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Avoiding Free Website Hosting for Better Results

Why Free Website Hosting is Usually Not a Good Choice

Free website hosting is out there and it is something that many beginners are sucked into. This is not a good choice for many and it is necessary to be aware of what free hosting does and does not provide for you. If you are considering a free hosting package for your website, then you need to be sure this is the right choice.

Hosting is not expensive, to start, and you don't have to go with free website hosting just because your budget is very small. You don't need to feel like this is your only option or is even an option at all. There are too many top hosting companies with great shared hosting packages that nearly anybody can afford.

Free website hosting is not going to help you with search engine optimization, marketing, or with managing your content. They will give you a very limited amount of space and once it is filled, you cannot get any more. The worst part is, you will be using a sub domain instead of your own domain name. This takes away your ownership of the website or blog.

If you want to be at the mercy of your hosting company, then free hosting is exactly what you want. However, if you want to have the ability to move your website when you want, actually own the website you put up, sell it if you decide to, and you want the benefits of real hosting, then free is not the way to go.

Alternatives to Free Website Hosting You can Afford

Most of the cheapest hosting companies offer shared hosting you can get for under $5 a month. However, many of them will require that you pay for at least a full year up front. This means, you have to shell out around $50 or more for your hosting, but the good news is, you don't have to pay again for a year.

Usually you get a free domain name with your yearly hosting package and you will also get everything you need to put up your website or blog. This is a great way to go about getting super cheap hosting, but if you cannot afford the upfront cost, you need an alternative. Here is one that you probably can afford.

HostGator hosting company offers a monthly payment option and you can get your hosting for under $8 a month. You will still need a domain name, but they range from $2 a year to about $12 a year for the basic domains with nearly any extension. Therefore, you can get started for under $20 up front and you only have to pay $8 a month from there on out.

If you cannot afford to invest this very small amount of money into your website or blog, then you probably are not taking your internet business seriously enough. Re-evaluate your plan and find a way to actually pay for hosting if you are trying to make money online or put up a website for your business.

The Only Situation Free Website Hosting is Good For

The only time free website hosting is good for anybody is when you just want to put up a website for your family or for a personal reason. If you have absolutely no desire to make money from your website, then using free hosting may not be a bad idea. However, you still won't have the ownership and control you may need.

Before you decide on the hosting you are going to commit to, take the time to look into a few of the top ten hosting companies. This may help you to see how cheap hosting can be and even the cheapest shared hosting package is going to be better than any free website hosting you can find.


Hanson

Hanson is an internet professional with a strong focus in the hosting industry. Her experience includes everything from running her own hosting company to building websites. Connect with Hanson on Twitter and Google+.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, January 19th, 2012 at 8:42 pm and is filed under Free. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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