Small business owners who want a web site but don't want to pay for a domain name or for hosting many times will go to a free web hosting service for their web site. They may be doing themselves a disservice in the long run.
These free web hosts may be good for personal sites and photos of your children with their dog, but don't use them for business. There are several reasons why.
First, most free web hosting companies make their revenues with banner ads. They place these on your web site. Do you really want your customers going to your web site and seeing an ad to another business that you didn't approve of? Thought not.
Another reason free web hosting doesn't cut it is the service. Many times the service is poor, if there is any service at all. If you have customer or technical support issues, you'll want them to be handled promptly or you run the risk of losing customers. Bill and Ted, who work full time as stock boys at the local supermarket, aren't going to cut it.
Thirdly, most free web hosting services offer limited packages. They may support just one e-mail address or offer a low bandwidth transfer and may not support certain scripts such as Flash or CSS. You'll want a host that is flexible and able to support the latest web design tools.
Free web hosting isn't free. You'll pay for it somewhere along the line. Either it will destroy your company image, sacrifice your customer service, or you'll have to eventually upgrade to a paid service because the free hosting won't support your needs.
Because search engines now look for certain characteristics of web sites that many free web hosts do not possess, your customers may not find you when they perform a Google or Yahoo search. Web designers are now incorporating search engine optimization strategies in their design elements and free web hosts simply do not have the resources to support these new tools.
Search engine optimization strategies require savvy coding. You can't, like in the old days, just write up an HTML page with your trusty HTML editor and FTP it to your host, then wait for the visitors to come. People go online to look for information and they expect to find the best information available. The search engines make that search possible and have figured out how to make searches easier and more trustworthy for searchers. The job of a web designer is to figure out how to design their pages well enough to give search engines the information they need to help searchers find their pages. Free web hosts are more of an obstacle to that end than a help.
If you want a web site that you can be proud of and that visitors will find, do yourself a favor. Don't use free web hosts.
Got a Question? Ask.
Ask the community a question about this article:
Frequently Asked Questions
What's an ideal hosting company and plan for me?
By: dereo | 12-11-2007
I'm looking for a hosting plan that can handle 5 small business websites. Combined, they use around 50-100GB of bandwidth each month. 2 of them require SSL certificates and have small PHP ecommerce stores. All of the sites use PHP. I would not know how to and do not want to deal with any server administration. What's an ideal, reliable, and affordable hosting company and plan for me?
Linux NAS server with web UI
By: mcduck2002 | 12-11-2007
Linux light server.I want to build fast and quickly a simple linux NAS server.it should have these features:Samba with web UItorrent client with web UICUPS server with web UIHP printer/scanner server with web UIaccess with open ssl(ssh?) no X at all!secure ftp accessability to add NTFS devices as hot plug. (USB NTFS harddisk)reasonable securtiyIs there any way to build that server considering I have little knowledge in linux?
.NET application on website
By: Rachel Inbar | 28-10-2007
How can I put a dot net application on my website?I need to put a survey on my website that was written in .NET. I understood that I need to have Microsoft hosting? Is this true? Is this something that hosting services offer - or does it mean that I need to change my host?
Best PHP editor
By: liorsion | 26-10-2007
what are you using as IDE for your PHP programming?
Choosing a New Web Hosting Plan
By: dereo | 16-10-2007
I've been shopping for a new web host. I am confused about the bandwidth history of my current host. What is the difference between incoming and outgoing traffic? Last month my incoming traffic was 53.45 GB and my outgoing was 4.70 GB.When I get a new host, what's wrong with shared hosting? Why do people pay extra for dedicated? Is it just if you have web applications that require processing power? is media temple's gs a good option?when dreamhost or hostmonster seem to offer more for less?I'm hosting mainly static pages with some PHP 4, and using osCommerce. currently paying $150/month for dedicated hosting seems like too much.Can anyone recommend the best hosting plan/company for me?
100% Renewable Energy Web Hosting recommendations
By: Premasagar | 29-09-2007
I'm looking for personal recommendations for a web hosting company that runs its servers on 100% renewable energy (e.g. solar power, wind power).That is, not just a carbon-neutral, carbon trading scheme, where trees are planted but the electricity is not renewable.They must also be an excellent web hosting company - fast, stable, reliable hosting service with fantastic customer support.I'm looking for something like a reseller account where I can distribute a monthly chunk of bandwidth and disk space between an arbitrary number of domains.Plesk control panel preferred over cPanel - but willing to compromise... I've looked at ThinkHost, but seen mixed reviews...(?)
How much does a dedicated server cost?
By: doubleguitarpirate | 05-09-2007
How much does a dedicated server cost?
Is there any free hosting site that allows to run Blab Lite Chat Script
By: sumit_rai | 22-08-2007
I tried hard to find a free host on which Blab Lite Chat script whose details are given below could be installed and run. As per Instructions I create Database and put username , password and database name in config.php file , I upload the file to website, Give 777 Chmod to entire directory then when i run install.php i get a blank page. I tried with two hosts http://00bp.com, http://1gb.in. Blab Lite Chat Script Desription : http://www.hotscripts.com/Detailed/17476.html Download : http://www.hotscripts.com/jump.php?listing_id=1747... Please guide me Im new to PHP.
How can i find best hosting company ?
By: vsjayan | 12-08-2007
how can i find best hosting company ?
Is there a performance difference between php4 to ...
By: Alon Carmel | 17-07-2007
is there a performance difference between php4 to php5 that is worth the trouble of upgrading?
Q&A Powered by:
Latest Small Business Articles
Diamond Types
By: Addie Jakson | 20/08/2008
Diamonds remain to be the most fascinating gift that a woman can ever dream about. The word “diamond” is derived from a Greek word “adamas” which stands for “invincible". Diamonds are classified broadly under the categories of Natural Diamond, Synthetic Industrial Diamond and Thin Film Diamonds on the basis of their process of origination. Due to its atomic structure, diamond is the hardest natural matter.
Phoenix Arizona Real Estate, Real Estate Arizona
By: webmaster | 20/08/2008
There is lot of Growth and development in the Real Estate Services in the modern globe. With the lot of advancement in the private property ownership, it has become a major area of business. Buying and selling a Real Estate requires a lot of investment and expertise. That is why most of the people go for Real Estate Agents for these kinds of deals.
Branding, It’s More Than Just Your Usp
By: Suresh Kumar | 20/08/2008
When you mention the word “branding” most people automatically think of USP (unique selling proposition). The overall and incorrect perception of a brand is that it simply consists of the statement you use to define what you do.
Staples of Writing an Effective Grant Proposal
By: USA Grant | 19/08/2008
Grant money is available for the people who need it, but who will know that you need it without a well written request?
Casino Parties, Casino Rental in Nyc, Tristate Area at Casino Lucky Nights
By: Alexei Carpov | 19/08/2008
Find out about casino party rental company in nyc at www.casinoluckynights.com tel:(917)902-6041,casino party nights in nyc. Casino Lucky Nights will provide you with everything you need for a casino event full of fun, laughs, exciting casino games and much more.Visit http://www.casinoluckynights.com
The Pros and Cons of Corporate Bank Loans
By: William Lee | 19/08/2008
The first thing that comes into a prospective business owner’s mind when sourcing for money to start up their business is to go to the bank. It’s convenient, safe and regulated, why would you go anywhere else?
But people must keep in mind that for most things in life, there are its pros and cons. Before you jump on the corporate banking business loan bandwagon, take a while to consider your options and make an informed decision.
10 Tips for Business Success From a Woman Entrepreneur Who Makes $1m Selling Photo Guest Books
By: Lesley Mattos | 19/08/2008
Ten tips for Success in Business to help you grow - both personally and from a business perspective.
Don’t be Afraid to Make Comparisons
By: Kaye Z. Marks | 19/08/2008
Guess what: you have competition.
I know you have competition, and I’ve never worked for your company. Your customers know you have competition. In fact, I’d wager they are the ones most keenly aware of the fact that you have competition, because they’re the people most likely to have interest in jumping the fence and trying that competition out.
Business 
