Best Web Hosting for Small Business in UK
Picking the right web hosting service is crucial for small businesses in the UK. Your website’s performance, security, and reliability depend on it. This article will guide you through some of the best web hosting options available, highlighting their key features to help you make an informed decision.
Key Takeaways
- Look for hosting services that offer essential features like storage, bandwidth, and uptime guarantees.
- Customer support is vital. Ensure the hosting service provides reliable and quick support.
- Extra tools like one-click installers for WordPress or website builders can be very helpful.
- Consider the cost, but also look at the value offered, including free domain names and SSL certificates.
- Scalability is important. Choose a provider that can grow with your business needs.
1. BlueHost UK
BlueHost is a well-known name in the web hosting world, especially for small businesses in UK. It offers a great mix of affordability and ease of use. Their plans start at just £2.95 per month and come with unmetered bandwidth, making it a cost-effective choice for many.
Key Features
- Affordable Plans: Starting at £2.95 per month.
- Unmetered Bandwidth: No worries about exceeding limits.
- High Uptime: 99.99% uptime ensures your site is always available.
- Fast Load Times: Average speed of 550ms.
- Free Domain: Included with most plans.
Why Choose BlueHost?
BlueHost has been around since 1996 and hosts over 2,500,000 websites worldwide. They are also the top recommendation for WordPress hosting, making them a reliable choice for many.
For those looking for a dependable and affordable web hosting service in the UK, BlueHost is a top contender. Their combination of price, performance, and features makes them a standout option.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Affordable pricing.
- High uptime and fast speeds.
- Free domain with most plans.
- Excellent WordPress integration.
Cons:
- Limits on ‘unlimited’ features in their T&Cs.
- Higher renewal rates.
Overall, BlueHost UK is a solid choice for small businesses looking for reliable and affordable web hosting.
2. SiteGround UK
SiteGround UK is a top choice for small businesses looking for reliable web hosting. One of the standout benefits is their server locations, including one in London. This means faster speeds and less latency for UK visitors. SiteGround is also WordPress’s number 3 top recommended web host.
Key Features
- 99.9% uptime guarantee
- Award-winning 24/7 customer support
- Choice of server locations in the UK, Asia, Netherlands, Singapore, and the USA
- Unique SuperCacher for faster load times
- Free SSL certificate
- Free site transfer
Pricing
| Plan | Price (per month) |
|---|---|
| StartUp | £1.99 |
| GrowBig | £3.99 |
| GoGeek | £5.99 |
SiteGround’s web hosting powered by superior technology ensures your website runs smoothly and efficiently. Their customer support is always ready to help, making it a great choice for small businesses in the UK.
3. HostGator
HostGator is a well-known web hosting service that has been around since 2002. It offers a variety of hosting options, including shared, WordPress, dedicated, and VPS hosting. HostGator is a popular web hosting platform that offers affordable prices, 24/7 customer support, and flexible web hosting options.
One of the standout features of HostGator is its unmetered bandwidth and unlimited disk space, which can be very beneficial for small businesses. Additionally, HostGator provides a 99% uptime guarantee, ensuring that your website remains accessible to your customers.
HostGator also offers a range of additional services, such as domain registration, SSL certificates, and a website builder. This makes it a convenient one-stop shop for all your web hosting needs.
Pricing
HostGator’s pricing is competitive, with plans starting as low as £2.13 per month for shared hosting. They also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, allowing you to try their services risk-free.
Customer Support
HostGator provides 24/7 customer support through various channels, including live chat, phone, and email. This ensures that you can get help whenever you need it.
Security
While HostGator offers robust security features, some of these come at an additional cost. It’s important to consider these extra expenses when planning your budget.
HostGator is a solid choice for small businesses looking for reliable and affordable web hosting services.
4. Hostinger UK
Hostinger UK stands out as one of the most affordable web hosting options available. With entry-level shared hosting plans starting at just 80p per month, it offers incredible value for small businesses. Hostinger is a feature-packed web hosting service that offers surprisingly low prices.
Key Features
- Free domain
- Free SSL certificate
- 24/7 customer support
Pricing Plans
| Plan | Price (per month) |
|---|---|
| Single Shared Hosting | £1.49 |
| Premium Shared Hosting | £2.59 |
| Business Shared Hosting | £3.99 |
Pros
- Custom dashboard
- Super fast hosting
- Low starter prices
Cons
- No free domain with the cheapest plan
- Limited storage on basic plans
Hostinger is great for beginners and offers high-performance servers in multiple locations worldwide.
5. A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting is a strong choice for small businesses, especially those focused on e-commerce. With ultimate reliability, A2 Hosting is highly recommended for WooCommerce users due to its fast server speeds, robust security features, and scalable plans that grow with your business. Here are some key features:
- Unlimited bandwidth and storage
- 99.91% uptime guarantee
- 24/7 customer support
- 1-click WordPress installation
A2 Hosting has servers in three countries: the USA, Singapore, and the Netherlands. This means that no matter where your visitors are, they will experience great speeds. The beginner shared plan starts at just £3.10 per month, which includes all the features mentioned above. However, keep in mind that there is no free domain or SSL included, but free site transfers are available.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Price | £3.10/mo |
| Uptime | 99.91% |
| Customer Support | 24/7 |
| Free Site Transfers | Yes |
| Free Domain | No |
| Free SSL | No |
A2 Hosting is ideal for WordPress hosting, with a dedicated dashboard for easy site management. All plans come with enhanced security, and website migration is free. However, if you specifically need a UK server, A2 Hosting may not be the best option for you.
6. WHUK
WHUK is a solid web hosting choice for small to medium-sized businesses. They offer a variety of services, including basic shared web hosting, email hosting, WordPress hosting, and reseller hosting. For those needing more robust solutions, WHUK provides VPS, cloud, and fully managed dedicated servers for both Windows and Linux.
One of WHUK’s greatest strengths is its rich experience and good reputation. They have been in the web hosting business for over 20 years, with data center servers located in Maidenhead, England. This long-standing presence in the industry ensures reliable service and support.
WHUK makes it easy to get started, whether you’re migrating an existing site or starting from scratch. They offer a free site migration service that can transfer your website within 24 hours. Additionally, their 1-click installation feature for WordPress and other popular apps can have you up and running in no time.
WHUK’s customer support is highly regarded, making it a dependable choice for businesses looking for reliable hosting solutions.
However, there are a few downsides to consider. WHUK’s email certificates are quite expensive, ranging from £24.99 to £166.66, which might not fit everyone’s budget. Also, SSL certificates are not included for free and must be purchased separately, which can increase the overall cost.
In summary, WHUK is a reputable and experienced web hosting provider with a wide range of plans and excellent customer support. Just be mindful of the additional costs for email and SSL certificates.
7. 20i
20i is a notable name in the UK hosting market, having earned over 80 badges in various hosting categories. They have been recognized for their excellent support, ease of doing business, and top-notch usability by G2 awards.
20i is also committed to green web hosting, using 100% renewable energy sources like wind and solar power. This eco-friendly approach extends to resellers, allowing them to promote environmental responsibility to their customers.
Security is a priority for 20i. They offer a free Wildcard SSL certificate, standard DDoS protection, automatic malware scans, email antivirus and antispam, a web application firewall, FTP security lock, and two-factor authentication. This ensures a highly secure hosting environment.
However, 20i’s website can be unclear about what is included in their plans, and some infographics may be misleading. Additionally, British customers might find themselves paying more for certain plans.
If you’re looking for top-tier reseller hosting services, 20i stands out with its powerful and user-friendly offerings. They provide unlimited SSD space, bandwidth, databases, SSLs, and email accounts, making it a flexible and strong choice for resellers.
8. Hostinger
Hostinger is a reliable web hosting provider, boasting a 99.9% uptime and data centers worldwide to ensure fast loading speeds for global visitors. Hostinger excels in loading time tests, offers shared hosting with a website builder for an introductory price of $3 per month, and includes the first three months free.
Hostinger supports business growth with three hosting tiers: Premium, Business, and Enterprise. If you’re new to web hosting and want to easily make a site that is not only optimized for UK visitors but also users from around the world, this is the host for you.
Key Features
- 10GB of SSD storage
- UK based servers
- 100GB of bandwidth
- 99.9% uptime guarantee
- 24/7/365 customer support
- cPanel and 1-click WP install
Hostinger is an excellent market-leading hosting provider for various users thanks to its affordable prices, good performance, and ease of use.
9. SiteGround
SiteGround is a top choice for web hosting, especially for small businesses in the UK. Their customer service is award-winning, available 24/7, and highly praised by users. They offer a 99.9% uptime guarantee, ensuring your website remains accessible at all times.
SiteGround provides a variety of features that cater to different needs. These include:
- 1-click WordPress installs
- Free SSL certificate
- Free site transfer
- Fast load times for UK websites (455ms)
- Dynamic WordPress caching
Their higher plans come with additional benefits like Git integration, a staging tool, and more server resources. SiteGround hosts our test site from their server in London, which ensures better speeds and response times for a UK audience.
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| StartUp | £1.99/mth |
| GrowBig | £3.99/mth |
| GoGeek | £5.99/mth |
SiteGround is also recommended by leading CMS platforms like WordPress.org, Joomla, and Drupal. This makes it a reliable choice for various types of websites.
Conclusion
Choosing the right web hosting service is crucial for the success of your small business in the UK. It’s important to look for features like ample storage, reliable uptime, and strong security measures. Don’t forget to consider the ease of use and the quality of customer support, as these can make a big difference in your day-to-day operations. Whether you need a simple website builder or advanced tools for your growing business, there’s a hosting provider out there that fits your needs. Take your time to compare your options and pick the one that offers the best value for your money. With the right web hosting, you can ensure your business runs smoothly and stays online without any hiccups.
Frequently Asked Questions
What features should I look for in a web hosting service?
When choosing a web hosting service, look for features like storage and bandwidth, ease of use, security, and uptime guarantees. Extra tools like one-click installers for WordPress or drag-and-drop website builders are also helpful.
Why is customer support important for web hosting?
Reliable customer support is crucial because it helps you resolve any issues quickly, ensuring your website stays online and runs smoothly.
Which web host is best for small businesses in the UK?
Some of the best web hosts for small businesses in the UK include BlueHost UK, SiteGround UK, HostGator, Hostinger UK, A2 Hosting, WHUK, and 20i.
Do I need a free domain with my web hosting service?
Having a free domain can save you money, but it’s not always necessary. Some hosting services offer free domains, while others do not.
What is uptime and why is it important?
Uptime refers to the amount of time your website is online and accessible. High uptime guarantees mean fewer interruptions, which is essential for keeping your business running smoothly.
Can web hosting services help my business grow?
Yes, many web hosting services offer scalable options that can grow with your business. Look for providers that offer flexibility and room for expansion.
