Is Free Web Hosting Really Free
Is Free Web Hosting Free?
Yes, you can get free web hosting. There are several free web hosting sites and you would just need to search for them. You do not need to pay for hosting your websites, but at the same time, these offers have limitations. They either cost you in time, hosting limitations, or your WebPages would be carrying advertisements, pop-ups, banners, etc. This is the way the free web hosting companies earn and provides you with a free service. You should be careful when you are looking for free web hosting services on the internet. You will come across many such services, offering you free web hosting, but with a catch. You may be charged excessively on domain name registration, and other services. These are not really the free ones that you are looking for.
The web hosting companies who offer free hosting services earn their money in a different way. Your WebPages carry advertisements, pop-ups, banners and other such things, which bring revenue to these companies. Some of the free website hosts do not put any advertisements or banners. You are required to click their banners that they have on their control panels, or sign-up for processes. Others simply display the banners in the control panel with an expectation that you will click on them. At times you are just lured into availing the free service, with the web host hoping that you will sign for an upgrade and pay the regular fees for hosting. There are a few who send you advertisements in your email inbox, while others would sell your email address.
Barring few exceptions, free web hosting services are not reliable. As long as the web host is able to display detriments, pop-ups, and banners, it is most likely that they would stay in business, unless some websites do not abuse the web server with spam, hacking, etc. This usually happens with free web hosting services, where sign-ups are free from any cost. This would mean that anyone, with any intention, can get to have the facility of free web hosting with the intent to abuse the web server. This happens especially with the offer of instant activation offering features such as PHP or CGI. Always look for such free services where the web host is looking for quality websites to be hosted.
If you are looking for free website hosting, you should look for free website directories in the internet. These directories list reputable free web hosts who accept quality websites free of cost. The directories have also been found to add new free web hosts every week. There are some directories who never update their list, and you may find that the information listed are outdated and some links do not exist anymore. One of the most popular free website directories is http://www.free-webhosts.com/ which keeps their directory up-to-date. This directory has over 500 free website host listed in it, along with user reviews, ratings, and free hosting searchable database.
There are quite a few disadvantages in hosting your website on a free web host. The most important aspect of it all is that it may not remain free forever. The disadvantages are as follows:
- Limited web page space.
- Can't add interactive features, such as, chat rooms, message boards, games, online ordering etc.
- Search engines often ignore them. This is a huge disadvantage.
- Your visitors may doubt your credibility.
- May have banners and/or pop ads on your homepage and/or all of your pages.
- Long and hard-to-remember web address.
- No guarantees of site being available forever.
- No branded emails addresses, like, you@yourdomain.com
- Poor help and support options, if any at all.
- May not be free forever.
You should know that, though the web hosts claim that the service is free, you are either made a medium for their earnings, or you are induced to provide them with business. Besides the advertisements, pop-ups, and banners, these free services would want you to click on certain banners as one of the condition of providing you with the free service. In other cases, you would need to click on banners found in the control panel that they provide you with. Some way or the other these website hosts earns their revenue, as otherwise it does not become feasible for them to provide a free web hosting service.
Yes, you can get free web hosting. There are several free web hosting sites and you would just need to search for them. You do not need to pay for hosting your websites, but at the same time, these offers have limitations. They either cost you in time, hosting limitations, or your WebPages would be carrying advertisements, pop-ups, banners, etc. This is the way the free web hosting companies earn and provides you with a free service. You should be careful when you are looking for free web hosting services on the internet. You will come across many such services, offering you free web hosting, but with a catch. You may be charged excessively on domain name registration, and other services. These are not really the free ones that you are looking for.
The web hosting companies who offer free hosting services earn their money in a different way. Your WebPages carry advertisements, pop-ups, banners and other such things, which bring revenue to these companies. Some of the free website hosts do not put any advertisements or banners. You are required to click their banners that they have on their control panels, or sign-up for processes. Others simply display the banners in the control panel with an expectation that you will click on them. At times you are just lured into availing the free service, with the web host hoping that you will sign for an upgrade and pay the regular fees for hosting. There are a few who send you advertisements in your email inbox, while others would sell your email address.
Barring few exceptions, free web hosting services are not reliable. As long as the web host is able to display detriments, pop-ups, and banners, it is most likely that they would stay in business, unless some websites do not abuse the web server with spam, hacking, etc. This usually happens with free web hosting services, where sign-ups are free from any cost. This would mean that anyone, with any intention, can get to have the facility of free web hosting with the intent to abuse the web server. This happens especially with the offer of instant activation offering features such as PHP or CGI. Always look for such free services where the web host is looking for quality websites to be hosted.
If you are looking for free website hosting, you should look for free website directories in the internet. These directories list reputable free web hosts who accept quality websites free of cost. The directories have also been found to add new free web hosts every week. There are some directories who never update their list, and you may find that the information listed are outdated and some links do not exist anymore. One of the most popular free website directories is http://www.free-webhosts.com/ which keeps their directory up-to-date. This directory has over 500 free website host listed in it, along with user reviews, ratings, and free hosting searchable database.
There are quite a few disadvantages in hosting your website on a free web host. The most important aspect of it all is that it may not remain free forever. The disadvantages are as follows:
- Limited web page space.
- Can't add interactive features, such as, chat rooms, message boards, games, online ordering etc.
- Search engines often ignore them. This is a huge disadvantage.
- Your visitors may doubt your credibility.
- May have banners and/or pop ads on your homepage and/or all of your pages.
- Long and hard-to-remember web address.
- No guarantees of site being available forever.
- No branded emails addresses, like, you@yourdomain.com
- Poor help and support options, if any at all.
- May not be free forever.
You should know that, though the web hosts claim that the service is free, you are either made a medium for their earnings, or you are induced to provide them with business. Besides the advertisements, pop-ups, and banners, these free services would want you to click on certain banners as one of the condition of providing you with the free service. In other cases, you would need to click on banners found in the control panel that they provide you with. Some way or the other these website hosts earns their revenue, as otherwise it does not become feasible for them to provide a free web hosting service.