UK Hosting vs US Hosting - Please help.

[RicoShay]

I'm just wondering, what would be the benefits of going with a hosting company based in the UK (where I live) compared to one in the USA?

• Are there any advantages of being hosting in ones country?
• Does it make a difference in terms of legal issues/jurisdictions?
• What are the main reasons you would host within your own country as apposed to abroad?

I'm looking for a dedicated server (preferably managed). On average I've found US based companies offering decent specs for around $200-$300 per month. The same specs with companies based in the UK are in excess of $500 per month.

So, I would rather go with a US based company than a UK one based on the prices... but obviously if there are legal issues then I'd have to opt for something within the UK.

On another note, do you have experience with UK based hosting companies (for dedicated servers)?

 

[besthos-s-t]

1) Location specific servers help you in better SEO and SERP. If you want to target the users in UK it would be better for you to have your server placed at UK.
2) I don't think so.
3) As i mentioned above that it depend upon users that mostly where they exist. If you have more users in UK then place your server there.

I think placing server in UK is best.
Sorry I don't have any experience of UK based hosting companies.
So, best of luck.

 

[RicoShay]

Thanks for the reply besthos-s-t

My target audience is international/worldwide. So would it make a difference?

Also, I read on some other forums, it would appear the target audience (in terms of SEO/SERP) can be specified via Google Webmaster Tools.

Does anyone here use Managed Dedicated Blade servers?
What are you experiences and where/how (if at all) have these benefited you?

Also, if I take out UK from the equation - what would be your recommendation for a company that can provide Dedicated Servers (managed)?

 

[Gerrit]

My host is in the States but while selecting a host I didn't really care where to host it. I just compared the offers and packages, and then selected the one suiting me best. It happened to be a US based one.

I think the one difference is support. If you prefer phone support instead of email based support, it is cheaper to call a helpdesk in your own country than an international call which can be quite expensive. Other than that, I see no real advantages nor disadvantages to hosting abroad. Just choose the host you feel is best for you, I think the location of its offices and servers are generally not amongst the most important criteria.

 

[WebIntellects - Rob]

I think in US you will have rich choice of the services and lower prices and the same latency as in the UK.
But only if 100% of your audience is in the UK you better use UK hosting

 

[iHubNet-Matt]

If you are targeting international audience, the server location has very less importance. One of the main difference between US and UK servers is price as you said. And I think there are more options from you can choose one in US than UK providers.

 

[SiberForum]

I do not think that UK web hosting solution will work as good r as the same in US. The prices in UK as twice high as in the US.

 

[RicoShay]

Thanks for all your input, really appreciate it.

Now, we've worked out the easier part - that US is cheaper, the question is - does someone know if there is any relevance to laws/jurisdictions? Can someone confirm this?

For example, if I trade from out of UK (all business is registered here), but my clients are around the globe... and my servers are based in the USA - does that have a bearing on anything in terms of which laws/jurisdictions I must comply with?

:?

 

[ldcdc]

does someone know if there is any relevance to laws/jurisdictions?

I'm not overly familiart with the subject, but this is something you should probably look into: Data Protection Directive - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia