20 Reasons Why NOT To Get A Free Website
If you’re new to making your own website and are thinking of saving some money by signing up with a free web host, I urge you to think twice. Sometimes, you get what you pay for, and free web hosting often turns out to be a big mistake. Some of the reasons why you’ll want to avoid these services are:
1. Sluggish Website Speed
There’s no real incentive for non-paid hosts to invest in up-to-date servers and other architecture, and so the loading times of your web pages might be rather lengthy. This will irritate your your visitors and cause them to go elsewhere.
2. Low Disk Storage
The amount of disk storage you get will affect how much content your website can feature. Sadly, most free web hosting companies provide only a very small amount of hard drive space for you to use.
3. Cookie-cutter Web Address
You’ll want to have a memorable URL that conveys positivity and professionalism, but with free hosting, your web address will have to be on the host’s domain. This can be a big branding failure.
4. Annoying Ads
Nothing in life is truly free, and some web hosting organizations attempt to recoup their costs through ads. Needless to say, you won’t have any control over these messages, and some of them may promote your competitors.
5. Page Limitations
You might only be able to have a few pages live at any one time, which is a problem if you hope to expand going forward or if you’re a blogger who intends to make hundreds of posts.
6. Inadequate Backups
Backing up your data regularly is a key safety measure that allows you to get your website back on its feet in the event of any file loss. However, free hosting groups are looking to cut expenses any way they can, and most of them skimp in the area of backups.
7. Inferior Mobile Compatibility
Today’s top-of-the-line web software can generate mobile-compatible web pages using responsive techniques. The old interfaces used by no-charge web hosting firms, though, often don’t contain such modern functionality.
8. Possible Loss of URL
If you need to find a new host, either because your current one shut you down or because you’re moving to greener pastures, your existing website address will be gone. Any search authority or link building success you had will similarly expire.
9. Poor Reputation
People can identify when pages are hosted at a free site. This will make you appear unprofessional and might even cause viewers to treat you with suspicion.
10. Less Money-making Ability
Because your free site will have to display ads chosen by your free hosting provider, you won’t be able to sell your own ads. Neither will you be able to earn income through affiliate links. If you intend to generate an income through blogging, free hosting is really something to avoid.
11. Expensive Add-ons
Free hosting typically doesn’t come with a lot of extra. If you want image hosting, FTP access and other features, you’ll have to pay extra. Your “free” hosting might turn out to be anything but.
12. Difficult Website Migration
It’s a challenge to move your website from a free host to another solution. Migration tools will probably be nonexistent, and you’ll have to do everything manually.
13. Lack of Control
You’re at the whim of the host when you opt for free web services. They can shut down your site at any time, disable your ability to post new content and generally make life unpleasant for you.
14. Shady Business Practices
The terms and conditions of no-cost web hosting arrangements frequently permit them to sell your email address, any user data you’ve acquired and your other valuable resources. They might even be able to repurpose your writing on other sites without your having any say in the matter.
15. No WordPress
WordPress is a fully featured blogging and website creating tool. Unfortunately, it demands a lot more processing horsepower than most free hosts provide.
16. Limited Site Building Tools
Website builders, like BoldGrid, make it a breeze to configure the layout and theme of your site even if you lack coding experience. Needless to say, they’re not supported by the vast majority of free hosting entities.
17. Poor Security
Web hosting services that don’t charge anything aren’t exactly known for the robustness of their security setups. You could find yourself subject to more hacks, DDoS attacks and other cyber malfeasance than you would with a paid host.
18. Lacking Customer Service
Nobody will walk you through proper website creation or maintenance functions when you sign up at a free host. Their customer care is virtually nonexistent, which is only to be expected when you spring for the cheapest possible option.
19. Primitive Analytics
Sophisticated analytics frameworks, like Google Analytics, allow webmasters to gain valuable insight into their audiences. While free webhosting sites do have basic analytics capabilities, they’re an order of magnitude less powerful than Google’s suite is.
20. No Branded Email
You won’t be able to create email addresses containing @YourDomain. Instead, you’ll have to rely on free webmail providers or maybe even pay for email.
Rather than putting up with all these issues, it’s probably best to pay for web hosting. There are a number of organizations that offer shared hosting that’s compatible with WordPress, perhaps the most popular web creation platform these days. I especially recommended InMotion Hosting. I’ve negotiated an exclusive deal with InMotion for my readers whereby you’ll get 56 percent off the already-low price. If you’re interested in starting a blog, then check out my guide covering the first steps to creating a winning blog.
