The Disadvantages of Free Web Hosting

When you first start looking for web hosting, you may notice that there are a lot of companies that offer free web hosting. This can be a good option for website owners looking to run small or personal sites; but free web hosting does come with a number of disadvantages that make it unsuitable for businesses.

The space that free web hosting gives your website is the first and biggest reason why this type of hosting never works for businesses or large websites. This is because with free hosting your website is placed on a server with many other websites and you will share the space as well as all the resources on that server with those other websites. You’ll be given a small sliver of that server, and you’ll need to fit your entire website into that site. If you can’t, your website simply won’t function properly, and may not even be visible online.

Just like free web hosting won’t give you the space your website needs, it also likely won’t give you the amount of resources you need. Along with disc space your website will also be given a specific amount of bandwidth, or the amount of times your website can be downloaded onto another person’s computer. If you reach your maximum bandwidth for the month, users simply won’t be able to visit your website. And if they find problems getting to it even just once, the chances are good that they won’t come back.

One of the less commonly talked about disadvantages to free web hosting is the advertising that the free web host will place on your website. Because the host isn’t charging any money for their service, they must turn a profit somehow, and they do through advertising. Unfortunately, the amount of advertisements placed on your website, how often they’re placed, and how large they are, will depend on what the web host wants. These can be very distracting to visitors when they visit the site, and can negatively impact the overall look of the site.

Free web hosting also comes with built-in templates that you can use for designing your website. At first these can seem like very helpful tools, and they are – for beginners or those starting personal websites. But if you have a website for a corporation, or a website that needs a specific design, these can be a real barrier to it because these are often the only ones you’re allowed to use. And you’ll most likely find that they’re just not good enough.

Free web hosting does have its advantages, namely being that they are free. But just because you’ll save money doesn’t always mean that you’re getting the best deal. Remember that you often get what you pay for, and this is definitely the case when it comes to web hosting. While free web hosting can effectively serve a certain part of the market, for anything other than personal or small websites typically it’s best to pay for the service.