Do You Want A Free Web Host?
There are hundreds of web hosting sites on the internet. Before you choose one, you must do the proper research to ensure that you choose a host that is a reasonable price and offers you good services for that price. However, there are also free hosts out there. Do you want one, or do you ignore them in your search? Here are some things you must think about to determine whether you want to have a free host or not.
Think about how much control you need. This is the biggest consideration when deciding if you want a free web host. If you have a free web host, you are at their mercy to some degree. If they want to shut down your account or site, they can. Even if it's not their intention, your site may go down for a while. There are many other things you have no control over with a free host. That may be okay with you, depending on what you plan to do with your site.
If you have a blog, you may be able to get by with a free host. A lot of times, people don't consider Blogger or Tumblr to be a free host, but that is exactly what they are. They allow you to store your words, pictures and video on the site for free, and you have no control over whether they delete your account or what else is on your page. However, for a personal blog or a casual blog, this may be acceptable for its other perks. For example, Tumblr is also a form of social media and you can link up with many people at no cost to you.
Know what kinds of ads will be displayed on your site from your free web host. Free web hosts still have to pay their bills, and they usually do that with advertising. You usually have no say about what kinds of ads go on your site, so find out whether the ads are chosen to relate to keywords in your site, or whether they are just ads that the company chooses to display. The ads that run with your site may not have anything to do with your site, and worse, they may drive traffic away from your site.
Think about problems you may have with the host and address them upfront. What happens when your site goes down? Is there a number you can call, where you can reach a person? Is there an email address that will alert someone to get back to you within a few hours? What happens if you have a question? Before signing up for a service, make sure questions like that are answered so you know what you're dealing with.
Check out the services they offer. How much space do they give you? This may be a problem if you have a lot of video files and pictures.
It is not always fun to pay for hosting, but sometimes, the money you spend dictates how good the service will be. A free host may be a good option for you, just read the advice above to make the right choice.
