Well, dedicated website hosting is much more secure than Shared Web Hosting U. If any site on shared sever is hacked then it can affect other web sites too.
(2). Get A Linux Plan - A Linux plan is more reliable and use up less resources than windows. A word of caution here though, unlike windows that is not case sensitive linux is, so make sure that you use all lower case letters in your file names to avoid any recognition problems.
The selection of platform and database engine is connected. If your web host offers hosting on the Linux platform, the script language is PHP and the database is MySQL. For Windows based hosting, ASP/.NET and MSSQL is often used. Unless you are a programmer with special demands in regard to platform, this selection doesn't matter much to you. More web hosts offer Linux hosting because it is cheaper, hence Affordable Web Hosting.
MySQL, Perl, Frontpage Extension, all of the features that you get with any decent web hosting account. You'll get them here. Like I said, these feature are pretty much the same everywhere, so don't worry about them.
As a business owner, of course you'll want a name that you think sounds good, is easy to remember and spell, and that is appropriate for the type of work that you do. This is a step you'll decide on either before you hire a UK web hosting company, or while you're in the process of discussing your needs with them. But even though you'll be quite busy, make sure you take the time to choose your domain name correctly: make sure your domain name will help your Shared Web Hosting UK be not only user-friendly, but search engine-friendly as well.
There are hundreds and hundreds of web hosting companies available, choose the one that fits your specific needs first. Whether its server space or bells or whistles, every hosting company offers a little something different. Figure out your needs first then go forth.
My one bit of good advice is do not sign up with any server for a long period of time to start with. It will be cheaper in the long run but at first just sign up for a little while. Try before you buy, make sure that the service provider is able to meet your expectations. If it does, then sign up for a longer period and save money.