So you want to create a new website, and you are unsure which domain name extension to get. Don’t worry we have all been there, just yesterday a client asked me which domain extension they should register and whether they should just get everything that’s available. This solution is great if you are a large organisation and don’t mind the ongoing maintenance of these extensions. The main piece of advice I always give is to decide on your target market; if you are looking for customers in just your own country, register a local extension. This will also benefit you in local search results by being favoured by the local variant of the large search engines. If the .com version of your domain name is available, then register it if you feel that you can maintain it. This also has the added benefit of securing it before your competitors do.  Get more information on domain name registration and email services.

It’s important to choose the right web hosting provider when embarking on a project to market an Internet business or company website. We have been looking into what makes an efficient hosting company, and what differences choosing a UK web hosting company would make. From our research we found that there were six areas that should be highlighted that will benefit you when choosing to host your website within the UK. Below are the areas that were looked into when carrying out our research.

•    UK Connection Speed – Most servers and network hardware are connected directly to the Internet backbone in the London docklands, here they are connected to thousands of other ISP’s with a high probability that we are connected directly to your home or business broadband provider. This is a service you would not get from a web hosting company in America.

•    UK Local Search Engine Results – Search engines give preference to websites that are based in the local area of the users search (In this example the UK or mainland Europe). This is based on not only owning an .UK domain name but on the IP Address of the server that the website is hosted on. If you do not have a local domain name and you pick a web hosting company outside of the UK you will not the benefit of being listed higher up the search results.

•    UK Internet Traffic – The geographical position of the UK being between America and mainland Europe equates to a large proportion of Internet Traffic flowing through the UK Data Centres. Having your website located with a UK web hosting company in central geographical location will benefit traffic flows to both America and the rest of Europe.

•    UK Support for your time zone – By choosing a web hosting company that is close or within your time zone you will ensure that when you require support you can receive it at a time convenient for you, not when the time difference dictates.

•    UK Data centre – The UK supports some of the highest specification data centres in the world. The data centres are built to a standard that host Banks and other corporate bodies with the highest requirements, they provide the fail-safe backup required to run an uninterruptable UK Web Hosting company that will satisfy your requirements.

•    UK Hardware and Support – Hardware is sourced within the UK and built to the highest specifications by well known branded retailers. With each piece of hardware you can ensure that it is monitored and looked after in such a way that your website will always be online, giving you peace of mind.

As you can see from these points, UK web hosting provides a significant advantage for your website. If you are an International company or are looking for the benefits found in our research it might be worthwhile investing in some UK web hosting. This will in turn benefit your European customers, your local search results and speed of access to your website. For more information on UK Web Hosting and Reseller Hosting.