Overseas Hosting & Web design

[PinkiesBoutique]

.. sorry another question, and my first post isnt visible yet as it hasnt been checked by moderator..

Has anyone any advice regarding getting a US based web designer to do my site? (Strong £ and all...!!) What would be the potential problems? What about hosting, I could still get the site hosted in the Uk right?

[MikeBzr]

Your choice of designer/developer and your choice of host are two completely seperate things - using an overseas designer does not, in any way, affect your ability to use a UK host, or vice versa.

The only problems to consider would be:

1) No face to face: dealing with someone completely over the internet is completely different to being able to go to their office, sit down and discuss the project. This shouldn't put your off completely, but should at least encourage you to exercise a little more caution.

2) Timezones: Dealing with someone from the US, your working hours differs completely from theirs. Again, it won't always be a major problem, but if you need to make a panicked phone call to them, they might well still be in bed for hours to come!

In the past I've both outsourced to and been hired by people overseas, and have had completely mixed experiences. Personally I'd rather to business with someone I can at least meet conveniently if need be.

[awebapart.com]

Due diligence and 'buyer beware' should go without saying with any supplier you choose, but more so for a custom developed ecommerce solution supplier. Do your homework, has the supplier done work for other UK clients creating similar ecommerce sites, can you contact existing clients, etc.

Hopefully you will get a client-supplier contract (http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=372601) signed up before handing over any money (e.g. deposit). Remember that contracts are official legal documents which usually abide by the rules of a certain country, e.g. England and Wales. This is so that if things go wrong (and they do), you have a leg to stand on in the courts of say, England and Wales. When sourcing development overseas, which country do you select, and which country are both parties going to be willing to visit to resolve disputes? e.g. getting your deposit back because the supplier hasn't delivered.

Hosting will depend on whether the supplier's solution dictates their own hosting or not. Hosted managed ecommerce solutions are by their very nature only available on the supplier's hosting. Other solutions may also have certain hosting requirements, e.g. the supplier might only support the system if it is on their hosting platform. This is something you need to check. If you have a .co.uk domain name then there isn't much of an issue whether the hosting is UK or US, end even US hosted .com domains are less of an issue nowadays since you can inform the main search engines that the site is for UK via their webmaster tools/accounts.

Other potential issues:

1. An american design with americanisms, e.g. add to cart rather than add to basket

2. Some american web designs are more in your face, rather than UK designs which are more subtle, perhaps this is to do with heavy advertising in the states

3. Use of US stock photography, some sites have photographs of models that just look american!

4. Lack of understanding of the 'UK system' in terms of VAT, shipping (mainland, offshore, other countries), VAT on shipping, UK regulations for what gets displayed on UK company websites etc

5. Support, you come in the next morning at 9am, and there's something wrong with your ecommerce site, who are you gonna call? (it will be at least a 5 hour wait and time difference if your supplier is US East coast based and starts work at 9am)

6. Lack of understanding of the UK Payment Processors (e.g. Protx, WorldPay), or UK versions of US Payment processors (e.g. PayPal and Google checkout usually have different US versions to UK versions since some of their new functionality they just release in the US first)

7. Ultimately, do you know where they live and can you go round knocking on their door if issues escalate?

[iboxsecurity]

@mikebzr i have a guy working for me that does some graphic design for me who is in the USA, cant tell you how frustrated i get sometimes when i need to speak to him and he is in bed for another 6 hrs because of the time difference.

@PinkiesBoutique i would recommend a UK web developer and the hosting doesnt really matter too much now if its UK or USA or else where as long as speeds arent too slow, geographics dont influence SEO as much as they used to.

[PinkiesBoutique]

Thanks for the info.
Sarah.

[ratso]

A lot of good advice in this thread that I agree with.
Price is never as important as being able to deal with the people you want to do a job for you.
Then I have always found dealing with other time zones impossible and also irritating at best.
We some of the best design companies in the world and they know the UK and world markets well. There are also some great grants for web design in the UK but only if you use Uk designers.
We find our customers are willing to travel a long distance to see us and then they love the fact we are in the office when they are, sometimes too much....

Its also nice to know your designer is not sat in his bedroom in India or the US of A

[Inkywillow]

I don't usually offer hosting when I design a web site so I usually advise my clients to purchase their own hosting and domain. I am on hand to recommend a host or give advice plus I am able walk them through any part of the process if need be as a (free) part of my service. This keeps the client in full control of the hosting side of their web site and keeps costs down as they are not paying a middle man to do it for them. This arrangement seems to work pretty well for me and my clients so you might consider doing the same with your designer (Remember to speak to them first before rushing into any hosting purchase though!).

[fairestcape]

We host the majority of our 20 or so "co.uk" sites with a company in California, and have been doing so for nearly 5 years. We've NEVER had an issue and they have been far more reliable than the two UK-based hosts we use.

The US host is also CHEAPER than the UK hosts, offers a wider range of web services (server configurations, programming, databases, etc) and has a 24 hour telephone helpline. On the odd occasion I have had to call, the phone has been answered within 20 seconds by a skilled, polite and very helpful technician. The minor problems have been resolved usually within a few minutes.

[ratso]

I think the track of this thread has started to dilute.
The question was about using foreign design not hosting issues.

On the hosting front we have tried the US and found too many issues and the prices are not that cheap in comparrison to Fasthosts who we use and have several dedicated servers with.

I am a firm believer that we have a great skill set in the UK, one of the best in the World, so why step away from it to save a few pounds. We all seem to forget the basics of Commerce, that once we all start using the foreign companies the prices go up at home and there is an inbalance in our own economy. In most cases you are saving pounds not hundreds.

If I had time I would list all the horror stories from people we trade with who have gone down the foreign route to save a few pounds.

The UK is a great place to do business lets keep our money working for the UK not some foreign bank.

[fairestcape]

Fasthosts have some limitations when e-commerce is concerned - such as their reluctance to configure their servers to suit some port configurations that some programs and payment gateways require..

When setting up e-commerce, the ability and keenness of the host to accommodate the often complex requirements of server settings is a paramount consideration when choosing a host.