Web hosting reviews are a good way to compare several hosting plans and companies all in one easy to use place. Look for review sites, which also include input from customers just as yourself. Positive or negative feedback from those who have actually used them can help you decide which hosting company and plan is the best one for your application.

Luckily for the green minded website owner there are several companies which power their servers with renewable energy sources which significantly reduces the impact these hosts have on our planet. Of course many will assume these web site hosting companies are more expensive than the rest, but many times this is not the case. It can be just as affordable to host your site with these companies as any other cheap web-hosting provider. Plus as an added bonus many of these companies encourage their employees to live green and the green ethic is throughout the company not just with their server power sources. This is a choice even the greenest of website owners can be proud of!

Many of the more affordable hosting companies utilize the Linux operating system on the servers to save money, which they pass on in the form of their cheaper hosting fees. By using Linux instead of Windows the host company saves money in licensing fees, which can be passed on to the users. Linux is an open source operating system which works excellent with the top web applications such as PHP, MySQL, PERL, and more so the server has the ability to run almost anything a developer can dream up. For the business owner this means their site can be ran on a Linux server and function just as they plan to present their business to the market via the world wide web with Linux web hosting.

Greenlush: Can you give us some background on UK2.net?

UK2.net: UK2 has been offering web hosting since 1998! We grew pretty rapidly and we now are one of the biggest hosting companies in the United Kingdom. We are owned by the UK2 group which owns a number of hosting brands in the USA as well. We offer shared web hosting, ecommerce hosting, dedicated servers, and some great deals on domains. In fact we’ve sold over a million domain names!

Greenlush: Is there any particular type of web hosting that you specialise in or do you cover everything?

UK2.net: We cover everything, currently we offer web hosting, dedicated servers, and ecommerce hosting. Our dedicated servers are available in the UK or USA for our clients that do business in both areas. Our ecommerce hosting we have spent quite a lot of time tweaking and it is very easy to get a store going and get support since we know it
inside and out.

Greenlush: Which hosting packages would you recommed for these types of customers:

Personal Use

UK2.net: For a personal user I would stick with the Home or Business plan. The Home plan is probably better to start off with and save some money. You can upgrade at any time so if you need the bump in storage or SSH access you can upgrade easily and quickily.

Small Business

UK2.net: I would go with the Business plan although the Home plan could also work. It also depends on the kind of business. If you have a number of employees checking email and an active dynamic website getting a lot of traffic you would want to go with a Business plan or possibly even a dedicated server. Keep in mind we help all our customers choose a plan if they just call or email, and once we have the specifics its very easy to recommend you a package and why. Most will be fine with a home plan though if its just one or two people and a small site.

Ecommerce

UK2.net: This one is easy, we have an ecommerce hosting plan that will work beautifully! Everything you need to start an online store and we even throw in Google Adwords marketing credit.

Corporate

UK2.net: It depends on the size of the company but a business plan or dedicated server would work. The business plan if the companies site is not a key part of the business, the dedicated if they are getting lots of traffic and have a lot of employees working on the site or email constantly. Our sales will help analyse and recommend.

Greenlush: What kind of support do you offer and how does a customer access it?

UK2.net: We have 24/7 ticket support available via ticket system. We do phone support from 9am to 7pm Monday through Friday.

Greenlush: If I place an order today, how long would it take for my hosting package to be ready?

UK2.net: Instantly although barring any fraud flags that might take verification. Sometimes we call to verify especially if something doesn’t match up or it is a larger order.

Greenlush: How easy is it to upgrade to another hosting package?

UK2.net: Very easy, just fill out the form or email support to upgrade. It is seemless from shared hosting to shared hosting. Upgrading to a dedicated server is a little more work but we walk you through it.

Greenlush: There are thousands of web hosting companies out there, what makes you different from your competitors?

UK2.net: Our commitment to improving the services and support we offer. We are
constantly improving how we conduct business and open to any suggestions. Our CEO makes posts regularly on forums and is very
active in making sure everyone is happy.

Greenlush: Internet technology is moving forward at lightening speed, how do you cope with the constant changes?

UK2.net: We have been around since 1998 so we are used to it. We have good system administrators and good leadership and we respond and adapt to any challenge. We view the change as opportunity for new products and services and helping our customers get access to those is a big priority.

Greenlush: And what kind of changes do you forsee in the next few years?

UK2.net: The hardware is going to get cheaper and the software more sophisticated. I think in the next few years you will see a lot of sites start adding more services to attract people to their businesses, social networks on shopping sites, and a lot more sophistication when building a site or blog. I think you are also going to see an explosion of small businesses especially in the UK as such a huge majority of residents shop online.

Greenlush: Do you offer any other services apart from web hosting?

UK2.net: We have great deals on domain names, SSL certificates, and related items. We also do our best to help clients find any other services they need from web hosting to marketing.

Greenlush: Is there a special deal that you can offer our readers?

UK2.net: You bet! We’ll offer a free month’s hosting at UK2.net to Greenlush readers, simply enter this coupon code at the checkout page when you order your web hosting: greenlush

Greenlush: Thanks for the great offer UK2 and that wraps things up for this interview, to check out all of the UK2.net hosting offers please click here.

But where can you find the best deals at a glance, how can you ensure that you do not miss the best offers around?

Many people are starting to use a Business Directory as their first port of call, a place where more and more resource companies are advertising. As the likes of Google become ever more crowded it can be difficult for even the best web hosting companies to get noticed, or if they are noticed the cost can put a large hole in their balance sheets.

So what should you be looking for?

While there are many different aspects which you should consider when looking for that “perfect” web hosting deal, your starting point should be reliability. If you site is not live then you have no chance of ever trading profitably, but you have to balance this with the capacity and the standard of service provided. It is not easy and you may not find the best deal straight away but you need to keep trying.

What if you make the wrong choice?

If at any stage you feel that you have made the wrong choice and the service you have signed up to is unreliable or may in some way affect your business you need to move – don’t think about it, just do it. It may be inconvenient moving from host to host, it may mean your site being down for short periods between transfers, but it is much better than your site being down for long periods and losing money. Do not settle for second best with your web hosting service, because that will mean that you can only give a second rate service to your customers.

There are many Web Hosting Service Providers available in the market claiming to provide excellent services of web hosting. How to choose the best among them is a challenging task and an intimidating job. Here are some important tips of web hosting service provides which have to be focused while considering them.

First and foremost, the company should be able to offer good technical support and customer services for all web hosting plans offered by them. 24 x 7, round the clock services provided by web hosting service provider will help to a great extent in solving concerns and issues as early as possible without waste of time and money. Pre-sales inquiries may be conducted just to verify the response period. Usually, 24 hours is the normal industry standard fixed response time. When the company is not able to revert back within a day, it can be easily presumed that they also cannot offer good web hosting services. Before selecting a web hosting services detailed information on technology and system used, data centers and back up schedules should be ascertained.

Usually, web hosting service providers have a server to host sites, making up fundamental infrastructure. Servers are automatically backed up as frequently as possible by well designed backup systems. The type of technology should be verified along with reliability on back up systems and traceable data centers. The web hosting company should be technically well equipped with standby technical staff to provide assistance. Sufficient research and homework should be performed relating to information of web hosting company along with financial standing and profitability of the company just to ensure that dealing is made only with a web hosting company of high reputation who would not fly by night.

The services included in the cheap web hosting package at reasonable cost should be properly understand and any doubts on them or any restrictions or limitations that would affect the business in future, should be clarified in advance. The useful applications of web hosting for an eventual business application, such as forums, shopping carts, auto responders etc., should be checked and verified. Some web hosting companies may not even provide these services in their web hosting packages. The offer relating to bandwidth should be inquired into as they are very much utilized in adding video or audio clips or interactive content to the website. Frequency of maintenance by web hosting company can also be verified to ensure its effect on the future of website.

Enquiries on server space or disk space should be made. Server allots sufficient hard disk space for the website. A website without graphics, usually occupies 40 to 50 KB space. When there are plans of future website expansion by addition of graphics, 50 to 100 MB may be sufficient space. Enquiries on bandwidth, which is the quantity of actual data transferred from cheap dedicated servers holding the website should be conducted as they are connected to the number of individual visitors who browse the website. A higher bandwidth is required for large number of visits and more downloads. A preliminary research and proper vigilance on the part of website owners in the beginning may prevent the possibility of web hosting scams in future.

First and foremost, the company should be able to offer good technical support and customer services for all web hosting plans offered by them. 24 x 7, round the clock services provided by web hosting service provider will help to a great extent in solving concerns and issues as early as possible without waste of time and money.  Pre-sales inquiries may be conducted just to verify the response period. Usually, 24 hours is the normal industry standard fixed response time. When the company is not able to revert back within a day, it can be easily presumed that they also cannot offer good web hosting services. Before selecting a web hosting services detailed information on technology and system used, data centers and back up schedules should be ascertained.

Usually, web hosting service providers have a server to host sites, making up fundamental infrastructure. Servers are automatically backed up as frequently as possible by well designed backup systems. The type of technology should be verified along with reliability on back up systems and traceable data centers. The web hosting company should be technically well equipped with standby technical staff to provide assistance. Sufficient research and homework should be performed relating to information of web hosting company along with financial standing and profitability of the company just to ensure that dealing is made only with a web hosting company of high reputation who would not fly by night.

The services included in the cheap web hosting package at reasonable cost should be properly understand and any doubts on them or any restrictions or limitations that would affect the business in future, should be clarified in advance. The useful applications of web hosting for an eventual business application, such as forums, shopping carts, auto responders etc., should be checked and verified. Some web hosting companies may not even provide these services in their web hosting packages. The offer relating to bandwidth should be inquired into as they are very much utilized in adding video or audio clips or interactive content to the website. Frequency of maintenance by web hosting company can also be verified to ensure its effect on the future of website.

Enquiries on server space or disk space should be made. Server allots sufficient hard disk space for the website. A website without graphics, usually occupies 40 to 50 KB space. When there are plans of future website expansion by addition of graphics, 50 to 100 MB may be sufficient space. Enquiries on bandwidth, which is the quantity of actual data transferred from web server holding the website should be conducted as they are connected to the number of individual visitors who browse the website. A higher bandwidth is required for large number of visits and more downloads. A preliminary research and proper vigilance on the part of website owners in the beginning may prevent the possibility of web hosting scams in future.

When compared to shared hosting there are some advantages of cheap dedicated servers.  The client of dedicated hosting neither need to have any control over basic software and hardware which are needed to run server, nor employ any kind of technical resources for maintenance of software and hardware. The responsibility is completely taken over by the hosting provider.

VPS hosing is another kind of hosting which is very popular as it is much cheaper than the dedicated servers and will be adequate for many hosting users. Renting a VPS, which means a Virtual Private Server, is an ideal choice for hosting users. While choosing a VPS hosting provider sufficient attention and consideration should be made on experience in hosting with nice reviews on them. Reviews of hosting company can be searched by taking help from search engines by searching the words company name review. When no review is available, it can be assumed that the company is fresh and lacks experience. The fresh, start-up and new companies carry some disadvantages with it, as the hosting companies may not exist after a period of six months.

Depending on the needs, background on computer as well as budget there is a need to define the needs of a managed or an unmanaged server. Set up of system is done by oneself in an unmanaged server, with little help and support from hosting company to resolve smaller issues depending on default server setup. In the case of a managed server, the hosting company can be requested to setup an application to VPS which will be done by them apart from regular maintenance and backups etc. When there is not an adequate knowledge on Linux and no requirement for a costly managed server, Windows VPS can be chosen, with Linux platform which is the best cost effective option available for web hosting, to customize all the needs with good community support at internet.

Before choosing a VPS hosting plan, an analysis of needs should be made, on the requirement of quantity of memory, computation power, hard disk and bandwidth. Some VPS hosting companies even provide cheap and affordable upgrades whenever there is any requirement on the above parameters. Adequate care and caution should be observed while choosing a VPS hosting plan by studying the data published by them clearly. It is always better to choose companies offering good quality of support and provide 24 x 7 services and help to keep the VPS working constantly without stop. Companies offering support during working hours should be avoided to prevent loss of money on unexpected outages. Experience of a VPS hosting company, with many reviews and 24×7 round the clock support, matters much for web hosting in particular and web site in general.