Most people wonder if it’s worth taking a chance on free website hosting, and this is a question that keeps coming up. Some of them will say yes, and some will say no, just like in any other situation.
In this article, we’ll show you, one way or another, the pros and cons of free web hosting. Keep reading and take a look.
What is a web hosting service, anyway?
A website is a group of files (texts, images, and codes) that, when linked together, make the web pages we’re used to seeing. Files are known to browsers, which are specialized software. But first, they have to be stored in a place called a server.
It’s important to have this place to store the files since the domain can’t store any content on the site (it’s just the electronic address or URL). The server is what does this job.
In the same way, the server is a supercomputer with more resources and better performance than a regular computer. Its purpose is to store several files and make them available for other machines to access. This is why the server “hosts” the website, giving rise to the term “hosting.”
Hosting is, in a simple way, a place on the server where all the files that make up a website are kept so that they can be accessed on the internet.
What’s the difference between a hosting service and a platform for making websites?
You can think of the domain as the website’s address. This is how the IP address of the server where the page is stored is translated, which makes it much easier for users to remember.
“www.companyname.com” is much easier to remember than the IP address of the hosting server. Because of this, people who work on the internet put their money into domains like website access. So, it refers to the name that people use to call the website they want to visit on their device, which is the same name that people use all over the network.
Websites are put together in a way that makes sense. For example, the letters HTTPS show the security and communication protocol, and the three letters “w” show that the page is on the World Wide Web. So, you’ll see the name of the page, the page’s category, and the country where the hosting is done.
Domains are also used as “brands” for companies. To get the right to use them, you have to register. It doesn’t help to make a website with your brand and choose the best web hosting service if you don’t get people to sign up for the page’s name.
Hosting, on the other hand, keeps the website up and running. It gives it the infrastructure and technology for communication that it needs to work properly, such as email accounts, media storage, and a management dashboard.
What are some benefits of free web hosting?
It’s not a secret that there are a number of web hosting services that help entrepreneurs get their ideas out there for free.
This is good because it allows small entrepreneurs (or even just individuals) to save money, even if it’s a little. It’s really cool to know that you don’t have to pay to store your information if you want to start a blog.
But it’s important to know that this is the only thing that can be said to be a benefit of free web hosting over paid hosting.
Since you want to grow more than you want to pay for hosting, you need to make sure that the service provider has the quality you need for a good service.
What are the drawbacks of free web hosting?
When it comes to the bad things about free web hosting providers, we can divide them into two groups: problems and limits.
When this model is contracted, the contractor must know that he won’t have any guarantee. This means that your website could be taken down at any time and without warning. It’s also normal to be offline a couple of times.
The problem is that you can only get customer service if you pay for hosting, so sometimes there isn’t too much to be done.
Why should I pay someone to host my website?
Most of the time, especially for businesses free web hosting is not worth it. Even though there’s no cost, that doesn’t come close to making up for the benefits of a paid service. We’ll show you what are the pros when you pay for web hosting for your page so you can understand it better.
1. To make sure things are more stable
Web Hosting companies that charge for their services tend to put more money into infrastructure. It’s true that not all of them are, but most serious companies will have the best, most up-to-date policies, practices, and technologies.
In addition, they have a technical team whose only job is to maintain the equipment. Because of this, they offer a service that is very stable and has a 99.9% uptime. This means that your website will always be up and running.
2. To make your site safer
When hiring a web hosting provider, you get much safer hosting when compared to a free hosting service. But this doesn’t mean that she will never have an attack again. Even Google and Microsoft, two of the biggest names in technology, have been attacked before.
On the other hand, Paid services are well-equipped to deal with potential threats before they can hurt their customers’ websites. In this situation, there are a number of warnings, such as:
- Encryption of data;
- Protection against viruses and malware;
- Use of firewalls;
- Regular backups;
- Plans for what to do in case something goes wrong.
3. To be able to grow
In the paid world hosting, your website will be able to grow based on how you want it to. So, you won’t have to worry about traffic or not having enough room. If you’re pushing your limits, just ask for an increase.
4. To have extra tools
Anyone who thinks that a lot of disk space and traffic is the key to good paid hosting is wrong. In fact, there are a lot of extra features, like your own email, security certificates, software licenses, a website builder, and a control panel that is both responsive and available in multiple languages.
5. To have a website backup
Customer service is without a doubt one of the best things about paid hosting. On the other hand, this is what makes free website hosting the weakest. Keep in mind that there are many things you might need help with, such as publishing the page, getting a backup, setting up your email, and a lot more.
Unless you are a pro, you will need help from the company at some point. And you already know what to do to make sure he’s on your side: pay for the hosting service.
What are the biggest problems with hosting for free?
There are a number of companies out there that will host your website for free. But this isn’t always a good idea for businesses. Read on to find out why!
slowness
Most companies that offer free web hosting put a lot of pages on the same server. All of your pages will load very slowly because of this. This slowness is terrible for both the person using the service and the business.
1. The website domain is not very professional
Using a website address that doesn’t look professional is bad for the brand. That’s because it would be hard for visitors and potential customers to take your business seriously if you didn’t even have a correct domain name. This is normally the domain that you have when using free web hosting services: hostingbrand.yourbrand.com, it doesn’t sound very professional.
2. Limited trial service
Many of these free website services are limited trials, which means that you will have to pay for them after a certain amount of time. In most cases, this cost is much higher than paid hosting services.
3. Hidden fees
When you use a free web hosting service, they need to make money just like any other business. Some of them charge their users for extra services like hosting images, email accounts, FTP access, website transfers, etc.
4. Migration problems
Many people who start out with a free website but later want to switch to a paid service can’t move their information to the new site. This is because these service providers don’t offer any tools for migration. Because of this, many users pay freelancers to export all the content by hand, which can add to their costs.
5. Hosting brand ads
Most of these free hostings are paid for by ads, which means that you make content and build your website, but ads pay for them.
Most of the time, these ads are annoying and don’t have anything to do with your brand. The worst part is when your competitors pay these free web hosting companies to advertise their products or services, which may hurt your business.
Is it worth it or not to use free hosting?
Most companies that host websites for free also offer paid plans or work with other companies that do. In this case, this type of hosting is just “bait” to get you to switch to a paid plan in the future. That’s how they make enough money to pay for running costs.
When hiring this kind of service, you should keep in mind that free hosting doesn’t come with any guarantees. That is, as we’ve already said, your page can be taken down without warning, and since it’s a free service, you can’t really complain about it.
Still, free hosting can be useful for making test sites or sites that don’t matter if they are down for a long time. Now, if you want something professional, you’ll have to pay for a good service that will give you all the help you need for your business.