Select a Free Hosting Web Hosting Provider
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What Is It?
Free Web hosting means that the customer doesn’t pay for the ability to host a Web site on a server. Instead, the customer may be limited to the amount of services provided, or to the ability to host a complicated and traffic-heavy site. Free hosting, however, may provide an ideal environment for a personal Web page or for a site where the developer doesn’t expect heavy traffic or need bandwidth for large uploads.
With that said, within the past few years a number of hosting services have offered free blog sites for individuals who use the Web to document various interests. Technology now allows individuals to maintain a site that is free from popup ads, banners, and other obtrusive advertising in exchange for a site where advertising is integrated into the site with topic-friendly ads. In some cases, these Web hosts may share the revenue with their customers if the site is maintained on a regular basis with fresh content.
Features
Customers who seek free Web hosting most often will discover that their site becomes a platform for Web host advertising. The advertising provides a stream of revenue to the Web host, and this is how the host pays for the “free” hosting service. This advertising may come in the form of banners, a window that pops up when a site loads, or a frame on the site. Customers need to know the type of advertising that a free host imposes on clients’ sites so that clients are prepared for future problems. The best possible option, as mentioned previously, is to find a host that is willing to share revenue with the customer in exchange for a relevant and regularly updated site.
Free Web host providers that don’t impose advertising are suspect, as they may shut their servers down without notice when revenue doesn’t meet the host’s budget requirements. In this case, a customer could lose an entire Web site if that site hasn’t been backed up.
What To Expect?
Free Web host requirements vary from provider to provider. Some may offer FTP access, and others offer online site builders that can be used from any computer. However, FTP access often grants more freedom to the types of files that a customer might want to upload to a site. With that said, many free hosts may limit the size of uploaded files or the type of files that can be uploaded. Some hosts may ban uploads and require users to use links to images or to videos, etc.
Free hosting services usually don’t provide the bandwidth needed to vigorously market a site or to handle spikes in traffic. eCommerce might be difficult, unless the site allows users to display affiliate promotions. In some cases, the free Web host provider may disable a Web site that extends beyond the limited bandwidth. On the other hand, some hosting services simply will charge a customer for the overage.
In general, customers can expect to get what they pay for when choosing a free hosting service for their Web sites. A desire for 24/7 technical support, freedom from advertising, and the ability to gain total control over the hosting environment are limited by what the host can offer.
