When choosing between free and paid web hosting, base your decision on the nature of your site. Paid web hosting is a must for most sites, since it offers more space and many necessary features. Free web hosting is usually supported by ads and has limited features. Both will host your site, but you need to choose which option is the best fit for you. Do you really want “free web hosting”? If you have been building web pages for a while, chances are you are thinking about moving to a paid host, if you haven’t already made this wise decision. Free web hosts are free, but chances are they have left you frustrated. Here are some of the frustrations you can expect from a free host:
Domain Name? “yourfreewebhost.com/blah/blahblah/yoursite/”
Does the URL above sound like something you would remember? Free web hosts require you to use a sub domain or give you a folder, somewhere on their server. Sub domains and folders are not meant for landing pages and are often much harder to remember. Paid web hosts allow you to use your own domain names and often times include it with their service offerings.
Banner Ads, Pop-up Ads, and Ads in your Dreams! Many free hosts rely solely on ads to make money. Your site may have many unwanted ads on each of its pages. These ads can hurt how your site is perceived and often stop visitors from coming back! More Downtime than Uptime? Many free hosts have a lot of downtime. Their users aren’t paying for the service, so many hosts don’t feel obligated to be dependable. Keep in mind, these hosts run on a tight budget, so they have to cut costs, often on support staff. If users are dissatisfied, the host is rarely bothered. Remember the old saying, beggars can’t be choosers? The World of Limitations, Where to Begin? Disk space, data transfer, speed, file types, etc. To stay profitable, the free host hopes you use very few resources while still getting enough traffic to support its ad revenue. Almost everything is extremely limited. What happens if you go over what they expect? Your site can be halted or taken offline without notice.
Customer Support? Anyone There? If you have problems with your hosting, you will most likely have to rely on the FAQ pages. Most free hosts don’t have the money to hire support teams to answer live questions or emails. Even if they do offer support, they often care little about resolving your issue.
Zero Advertising Revenue. There is only room for one advertiser with a free host, and it’s not you! If you are looking to sell advertising on your web pages, free web hosting is not the way to go. Many free hosts don’t allow you to sell advertising on your site.
Web Hosting Reality. Paid web hosting has become so incredibly cheap that it’s amazing free hosting companies still exist. Face it, free things are often too good to be true. Save yourself the frustrations and limitations that come with free hosting and try a paid host. Most include a money-back guarantee, and many even include a free domain name.