Depending on your level of activity you will probably want something better than a cheap website host shared hosting service. Shared hosting cannot really be described as professional website hosting but if you are just starting your business it may meet your initial needs but you will need to ensure that there is an upgrade path.

 

The upgrade from shared hosting can be to VPS hosting (Virtual Private Server) which is the first level of professional website hosting. This is a way of putting multiple customers on one server and splitting the server resources (cpu resources, memory, and hard drive space) so that all of these accounts act "like" their own server.  By using a virtual private server, professional website hosting companies can offer small businesses the performance, security, and control of a dedicated server at a much lower cost.

 

Ultimately you may grow to the point where the cost of a dedicated server can be justified. Here you actually have a physical server (which you may get to select the specification of) for your sole use.

 

As you upgrade you will need to ensure that you understand your responsibilities. For example,  website hosting providers may backup their shared servers but if you have a dedicated server, backups may be up to you.

 

For professional website hosting a website host’s software infrastructure is likely to be an important factor. If you have your site developed professionally your developers will specify the requirements and your professional website hosting will need to match these.

 

Professional website hosting can be run with either Linux or Windows hosting (this decision is not connected with your PC operating system). 

 

Linux is the most common (about 80% of web servers) and being open source may be slightly cheaper. Linux also has a reputation for speed and stability. It supports a wide range of software, applications, languages, and databases such as PHP, Perl, PostGre, MySQL. It is not, however, compatible with some Microsoft technologies.

 

The main reason for using a Windows environment is that it can run Microsoft software such as Access and MS SQL databases. Windows servers also allow developers to employ Microsoft's programming environments such as Active Server Pages (ASP) and Visual Basic Scripts.

 

If the requirements of your site do not force you one way or the other it is generally best for any hosting, including professional website hosting, to go the Linux route.