Getting Out of Free Web Hosting
Most beginning online college entrepreneurs start out by using free web hosting and eventually moving on to paid providers. However, some can’t seem to move on from free hosts. Is it a must for any serious webmaster to eventually start paying for web hosting? Well, it mostly depends on your needs. Just keep in mind that there are several downsides to free web hosting.
Free web hosts and advertising
Perhaps the most obvious negative feature that most web hosts have is the presence of excessive advertising. After all, if you’re not paying for your hosting, someone else has to. Free web hosts need the ads they post on your webpages in order to make a profit and to keep their hosting services free. Of course, there are still hosts that offer free webspace without advertising, but they come with their own restrictions.
Speaking of advertising, free web hosts generally don’t allow webmasters to sell ad space on their webpages. Since selling advertising is one of the more common ways in which webmasters generate income, free web hosts will limit your income streams. But if you only need webspace for a personal site or to practice your coding and design skills, free web hosting could be enough for you.
Dependability of free web hosts
While there are some free hosts that offer good customer support and relatively small downtime, most free hosts don’t feel compelled to provide excellent service. They also may not have the resources or funds to maintain quality servers installed with the latest software. Their staff may not even include customer support, and your complaints or questions may be left unanswered.
Restrictions of free hosting
Web hosts offer very limiting services for their free hosting packages. The first things they limit are usually space and bandwidth. This means that having a large website or too much traffic is out of the question. There are also limitations on the types of files you are allowed to upload on your website. Most free hosts don’t allow MP3 files, MPEG and other movie files, or executable (*.exe) files. Be sure to check the list of allowed file extensions in order to find out if your potential free host meets your site’s needs.
While paid web hosts are generally considered more professional or dependable, free web hosts can also be sufficient for beginning webmasters with simple needs. But if you’re looking to have a professional-looking website that has options for upgrades, then a paid web hosting provider should be your only consideration.
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