| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Free Web Hosting:
Pitfalls & Rewards
When it’s time to find Web hosting, you have two
choices: get a free Web hosting provider or pay for your
Web hosting services. Both of these options each have
their own downfalls and their own rewards, and it is up
to you to make an informed decision. The more informed
you are about your decision, the more likely you will be
to receive something that is best for you and your
situation. Learn some of the reports and pitfalls of
free Web hosting below.
One of the best things about free Web hosting, of
course, is that it is free. This means that you can try
out a website without any investment. With free Web
hosting, it is also likely that you won’t have to pay
any setup fee. Set up fees are quite common with paid
hosting, however, some companies will be willing to
waive their set up fees in order to get your business.
While this is a great perk, free Web hosting is best for
those who want to build a small personal site that only
their friends and family will visit. If you need a
website because you want to start a small business, it
is best to go with paid hosting. It is very
unprofessional to have pop-ups and banner ads all over
your website, not to mention that you will have more
options to choose from with paid hosting.
That brings us to the first and very most important
pitfall of free Web hosting: banner ads and pop ups.
Even though the provider is offering you free Web
hosting, they still have to make their money. This is
done by putting banner advertisements and pop up ads on
your website. While this can be okay for a small
personal site, that is only for your very close friends
and family, these type of advertisements can be very
annoying to many Web users. That is why, if you want
your website for more than that, you should pay for your
hosting -- which can be as cheap as five dollars per
month. To great news about these pop ups and banner ads
is that they keep free Web hosting open as an option for
those who need it.
The second pitfall with free Web hosting is that you
won’t have as many options. This again is okay for those
who want a small personal website for friends and family
to check out, because they really don’t need a
professional-looking site and likely will spend little
time with it. If you expect your website to be viewed by
a wide audience, you will not only need more bandwidth
to help with all the traffic, but you will also want
more options so that you can do more things with your
site to make a more aesthetically pleasing to your
visitors. This is especially true for a business
website. If your website is going to make you money, you
need to spend money on it.
The third free Web hosting pitfall is that it can be
unreliable. Many Web hosts still do what they can to
make their hosting the best it can be, but you may not
have any kind of guarantees on the uptime of your site.
Most free Web hosts offer this kind of guarantee and you
will be compensated if they fail to meet their promises.
This gives you a sense of security because you know that
your website will be accessible to visitors at least 90%
of the time -- and if it isn’t you will receive a credit
to your account or free hosting for your trouble. This
is especially important for anyone running a small
business because, if your customers can’t get on your
website, it will cost you money. Therefore, you need to
choose a provider that is so confident in their service,
that they are willing to back it with this kind of
guarantee. The better the compensation for the
guarantee, the less you stand to lose if they fail to
keep their promise.
Although you may not want to ante up any money for Web
hosting services before you know if you want to stick
with the provider, most paid hosting providers do offer
some kind of “free” trial. They will allow you to use
the service, usually for a full month, and then let you
choose whether or not you are satisfied enough to stick
with the company. If you aren’t fully satisfied with the
services you have received thus far, you can request a
refund and go to a different provider. It may take extra
effort to switch providers after you already have a
website up and running, but it may be better than paying
for a service that you’re not happy with.
Whether you choose paid for free hosting, the more you
know about your choices and the more informed you are
when you make a decision, the more satisfied you will
likely be in the end. This is because, if you know you
have choices and you know what those choices are, you
can choose what you think is right for you, your
situation, and your website. Take the time to discover
the different providers out there, pick the one that you
think may be best for you, and put them to the test with
a free trial. If you like them, great; otherwise you
have the opportunity to move on without risk. This is
one of the best things about hosting and, if you can
afford not to go with a free Web host, it is best to
find a cheap -- but good -- hosting provider that offers
the things that you need.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
