Free web hosting, as with so many things in life that looks good from far but is actually far from good, is not something any serious marketer can bank on.
Most free web hosting companies will give you exactly what you paid for using their services – Nothing!
The Eight Main Problems with Free Web Hosting are:
- Sponsored Advertising – In return for free web hosting some service providers will place banner ads on your site. Would you feel like buying from a site that has a huge banner saying “This site is hosted for free thanks to…”? No, didn’t think so.
- Lack of Credibility – Establishing credibility on the internet is one of the most important but also most difficult things you need to achieve. Many people can spot a free hosted website a mile away. In addition, companies such as ClickBank will not even allow you to use their services if you are making use of free web hosting services.
- Inadequate Features – Most hosting service providers will provide you with a comparison chart indicating the features of each package. You will notice that a free web hosting account normally only has a very small number of features compared with paid hosting plans.
- Long & Unsightly Domain Name – Some companies do not even give you the opportunity of using your own domain name. Instead you get an address such as freebyhost/sucker.com where “freebyhost” is the name of the host and “sucker” is your domain!
- Slow Speed – It has been proven that most people expect a web page to open just about immediately or they click away… Free web hosting services do not exactly have an excellent reputation for using fast and efficient servers.
- Poor Support – Have a problem with your account? No problem, just go and stand in the back of the line while the paid members get looked after first. Don’t expect world-class service when you are not prepared to pay a dime for it.
- Server Problems – Getting traffic to your site is not always easy. Imagine spending a lot of time (and often money as well) getting traffic and when they get to your site the server is down for maintenance or something more serious.
- Unfavorable Terms & Conditions – Some of the better free web hosting companies such as Doteasy.com offers a reasonable hosting option but you have to buy a domain name through them or transfer an existing name or account to them. Often the domain name will cost you a lot more than what you would pay for it at another registrar. Transferring an existing domain name or hosting account to them is not cheap either…
Are there any advantages to using free web hosting services?
Not as far as I am concerned. I have never come across an internet marketer that recommended free hosting over using paid hosting providers.
To be frank, hosting has become so cheap in recent years that you can find excellent hosting packages for only a couple of dollars per month. Many companies will even host several domains on one package at no extra cost.
Personally, I use and recommend HostGator. For as little as $7.95 per month they will host an unlimited number of websites for you on one account, subject to some restrictions. Their support is great and they offer excellent tools for webmasters. I have been using them for several years and have never had a complaint.
Tip: You can try HostGator out for $0.01 your first month by entering this coupon code upon entering the order page: hgc25
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