Free Web Hosting: Too Good To Be True?
July 20, 2006
When something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. This old adage is particularly applicable when it comes to free web site hosting.
Are you dreaming of a free website host that has no distracting pop-ups, banners, blinkers or headers? Do you long for a free hosting service that guarantees 98.8 percent uptime and has fast servers, multiple extensions, large databases and unlimited access? Stop dreaming. You won’t find it.
Believe or not, free web site hosts are not in the game out of the goodness of their hearts. If they offer you a “free” web site hosting service you can be sure that, while you may not pay with money, you will pay with limited functionality and availability that will eventually alienate the customers who would spend money with you if only they could access your site. These sites typically make their money by advertisements, which appear on your site and often transform your professional-looking website into a circus of blinking, scrolling and popping that totally distracts from your carefully crafted messages. Most free web site hosts require that you allow banners and pop-ups.
Many free web hosting services have a daily bandwidth that is very small, so that if you get a lot of traffic you’ll most likely exceed your bandwidth and your site will be temporarily disabled. Free web site hosts have little incentive to be concerned if you are experiencing downtime and most don’t have the budget for a customer support team. If you have technical glitches, you may find yourself at the mercy of their “frequently asked questions” link which may or may not have been updated in months or even years.
If you compare free web hosts’ promotional copy with actual customer reviews you are likely to find a significant opinion gap. One free host web site review features the gut-wrenching story of a business owner who spent months downloading newsletters, information, product descriptions and photographs on his site. He signed up for a free web host service because “They promised me the moon, and I thought it would save me some money.” One day he tried to access his site to update some information and his worst nightmare unfolded before his very eyes: Error: This page is not available! Those are the worst words on the web. The free web hosting company had gone out of business without notifying any of its customers. All of his months of hard work were gone forever, along with the potential customers who could not access his online store. Back to square one is not a fun place to be when your livelihood depends upon your web presence.
Most free web hosts don’t support secure web servers and, given customer concerns about fraud, privacy and security, the lack of a secure server can make it virtually impossible for an online store to survive on a free service.
Some of the most troubling aspects of free web hosting include:
- Branding. As your blog or website grows, a subdomain hosting account may adversely affect your credibility.
- No control over ad content. With free hosting, you are at the mercy of your host’s discretion as to what type of ads will be displayed on your site. Get ready for lots of banners, blinking and scrolling that have absolutely nothing to do with your business.
- Limited or no accountability for site outages and other problems. When you are paying nothing, it’s all too easy to become the victim of corporate apathy.
Advantages of paid web hosting include:
- You can host your own domain. With paid hosting you can brand your site and add credibility to your content.
- Control. With paid hosting, you control every aspect of your site.
- Accountability and portability. When you pay for hosting, you hold more leverage with the company in the event of problems. With paid web hosting, you can easily move your site to a new host if needed.
All that being said, all paid web hosts are not created equal. Just because you have a paid web host does not mean you have a good one. Make sure that you do your research and explore your options. Check out their customer service department. Ask questions about uptime and bandwidth availability. Then carefully consider what they truly have to offer and how it applies to your needs.
The ideal hosting company will be there to assist you with questions about development and technical applications. Since support issues are not constrained to regular business hours, make sure that you choose a hosting company that offers around the clock support and a variety of means to access support such as telephone, email and web-based access.
How much space do you expect to eventually need for your web site? Are you planning to grow your online business? Planning ahead before you select your web host can save you lots of money later. If you expect to grow, look for a place that offers sites of 100 MB or more. Some services offer 500 MB sites for less money than others that offer only 30 MB.
If you're planning to use a particular application that requires special setup parameters (such as Online Merchant, a popular online store), make sure your potential host is familiar with the application. Otherwise you may find yourself spending a great deal of time trying to figure out how to configure it - perhaps never succeeding! Reputable web hosts want you to be successful and will gladly assist you with this.
The right web hosting company will be your business partner and will offer steady uptime, time-saving tools and premiere customer support. Worth every penny, don’t you think?
Copyright 2006 © Website Source, Inc.
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