help their websites in terms of search engine rankings as well as the quality of the service and support that they will receive from their web hosting provider. Many UK web hosting providers offer UK based Windows and Linux web hosting services which utilize either the Plesk or cPanel control panels to ensure that users can easily manage their web hosting accounts independently, although it is important to note that you should find a web hosting provider that can offer you 24×7 support for reliability purposes. 24×7 support from UK web hosting providers isn’t uncommon, and this along with the fact that there are many UK web hosting providers around means that you shouldn’t find it hard to select a web hosting provider that can meet your needs. Although shared web hosting is the most popular form of web hosting, web hosting companies do also offer UK based reseller web hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated server hosting services; it is important for you to decide on the web hosting package that is suitable for your needs. Shared web hosting services are designed for those who only want to host a basic website with the extras such as email and DNS hosting, and this is reflected in the cost since UK shared web hosting services are available at a price which will suit the budget of anyone who needs web hosting.
Basic Account Resources
As with any web hosting services, UK shared hosting accounts come with their own assignments of disk space and bandwidth so that you know the limits of your web hosting account; although there are UK web hosting providers around which oversell their web hosting services, meaning that in theory there are UK shared hosting packages available with unlimited amounts of both bandwidth and disk space. As with any web hosting service, the more disk space and bandwidth you have with your web hosting account, the more it is going to cost in the long run; because of this, it is important for you to find a web hosting provider that is able to offer you an account that comes with just the right amount of resources for your needs so that you won’t end up paying for what you don’t need or aren’t using. Other resources to look out for with UK shared hosting accounts include:
- Number of domains hosted – depending on the web hosting provider that you choose to use, you may find that you are able to host an unlimited number of domains under your one UK shared web hosting account, although most web hosting providers tend to only let you host a limited number of domains on a shared web hosting account – either way, you should make use of this one resource to try and maximize the use of the disk space and bandwidth that you have assigned to your UK shared hosting account
- Number of FTP accounts – for one reason or another you may with to allow a large number of people to access your web space using FTP, but in some cases they may not need complete access to your entire web space structure – because of this you will find that many web hosting providers will allow you to assign specific FTP users to specific directories, and in this situation you may find that you need to use a large number of FTP accounts – some UK web hosting providers will limit you on this figure whilst others will allow unlimited FTP accounts
- Number of email accounts – this figure is likely to influence many people’s decision on whether to use UK shared hosting or not – since email accounts are one of the main necessities that come with using web hosting, many organizations like to make the most of this by supplying all their employees with their own email account to help increase the amount of internal communication within a business as well as to aid it – with an unlimited number of email accounts as is provided by most web hosting providers, you can provide all your employees with their own email account.
Such basic account resources can be found on any UK shared web hosting package as they are offered by more or less every web hosting provider. It is always important to note the smaller details of a web hosting package since such details can be the key to obtaining the best value for money when it comes to web hosting packages. In terms of disk space and bandwidth, it is important to be warey of web hosting providers offering unlimited amounts of both; the likelihood is that they are overselling their web hosting services, and if this is the case you will find that the performance of your UK shared web hosting account isn’t that good.
Control Panels
All web hosting providers use one control panel or another since these are required to enable them to offer their web hosting services, and at the end of the day you as the customer will want control panel access to your web hosting account so that you are able to manage the different aspects of it independently without having to ask your web hosting provider’s support team to do everything for you. Most web hosting control panels are easy to use, but even if you are unsure of a certain setting you there is normally official documentation that you can refer to if necessary. Most web hosting companies use different control panels for their Linux and Windows web hosting services; not only does this help them to draw clear lines between the two forms of web hosting, but it also means that customers don’t end up making the wrong decisions on the right web hosting package for them based purely on the web hosting control panel available. Web hosting control panels are available for all forms of web hosting, in the case of shared and reseller web hosting you will be provided with client side access, but with VPS server hosting and dedicated server hosting you will find that it is up to you to manage your own server meaning that you will be provided with administrator access to the control panel concerned. The main web hosting control panels in use at this moment in time include:
- cPanel – this is classed as the most popular Linux web hosting control panel in both the eyes of system administrators/web hosting providers as well as web hosting clients since it provides both sides with an easy to use interface – the control panel has been established for a long time, and this is one of the factors that has made it the main choice for most web hosting companies – cPanel is currently only available for Linux based servers, hence why those who like to use Windows web hosting services despise the use of the control panel to an extent
- Plesk – Plesk is one of the very few cross-platform control panels available to web hosting providers, but although it is the most popular control panel for Windows web hosting services it is still classed by some as a let down when it comes to Linux web hosting services – it sports a Windows Vista like interface which means that most people shouldn’t find it too hard to use, but at the end of the day it is important to note that regardless of the look of a control panel, it should still allow you to carry the basic activities needed to ensure that you can keep your web hosting account organized
- in-house control panels – it is common for larger web hosting providers to use their own control panels that have been developed by their own web developers to ensure that the system is as easy to use as possible – most web hosting providers making use of their own control panel provide you with the necessary documentation to enable you to use it properly, although as with anything it will be a learning curve.
Control panels are common within the web hosting industry which means that it is unlikely that you will find a web hosting package that doesn’t come control panel access, although some web hosting providers do refrain from offering control panels on their VPS and dedicated server hosting services. Most UK shared hosting providers also make use of control panels, many offering them with their high end VPS server and dedicated servers.
In conclusion, UK shared web hosting services have a lot to offer UK based individuals and businesses both in terms of price as well as the effect it will have on their search engine rankings. As there are many UK shared hosting providers to choose from, consumers are offered with a lot of choice which means competition, and competition is good for consumers since it means lower prices of everyone. You should always search around for the best web hosting deal, and as usual you should always ensure that your chosen package is one that meets your requirements perfectly.
