There are a number of things to consider when choosing between a free or paid web hosting service. Setting aside cost for a moment, lets look at some factors that will help you make an informative decision.
The very first thing you must consider is the intent or purpose of your website. Are you looking for a convenient way to share photos of family and friends? Or, are you considering something a little more complex such as adding multiple pages with different content on each? How about a website to promote a product or business?
The purpose of your website will act as a key component in determining which type of web hosting service is best suited for you. For example, if your website will be used primarily for personal postings, your file sizes aren't very large and you don't expect a lot of traffic, you won't require a lot of disk space or bandwidth for your hosting.
If this is the case, a free web hosting service may meet your needs. Free web hosting services are also useful if you're inexperienced in creating web pages. This type of service can provide an excellent opportunity for you to learn and practice your html skills. You could even use a free service as a test site before uploading your web pages to your live website.
Keep in mind that most free web hosting services provide limited features compared to paid web hosting services, but normally offer enough disk space and bandwidth to host a small website. To help offset costs, though, most free providers will place advertisements on your web pages.
With paid hosting, you'll find a variety of available plans to choose from. These plans allow more disk space and bandwidth, and usually include a number of other features such as free domain names, free sub-domains and unlimited email accounts. Some of the more advanced common features are a CGI-Bin, MySQL databases and Microsoft FrontPage extensions.
Compared to free web hosting, you'll also find that the services provided by paid web hosting companies are much more reliable, not to mention offering a higher level of customer support.
Cost wise, there is no charge to register for a free web hosting service, although you may be required to purchase your own domain name. For a basic paid service, you can expect to pay anywhere from $5 to $10 per month ? a very small price for the improved service, support and features you receive.
John Purdy is the owner of 1st Web Hosting Plans. We maintain a current directory of affordable web hosting providers and other website resources for personal internet users, online marketers and business owners. We also have directories dedicated to business and free web hosting. Visit us today at http://www.1st-web-hosting-plans.com
With hundreds of web hosting companies to choose from today... Read More
Bandwidth explained:Bandwidth is the amount of data transfer that you... Read More
A Virtual Private Server (VPS), also referred to as Virtual... Read More
Some web hosts are offering more than others for the... Read More
If you operate several websites, each with its own domain... Read More
"Unmanaged dedicated servers" - this is a pretty uninviting term... Read More
A domain name and paid hosting are considered essential for... Read More
With literally thousands of web hosting companies in the industry... Read More
Once you have a website you then need to think... Read More
Choosing the right Web Hosting service for your website can... Read More
So - you know shared hosting no longer cuts it,... Read More
Business web hosting is what you need. You have a... Read More
The Basics:Web hosting offers you the opportunity to put your... Read More
If you've ever browsed the World Wide Web and wondered... Read More
If you're looking for a professionally designed web site at... Read More
There are a couple of key things to look at... Read More
AutoResponders are nifty scripts that run in your web server... Read More
For those of you with Web sites, you probably know... Read More
It's time to choose! Should you spend some money to... Read More
Web hosting can be an exciting business start up for... Read More
This article is meant to all who already have a... Read More
The Basics of Linux & Windows :Linux (and its close... Read More
These days, web hosting companies are popping up faster than... Read More
Your new website is ready to upload, and now you... Read More
Why is dedicated hosting such a big hit on the... Read More
These days, web hosting companies are popping up faster than... Read More
There are literally hundreds of thousands of web hosting companies... Read More
Let's face it, the Internet is here for good. Today's... Read More
So - you know shared hosting no longer cuts it,... Read More
If you're reading this article, you might be interested in... Read More
Indeed, choosing a right web hosting service for your website... Read More
Are you looking for web hosting? If you want to... Read More
1. The reputation of the web hosting company.Most web hosting... Read More
There comes a time when the internet bug hits us... Read More
Many free web hosting accounts are free to use, however... Read More
Bandwidth in its simplest terms refers to the amount of... Read More
Most web site hosting services like the one you're probably... Read More
You've already got a website, but your current hosting provider... Read More
A few time ago appeared a lot disagreements between opinions... Read More
"2GB web space with 50GB traffic for $5.95 per month!"A... Read More
Selecting a web hosting company is like sending one of... Read More
There are two main types of host providers. They are... Read More
1. The reliability of the service and their offers.A brand... Read More
A client of mine paid for a solo advert to... Read More
Are you disgusted or disappointed with your current web host?... Read More
So you've decided about your website design and now you... Read More
If your web site has outgrown its shared hosting solution,... Read More
If you are anything like me, you'd probably like to... Read More
The Basics:Web hosting offers you the opportunity to put your... Read More
For those of you who don't really understand where or... Read More
Web Hosting |