free web hosting
Free Web Hosting Guide
There are many great free web-hosting solutions out there, but it can be difficult to decide which one is right for you. You may want the ability to have sub domains or you might want uptime guarantees, so it is important to consider all of your free options before you settle on just one. It’s also important to remember that free web hosting services are not for everyone; sometimes you need to spend money to make money. However, free web hosting solutions are worth checking out before you decide to spend money on web hosting at all!
One of the most popular free web hosting options right now is AeroHostale, which is offered to those that need web space for personal or business use. You will be given 200 megabytes of space and you are free to upload, you’ll be given FTP, browser, CGI, PHP, FrontPage Extensions, Perl, and a domain or sub domain. This is a great choice and works for a good deal of people that don’t need a lot of bandwidth or storage space.
Another popular free web hosting solution is XetaSpace, though this is for those that do not need a lot of space. XetaSpace hosts personal and business websites and offers 15-50 megabytes. There are no forced ads, and you will be given upload, browser, PHP, and SSI functions.
If you don’t mind banners, 275mb is a great free web host. 275mb hosts personal and business websites and offers, of course, 275mb. You’ll have a banner on the top and you’ll be given upload, FTP, browser, CGI, PHP, Perl, and a domain or sub domain with your account.
You may also want to consider the free web host known as Gig4Free, which hosts personal and business websites free. When you set up an account with Gig4Free you will be given 100MB to 1000MB with banners on the top of your web page. You will be able to upload as well as access to FTP, Browser, CGI, PHP, SSI, FrontPage, Perl, and Python.
As you can see there are varieties of free web hosting solutions available on the Internet. If you do just a bit of research you will find that there are truly an unlimited number of free web hosting solutions just waiting for you to take advantage of them. You need to read the fine print carefully to see what you will have to do in order to get your “free” hosting service. If you don’t mind banners and text links you will likely find that you have many solutions to choose from.
Free Web Hosting
A free web hosting service is offered free of cost to the users. This service is normally supported by advertisements and has limited functions. The free web hosting facility provides either a directory or a sub domain. In contrast to this, these services that are paid, usually give a second level domain to the users along with the service of hosting.
Some of the services that are offered for free allow the use of domains that are separately purchased. The free web hosting service rarely operates as the domain name register. Amazingly, the registry services of such services are expensive than the other services.
Features and Limitations of the Service:
Some of the free services of this offer free basic packages and the enhanced packages, having more features for a basic cost. This helps the users to take an initial trial of the service for comparing it with the other hosting services and then, elevate the service as and when required.
The limitations of the free hosting services are mentioned below.
o There is a limitation on the size of every file that is hosted here.
o It gives a small bandwidth for a month as compared to the other services.
o It prevents the hotlinking of the files.
o Certain types of files are not allowed on it.
o It requires the mandatory placement of the banner of web host and the pop up ads on all the web pages.
o It does not provide uptime guarantee.
So, in a sense, you get what you are paying for.
Free Web Hosting?
When looking for free or paid web hosting provider, you need to base your decision on the nature of your site. Paid web hosting is a must for some sites since it offers more space and many necessary features. Free web hosting is usually advertisement supported and has limited functionality. Both will host your site, but you need to choose which option is the best fit for you.
Do you really want “Free Web Hosting”?
If you have been designing or developing web pages for awhile chances are you are starting to consider moving to a paid host if you haven’t already made this wise decision. Free web hosts are free but chances are they have left you frustrated. Some of the frustrations you can expect to experience from a free host is:
Domain Name? “yourfreewebhost.com/blah/blahblah/yoursite/”
Does the URL above sound like something you would remember? Free web hosts require you to use a sub domain or give you a folder, somewhere on their server. Sub domains and folders are not meant for landing pages and are often much harder to remember. Paid web hosts allow you to use your own domain names and often times include it with their service offerings.
Banner Ads, Pop-up Ads, and Ads in your Dreams!
Many free hosts rely solely on ads to make money. Your site may have many unwanted ads on each of your pages. These ads can reduce how well your page is perceived and often prevent visitors from returning to your website!
More Downtime than Uptime?
Many free hosts have a lot of downtime. Their subscribers are not paying for service so many hosts do not feel obligated when it comes to dependability. Keep in mind, these hosts are running on a tight budget so they have to cut costs and many times this is with their support staff. If there are dissatisfied users, the web host is rarely bothered by that fact. Remember the old saying, beggars can’t be choosers?
The World of Limitations
Where to Begin? Disk space, data transfer, speed, file types, ect… Basically, in order to stay profitable, the free web host is hoping you use extremely minimal system resources and still get a reasonable amount of traffic to support their ad revenue. Most everything is extremely limited. What happens if you exceed what they expect? You will be halted or your site will be taken offline without notice if they choose.
Customer Support?
Anyone There? If you experience problems with you web hosting you will most likely have to rely on the Facts and Questions page. Most free web hosting do not have the money to hire customer support teams to answer live questions or emails. Once again, if they do offer this service, they normally could care less about resolving your issue or satisfaction.
Zero Advertising Revenue
There is only room for a one advertiser with a free provider and it’s not you! If you are looking to sell advertisement on your webpage, free web hosting is the way to go. Many free hosts do not allow you to sell advertising on your webpage.
Web Hosting Reality
Paid web hosting has become so incredibly low priced that it is amazing free web hosting companies still exist. Face it, free items are normally too good to be true. Save yourself from the frustrations and limitations that included with free hosting and try a paid host. Most include trials and even free domain name registration!