For British web users, it can often feel like the online world is dominated by the USA. This is especially true when it comes to choosing a web hosting company.
Though there are British businesses out there offering plans that are more than sufficient for our needs, finding them isn’t always the easiest of tasks when the web hosting industry seems to be dominated by American giants like GoDaddy, Hostgator and a slew of others.
Nor could any of us be blamed for signing up with one of these big name brands. Some of the best website hosting plans available right now are offered by these very companies, and there’s always a good deal to be found no matter which kind of plan we need.
That being said, there are certain benefits of choosing a UK based web hosting company over one of the big US names. Like what you ask? Well, like these:
Competitive pricing in your currency
Searching around for a good hosting deal offered by a UK company does throw up some favourable results, with prices that do rival any of the US company’s discount offers once you take conversion rates into account.
And therein lies the key to this one: You don’t have to worry about conversion rates.
Though some firms overseas have started to offer their products and services in UK pound sterling (GBP), with many, you’re still faced with paying for services in US dollars (USD).
This not only has the potential to get confusing at times, but depending on how you pay, it could ultimately end up costing you more in the long run, which leads us to our next point.
No additional fees from your payment provider
Some banks, and particularly online payment methods such as PayPal have the annoying habit of charging us additional fees for paying in a different currency, or at the very least using an exchange rate that is so heavily skewed in their favour that what looks at first glance to be a bargain actually ends up costing us more than we planned for.
It goes without saying, that when you pay for goods or services in your own currency, this isn’t an issue.
A company who understands your business and your customers
There are some business fundamentals that remain pretty much the same no matter where you go in the world, though let’s be honest here, running a business in the UK does throw up certain nuances and ways of doing things that are fairly unique to our culture.
So when you’re choosing where to host your website -a crucial part in the long term success of your business- doesn’t it make sense to essentially partner up with a provider who understands those differences better than any overseas company could ever hope to?
By hosting with a UK company, you’re working with people who really understand your needs, your culture, and your customers, and provide services that better equip you for success in the British economy.
Customer support when and how you want it
It would be unfair to say that US hosting firms don’t offer decent support to their UK customers. Many are making the move to 24/7 customer service access, good news for those of us who run on a different timezone to those manning our provider’s service centers.
Yet because of this difference in time zones, customers in Britain are sometimes cut off from certain ways of accessing support depending on the time of day. Prefer to speak to a representative through live chat on the website at 9 in the morning? Sorry friend, most of America is asleep at that time, and you’ll need to wait a few hours. The best you can hope for is to send an email and hold tight for an answer.
Choose a British company, and you’ve got access to all levels of support at a time that’s better suited to you.
