US Web Hosting vs. UK Web Hosting

Continent boundaries can be one of the main factors which can affect people’s choice of web hosting provider since where their website is geographically located can have an affect on their overall placement in search engine results, both locally and internationally. Although US web hosting tends to be paid for in USD, and UK web hosting in GBP, consumers from the different continents still purchase web hosting accounts on the other with the intention of gaining a better search engine result for their website which may be aimed at an audience based in another part of the world. Some more technical users may also take connection speed into account when considering a web hosting provider; although UK web hostng providers are good for users based in Europe, US web hosting providers tend to have faster connections to other parts of the world such as Asian and the Middle East, although a vast majority of target audiences are focussed on Europe and the United States. Both Us and UK web hosting services have their advantages and disadvantages, although your final decision on which service you are going to use is more likely to be influenced by where your target audience is based, as well as your web hosting budget.

Choosing either location for your web hosting services can provide you with many advantages, although you are only going to notice such advantages if you are running a website which is aimed at a specific target audience located in or close to either location. US web hosting tends to be used by those who wish to aim their websites at a world wide audience, or more specific regions for which the US has fast connections to such as South America, Asia and the Middle East. European specific websites are hosted by UK web hosting providers, or by European web hosting companies; however, at the end of the day the choice of location isn’t important for European specific websites. Such advantages for UK web hosting services may include:

• costs – due to the current exchange rates, UK web hosting services are going to be cheaper for those who are living in the UK and want to aim their website at a UK or European based audience – although US web hosting has previously been seen as a cheaper alternative, UK web hosting is now the cheapest place for UK based individuals and businesses to host their websites
• faster connections – if you are a UK based individual or business then you are likely to experience faster connection times to your website or server if it is hosted in the UK compared to having a US hosted website or server – this means that if your user base is based in the UK, your users are also going to experience a faster connection to your website
• UK based support – UK based web hosting providers should be able to offer UK based support for their customers since it will allow support agents to interact with customers at a much different level, which in turn gives a company a good image.

Such advantages are also applicable for US based residents who are using US web hosting services. However, there are still advantages to be had by foreign users who are considering US web hosting services for their web hosting needs. Such advantages may include:

• lower costs – if the exchange rate is acceptable, then US based web hosting services may be cheaper for some since bandwidth, server hardware and power are three factors which are still cheaper in the United States than they are in Europe and the United Kingdom, but of course it does depend on the currency which you are paying in
• higher amounts of disk space and bandwidth – because of lower costs you will be able to get larger amounts of disk space and bandwidth for your money if you choose a US based web hosting provider rather than a UK based web hosting provider
• faster connections to Asia – because the USA is closer to Asia and the middle east, US based web hosting will be the best solution for you if you want to aim your website at an audience which is based in these parts of the world because the US has faster data connections to both Asia and the Middle East.

Of course, the decision on which continent you want to host your website on depends on where you target audience is based. Although both US and UK web hosting services have their advantages, you will need to base your decision on your visitor statistics as well as your budget.

Like with anything, there are disadvantages to both US and UK web hosting packages, meaning that you should take into consideration all your requirements so that you are able to make an informed decision about any web hosting plan that you may be considering. The disadvantages can range from anything such as high costs to the level of service that you will be eligible to receive, but at the end of the day you should still be able to get a good hosting service either way. Disadvantages which you may face for UK web hosting services could include:

• higher resource costs – bandwidth and colocation/dedicated server costs in the UK are higher than they are in the USA, meaning that you may not be able to get such a good deal server resource wise, but if you shop around you should still be able to find a good deal that comes with the right amount of bandwidth for your needs
• support – you may find that the support which is provided by UK based web hosting providers isn’t as good as that which is offered by US based web hosts – the main reason for this being that many UK providers only like to offer their support services during regular UK office hours which are 9am-5pm GMT.

US web hosting providers aren’t in the clear. As with any web hosting service, you may face the following disadvantages with US based web hosting companies:

• overselling – this practise isn’t common amongst UK based web hosting companies for the main reason that hardware and resources are more expensive, but it is quite common with many US web hosting providers as they are trying to sell off more than what they actually have, and such web hosting companies normally deploy strict AUPs and terms of use when it comes to the legal side of things
• choice - the US web hosting market has now become so saturated that there are many different providers that will be able to offer you the same package at the same price wherever you go, however if you choose a UK web hosting provider then you will have a more select group of web hosting providers to consider.

Although the disadvantages may not be enough to sway you with your initial decision, if you have found a web hosting provider which meets your requirements then you should consider the company concerned for your needs. Both US and UK web hosting services have other advantages and disadvantages which haven’t been mentioned, but in the long run the advantages and disadvantages that you will face with your chosen web hosting provider will of course depend on the company that you have chosen to host with.

US and UK web hosting services are very different in terms of what is offered at what price, but the quality of the two forms of web hosting does depend on which web hosting provider you choose to go with based on your needs. US web hosting is able to offer a cheap service to those who can afford it at the current exchange rates, as well as faster links to Eastern continents. UK web hosting on the other hand is more suited towards those who are based in the UK or Europe and are looking for affordable web hosting solutions.

The case of whether you should use UK or US web hosting services depends on where your target audience is based; if you want to aim your website at European and Western states then you should consider UK web hosting because of faster connection speeds. US web hosting should be used by those who are based in the USA as well as users who are based in the Middle East, South America, Australasia because the USA is geographically closer to these continents but also has faster connections than US servers.

In conclusion, UK web hosting services and US web hosting services can be classed as two completely different forms of hosting. While UK web hosting caters for Europe, US web hosting companies have to cater for users who are based much further afield and in some cases even on other continents; although this may be seen as a disadvantage for US web hosting services, it means that web hosting companies are able to expand much quicker and become much bugger than UK web hosts. One thing to note is that US web hosting providers will normally charge in USD, and UK providers in GBP.