If you are an absolute beginner this is where you should start. if you already have your own domain name and web hosting you can fast forward to part 3.
This means your Shared Web Hosting company will keep up the maintenance and updates, and provide technical support for its users. This is a huge benefit for those who do not have the time, knowledge or resources (like many small businesses I know) to do this. In this sense it makes huge sense to go with Shared Web Hosting. The average cost of a reliable shared web hosting package is less than $7.00 per month. You will be paying at least ten times that amount for a dedicated server.
So, you have a name, a plan and a place for your site to live. Finally, it is time to start designing! The choice here is to try to build yourself, "self-build", or find a professional to do the job for you. A half way house some use is to find a family member or friend who dabbles in Shared Web Hosting UK design and will do the job for as little as a case of beer. I would strongly advise against this route as the design process can be quite intense and is apt to place some strain on any personal relationship if significant redrafting is needed or the design is not all you had hoped for. If your first designer is not up to the project you can fire them and move on. Letting go of a family friend can present far more issues.
I have recently shared a customer's nightmare with a supposedly reputable domain registrar. All they wanted was their domain pointing to a different DNS server (the server that tells the internet where your website is), a simple request, they received no response from any of their emails. I didn't like their silence and suggested we actually move the domain to my registrar instead, more emails sent, more silence, weeks of it!
To find the right Affordable Web Hosting, you need to find that custom fit. Forget about signing up with a host who offers you extra services and add-ons you won't need. Here's a quick run down on what you will absolutely need to have no matter which host you choose.
Support is so, so, so (getting where I'm going?) important when it comes to choosing a web host so make sure their tech support guys are available 24/7. The last thing you want is to be stuck waiting 24 hours before they can get back to you from the other side of the world.
99.99% more active: Many web hosts are to ensure the time to 99. 99%, but then they are more expensive and must be chosen if required as commercial web sites.