If you’re running a small business in the UK and are looking to set up a website, in addition to all the other points outlined elsewhere on this site you have one extra consideration to make.

This is - where is your primary target market located?

Are you selling mainly within the UK or planning to sell overseas? If so, in which country? Or you are looking to sell worldwide?

The answer to this question will help you in making a decision about which small business web hosting service to use.

Here’s why…

Consider how business web hosting actually works. Someone wants to visit your website so they type your website address into their Internet browser.

Their computer then grabs your homepage off your server and displays it on their screen. For every extra page of your site they look at, again the file has to be sent from your server to their computer.

Clearly the shorter the distance the file has to travel from server to visitors computer, the sooner your website will appear on their screen.

And the faster your site loads the happier your visitors will be and the more likely they will be to buy from you and/or return again at a later date.

So it follows that if you plan to sell primarily to the UK market you should have your business website hosted in the UK as your site will then load faster for the majority of your visitors.

If you are planning to sell abroad then you’ll find, as I have with all my small business websites, that 90%+ of all your business will come from the USA so you should consider hosting your site in North America too for optimal loading times.

However also consider how you best like to receive any technical support should you need it.

If you like to have small business web hosting support by phone then the cost and time zone problems of calling a web host in the USA for advice may not be the best idea.

If you prefer online help (as I do) such as by email or a support desk then it doesn’t really matter where your site is hosted in terms of support. You can contact them at any time of day - for free - and receive a rapid, helpful response.

If you opt to host in the USA two of the best options I have found are and.

With regards to the UK the small business web hosting companies I have been most impressed with having tried a dozen or so different companies are and.

I have found their services to be cost effective, well supported and reliable.

I have also yet to find a script I couldn’t get working on their hosting accounts - as they appear not to have limited their servers in any way like so many of their competitors.