A free web hosting service is typically run by the main domain that allows anyone who wishes to establish a web presence to create a subdomain on that primary directory. This means that you will not be able to customize a domain name and you will have to adhere to certain rules and regulations according to that free web hosting service’s conditions. There are quite a few reasons why free web hosting services are not ideal for those who want to establish a credible presence online.
Premium web hosting services provide you with quality site templates, more flexibility, and control over appearance and content, the option for you to create, customize and own your own domain name, and have an ad-free website for your visitors to enjoy. Below are 21 reasons why you should reconsider using a free web hosting service.
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1) Lack of Professionalism
If you have a business website that borrows the domain name of another web host just to save a few bucks a year on purchasing your own site, you might run into the problem of seeming unpolished or unprofessional. Most professional websites today have their own customized domain URL link. The difference between renting and owning is vast. Those who run a business on a “rented” domain that keeps the free web hosting service’s brand name in its link seem unreliable because they can’t keep up with the times. Adding a line item to your business expenses dedicated to your web presence can make or break it, saving you much more than just money in the long run. Nearly all professional bloggers have their own domain name.
2) No Freedom to Express Yourself
Many free web hosting services have strict rules and regulations in order to keep their web “community” in check. For instance, if your site has crude images, nudity, blood and gore, or other traditionally censored material to the general public, the free web hosting service can take down those files or, even worse, suspend your account. If your business is dedicated to the arts or freedom of expression and such penalties apply because of traditionally censored material, you won’t always be able to make a case because of the terms you click “accept” for when signing up with the host. In order to avoid misunderstandings or possible penalizations such as this, you’re better off having a premium domain that you have sole control over.
3) Annoying Advertisements
Free web hosting sites allow random advertisements to be placed on your site. Pop-ups and banners will appear whenever someone visits your website and you won’t have any control over the kinds of ads that appear to your visitors. The reason that the free web hosting service can sustain itself without charging you a fee is because of these ads. Without them, they won’t make enough revenue to sustain themselves. Another unfair policy is that you won’t reap any of the benefits of that revenue. Only the host will. In order to avoid these hassles and for you to generate revenue of your own through ads, you should own your website and domain. HostGator is one such site that offers you this option.
4) Instability
Because your main host is the owner of your free site, it can remove your website for whatever reason. If your business relies a great deal on the website, it might be at risk of being taken down. To give yourself peace of mind, you might want to consider owning your own website. It’ll offer more security.
5) Bottom of the Bin
If a potential consumer or client is searching for a type of service that you provide, they’ll naturally go online to research first. If they do, and your site is not owned by you, you might run the risk of showing up last in the search engine results. This is because most search engines don’t regard sites that are hosted by free web hosting services with credibility. In order to establish online presence, switch over to a premium web host that offers more options to make you appear in the top results list.
6) No Support or Standby
Free web hosting services don’t have the best quality of customer service. They won’t offer you any online troubleshooting help or support because they don’t charge you anything for it. For professional courtesy and support, owning a site is encouraged.
7) Low Quality
Free web hosting services typically have lower quality coding that could run the risk of hurting your own online reputation. If your website is prone to crashes and bugs, visitors might avoid your site altogether. This is another reason to have a premium service so that you can own your site.
8) Free Means Free
It’s often said that it takes money to make money. If your website becomes the sole platform for visitors to understand your service, brand and benefits, then you need to invest in that goal. Free web hosting services don’t provide you with quality functions, and visitors might mistaken your own brand to be cheap or messy. Consider upgrading to a premium web hosting service such as GatorHost.
9) Limited Templates
Not everyone can create and design their own website template from scratch. It requires deep understanding and updated knowledge when it comes to coding. That’s why many web hosting services, including free ones, offer templates for you to choose from and customize around. Free web hosts don’t have top quality templates for you to work with. Most are dated and limited in terms of navigation and functions. To have the most options at hand, go premium.
10) Subpar Statistics
In order to monitor your website’s number and types of visitors, you need to refer to your statistics of analytics on your admin or dashboard page. Most free web hosting services offer a subpar quality that won’t always give you a full overview of the types of visitors that stop by. For quality, you should consider a premium host.
11) Limited Viewing
Many people who carry smartphones or tablet devices use them to research online. If your free web hosting service is not to date with its services, your website won’t be mobile or tablet device friendly. This could hurt your image and reputation. Premium hosts make all sites mobile and tablet friendly as a default.
12) Lack of Branding
If your web host’s domain name is part of your URL, you won’t have a brand identity of your own. This means there is no particular online presence. For professionalism in appearance, brand and business, consider a premium host.
13) Low Quality Flash Templates
Aside from a limited amount of templates, flash templates can hurt the overall image of your brand identity or business as well. Flash templates tend to be offered by free web hosts because it is quick and easy, but you’ll have no authentic look of identity of your own if you go with the flash template option. Premium hosts offer more looks and flexibility for your unique design ideas.
14) Time Limit
Free web hosting services have a time limit. You won’t be able to continue using the website because it will expire. If you’re not around to stay on top of renewals, then your site will automatically expire and someone else can claim your domain immediately. This means that the brand identity you took the time to build disappears forever. To avoid such headaches, go premium. GatorHost offers packages that include reminders and a term that works right for you.
15) Feature Options Are Limited
If you want to add certain features like moving images, animation, GIFs and other content to help your business or brand, you won’t have as much options to create or implement such features on a free web hosting service. Premium means you’ll have more flexibility to do as you please with your site.
16) Limited Storage Space
Free web hosting services have a limited storage space for their users. If you have content or files that are larger than the capacity that your free web hosting service allows, then you won’t be able to use it on your site. Premium changes the game in this regard. You can upload and keep large content and files in storage for future use or upload them onto your site for your visitors to see.
17) Limited Bandwidth
Free web hosting services only allow so much bandwidth capacity. If visitors find your site clunky or slow, they won’t want to visit your site again because of the frustration. Premium web hosts like HostGator offer unlimited bandwidth capacity. For visitors to enjoy.
18) Unorganized
Many free web hosts have unorganized dashboard panels that might make it confusing for yo to use their low quality features. What’s the use of having a website if you can’t navigate it? Premium services like GatorHost provide easy-to-use control panels for you to work with. They also offer demos for training purposes.
19) No Adwords Offers
In today’s world, online ads are critical to the success of a business. Free web hosting services don’t give you control or revenue for the ads that appear on your site. With premium hosting, you can generate adwords for search engines to feature your site. This is definitely a premium host’s feature that is worth having in order to run a successful business.
20) No Upgrades
Free web hosts typically don’t spend a lot of money or time on upgrades. This runs the risk of hurting your site and making it look dated.
21) Inconvenient Moving
Let’s say your free web hosting service somehow worked out, and your business is booming with a lot of site traffic. When you want to move to a bigger space, the transferring will become a huge headache. Figuring out the logistics of this alone can be problematic. That’s why it’s good to invest in a premium host from the get-go with a successful, high-traffic website in mind.
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