web hosting
The term “free” is no doubt too tempting to fall for. With the market flooding with a wide range of free web hosts that claim to be the best, it is obvious to get attracted. Especially for the first time web hosting shoppers, it is easy to fall prey to a web hosting provider.
Well, there is nothing wrong in saving some bucks. But what you are not realizing is you are being tricked in the name of free offers.
Once you do a reality check on free web hosting providers, you will get to know about too many limitations, hidden costs, and many issues that will involve a lot of costs.
Sometimes it’s the misconception that allures you to opt for the free one. Here are some common myths about free web hosting that you must be aware of to avoid committing mistakes.
Remember, nothing in this real world is for free of costs. By free service what the company actually means is they will offer limited free versions of hosting services, and you will soon have to upgrade to a paid service.
Some companies trick the customer by offering limited period trials while some offer limited storage and bandwidth with no FTP access.
Moreover, you will be left with no options to transfer your content to another provider. Once the trial period ends, you will be asked to pay up, and if you have added your credit card during signup, you might have to pay the bill.
Unless you upgrade to a paid plan, many free web hosting providers don’t support SSL. Thus, it opens the way for hackers to steal your private information as they are not encrypted.
SSL certificate is crucial for protecting the integrity and confidentiality of data. It makes difficult for the hackers to steal the secured information.
In an attempt to save some money, you will end up getting inadequate security measures, financial limitations and distributing malware. This will adversely affect your website and the online visibility of your brand.
The free web hosting companies usually give a hint about owning their data center with private servers. But don’t believe their words unless they explicitly mention it.
Data theft is common these days, and with unreliable data centers, you will increase your chances of data loss. You know how difficult it is to recover the data once the website is hacked, right? So, instead of believing this myth, opt for a good hosting provider who has full control over their data center, servers, and hardware.
With free web hosting, you get a very basic level of services that don’t include most plugins and latest scripts. So, you will not be able to customize your website and server as per your requirement.
Moreover, you will not be able to communicate with your target audience and optimize your website for search engines. You will have no other choice than upgrading to paid hosting at the end.
This is another common myth about free hosting. The truth is no free support is provided by most of the website hosting providers, and you have to set up your site on your own.
So, you have two options to go with. You can either choose to help yourself with poorly presented and limited documentation or you can find a freelancer to set up your website. That means you need to pay for the support.
Although you have a limited budget as a startup, free hosting is not a good idea for your business. A strong online presence is crucial for your brand or business to gain success.
However, with free hosting, your website will have to deal with slow loading and poor page appearance that will negatively impact your website’s conversions and rankings.
With so many free web hosting services out there, it’s easy to be taken for a ride. Hence, it is advised to read the fine print, look at the customer reviews and ask a few questions about what you’ve just read above. With proper research, you will surely find an excellent web hosting service that will comply with your needs and fits your budget.