The short answer is: Maybe.
Free web page hosting may be a great way to get started
with your Web presence, especially if you are planning
to develop a personal website.
Nearly all Internet Service Providers give you very
limited free hosting when you sign up for an internet
access plan. But it's usually just enough for a page
or two. There are even some web hosting companies who'll
give you a fairly complete free web site hosting
package.
Quid Pro Quo
The give-back with free web page hosting is that you
must accept online ads plastered all over your web site
over which you’ll have no control. If you are hosting
a personal web site and are not concerned about a bunch
of unrelated or possibly offensive ads on your web pages,
a free web site may be a good way to go.
However, if you plan to establish an online business
presence you should simply forget about free web page
hosting. The limited range of features, coupled with
a barrage of ads unrelated to your business, will certainly
be a turn-off for your visitors.
It’s Not 1995 Anymore
Most web surfers today are pretty savvy and can spot
a free website at a glance and will not take your business
seriously if your website doesn’t exude at least a basic
degree of professionalism. You just can’t do that with
a free web site.
The Good News
It’s actually pretty easy to find paid, yet affordable,
web hosting that will enable your online business to
compete effectively against the big guys. That is, if
you know the kind of web hosting solution that will
suit your immediate and long term needs.
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of free web
page hosting versus a more comprehensive paid web hosting
plan.
Free Hosting - Pros
- Well, nothing is completely free. In the case of
free web page hosting, it’s pretty close to being
free except for having to put up with those pesky
ads.
- Free web sites that come with your ISP’s internet
access plan are generally easy to set up and modify
using free, though limited, web site design tools
provided.
- This is also true of the free hosting packages offered
by some mainstream web hosting companies. They get
some ad revenue. You get online for free.
- Free sites should cause no concerns if you are planning
to build a web site that is essentially non-commercial
in nature.
Free Hosting - Cons
- The main drawback with free web page hosting is
that it obviuosly looks to your visitors like a non-commercial
(read "unprofessional") web site.
So if you are planning to transact any business online,
whether product, software, or services sales, or affiliate
and pay-per-click marketing, you simply must pay for
your hosting.
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