Free web hosting companies are a plenty, ranging from the larger ones such as 007sites and 0catch, to the smaller and more obscure ones that lurk in the corners of cyberspace. At first look, free web hosting seems like a promising deal: a free web host that supports your website, letting you effectively earn money and conduct business without any costs involved. However, let us take a look at the implications, advantages and disadvantages of using free web hosting.
Free web host providers are generally supported by ads; banner ads, pop-up ads, text link ads, top/bottom ads, frame ads, are all standard fare of free web hosting websites. The pertinent question is: do you want these ads to be displayed prominently on your website. The answer really lies in what you intend to use your website for.
A business website, one designed to appeal to clients and attract customers would definitely not want these advertisements spoiling not only their business ima ge, but effectively driving clients, disgusted by the pop-up spam, away. Even for a personal blog, these advertisements can occasionally get on your nerves. Is the few dollars a month that you save worth the frustration and irritation of incessant advertising appearing on your website?
Reliability and uptime are keywords in the web hosting industry, of which free web hosts tend to lack both. Free web hosts usually lack a dedicated customer service. This means that your website might just disappear in the middle of the night and it can take up to weeks for it to get back online. This means a loss of visitors, traffic, and possibly some regular visitors may think that your website has been shut down. The consequences for a website, especially a business website, are unthinkable.
Does this mean that there is no role for free web hosting for a proper, serious website and budding website owner? The role of free web hosting is not to replace their paid counterparts, but rather to serve as a testing ground for new website owners. Free web hosting allow the website owner to get an idea of the website, and to allow him to experiment with new ideas with no consequence. Hosting a site on a free web host, even for just a week or two, can allow the web owner to collect real time information and data without signing a 12 or 24 month contract with a paid service.
You can obtain free web hosting at almost any provider available on the internet. A quick search in Google will easily turn up hundreds of free web hosting providers. How do we pick the best free web host? A good way to decide is to compare the number of advertisements that will be run on your website, as well as the amount of space they give you. This can range from anywhere between 50MB to 700MB. With the numerous choices available you can take your time to pick which free web hosting program suits you the best. Ultimately, if you are moving on to a paid service, the free web host you choose is not of crucial importance. However, getting a good free web host is after all beneficial for your website publicity.
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