Web Hosting

Q. What is web hosting and why do I need it?
A. Every domain name must be hosted so that you can receive visitors to your website. If you do not have web hosting, the domain will only show a 'reserved' notice, and it will not show any of your personalised content. With hosting, you effectively buy space on a dedicated web server, and when someone types in your domain name Internet address, they are routed to your hosting server. Hosting is usually associated with a domain name and provides a unique address e.g. www.yourname.com, for your web pages.

Q. How much does web hosting cost?
A. Our web hosting packages start at £60 per year for a fully managed service ideal to get you started on the Internet. We also provide fully featured packages to suit more demanding requirements. We will advise you of the features available so you only pay for what you need. If you select a website design solution from us, you get one year of free hosting.

See our Web Hosting Package List for full details. To purchase hosting without registering a Domain Name click here.

Q. My Internet Service Provider already gives me free web space. Why should I pay for hosting?
A. The web space provided by your ISP is tied to your account, so if you close your account you lose the web space. No matter which ISP you are using, web hosting allows your web address and e-mail address to stay the same. It also gives a much more professional image of your business or organisation, not to mention an address that is a lot easier to remember!

Q. Why is web hosting so important?
A. Without web hosting, your domain name will have no presence on the Internet. To ensure your site is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, it is essential to select a reliable hosting provider using fast web servers that are permanently connected to a high-speed Internet backbone. It is unusual to host a website yourself, unless of course you have an assigned web server permanently connected to the Net.

Q. What does web hosting provide me with?
A. Here are the main features of our web hosting:

Megabytes of web space
Multiple POP3 mailboxes
Unlimited e-mail addresses e.g. [anything]@yourname.com
Unlimited mail forwarding
Unlimited auto-responders
Graphical site visitor statistics (click to try)
Search engine submission
Gigabytes of bandwidth per month
Full FTP access
Full CGI enabled
ASP / PHP / .NET capabilities
Secure connection (https) available for online transactions
FrontPage extensions available
SQL database connections

Q. How much web space will I need?
A. A website doesn't require much space; often less than 5 MB or 10 MB. We will always provide you with exactly what you need, with a little extra for convenience. If you want to use your web space to store photographs, music, and video files then you will need more space. You can add more space at any time.

Q. How many mailboxes will I need?
A. It depends on how many people and computers you have. A common procedure is to have all mail directed to a central mailbox which is accessed on one computer. Alternatively, you may elect to have a separate mailbox for each employee, or a combination of both these options. We can advise you if you are not sure.

Q. How do I choose a hosting package?
A. We have a range of hosting solutions to suit your budget and needs. All our packages are flexible and can be upgraded or changed at any time. We can advise you once we have full details of your requirements.

See our Web Hosting Package List for full details.