There’s one more step to take when you’re through with designing your website: put it online. And for this, you need to have web hosting. But there are basically two forms of it. One is free, and the other is paid. So which of the two you should go for? Before you decide, read the following main differences between them.
With free hosting, as given by the name, you don’t pay for the space. If you have no budget devoted to putting up a site online, this can be advantageous for you. Likewise, sites that are private in nature can make use of such service. But it’s a different case when it comes to having a business site. It’s not unlikely for potential customers to take your business for granted as they’ll think you can’t afford to pay a paid server.
On the other hand, paid hosting comes with a tag price, depending on which package you select. If you’re an entrepreneur, the extra cost will be worth it anyway. Your target customers can easily access your webpage as it comes with its very own domain. This can be helpful because the URL may contain the name of your business.
Using a free server only allows you to use a subdomain: the name of the server followed by the name you choose. If you’re giving out this subdomain to only your friends, there’s no need to worry as they can always ask you about it should they forget. But having your own domain name is beneficial for a business page. Likewise, if you decide to shift to a different server, you can maintain traffic towards your site.
Forced advertisements are another thing that should be considered in choosing the kind of server you need. A free host may place banners and pop up windows on your website. And all these things oftentimes irritate web surfers. But if you go for a paid one, what goes into your site is under your control. There will be no ads that can turn off potential customers.
Does your personal site contain only a handful of low resolution photos and video clips? If yes, then it’s fine to go for a limited bandwidth. The speed of loading your website also depends on how many webmasters are sharing the free server. On the other hand, this isn’t an issue with a paid server. You decide on which package to pay. And it includes things like bandwidth, disk space, e-mall accounts, etc.
When it comes to technical support, there’s no doubting that a paid one can provide a more satisfying service. It’s because you paid for it, and the host will do its best to keep clients satisfied. It’s usually done via e-mail, live chatrooms or even by phone. Such is an important feature, especially for a business site where maintaining the site is top priority. A free one, on the other hand, rarely offers excellent technical support.
These are just some of the key things that separate free and paid web hosting. Of course the choice relies on you. Just remember to consider what features suit your webpage, so you can pick the right type of server.
Make sure you choose a good web hosting that is reliable. One of them is iPage. You can read a comprehensive iPage review here so you know why it is highly recommended.
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