The Limits of Free Web Hosting

While a free web hosting service may be worth considering if you have a limited budget, there are some major disadvantages to be aware of before making a decision. As one would expect, the services offered will be less reliable and of a lower quality than those available through paid-services.

A primary issue of concern is that there is usually no guarantee of the amount of uptime the site will have, or of the longevity of the site. Some companies stipulate in their terms and conditions that they are under no obligation to maintain the site for any duration, so you may find that the work you have put it to building and maintaining your website has been completely lost. If there is a problem with your site, technical support may not be available and customer service may be much less responsive than that offered for paying clients. Many companies offer free web hosting to introduce customers to their business, hoping that they will choose to upgrade to a paid account for better features. While this may often be legitimate and straightforward, some companies may charge hidden enrollment and maintenance fees, or the "free" service may only be an introductory offer.

Beyond these uncertainties, the features offered by free web hosting services are typically limited. The amount of storage space will be small, restricting or perhaps preventing your ability to utilize many file types, such as MP3s and MPEGs. The monthly bandwidth provided is generally small as well, and many interactive features, such as message boards or chat applications, may not be available. You may also be required to use a template for the site's design, seriously limiting your options for customization.

For several reasons, free websites have a less professional, less credible look than other sites. Because "free" sites are usually ad-supported sites, meaning your site would be required to display banners or pop-up ads. Visitors to your site may be overwhelmed by the excessive advertising and wary of spam. Another significant disadvantage is that free websites typically cannot have their own domain name, generally only a directory or a sub-domain name is provided. These are more difficult to remember, which could affect traffic to the site. Because free web hosting is often abused by spammers, search engines will be less likely to link to sites that utilize it. Because of this, other webmasters will also be less inclined to link to your site.

These factors could be detrimental to a business relying on web traffic for growth, and give even informal, personal websites a cheap image. If you make the investment of time and effort to develop the website, it is best to also invest in a quality, reliable web hosting service.