| Website owners are often faced with a difficult | | | | graphics then a paid web hosting option with |
| decision right from the beginning of their online | | | | unlimited bandwidth is your best solution |
| venture. This decision is to choose a web hosting | | | | Space: |
| service for their website. Not only are there | | | | The amount of web space you need for your |
| hundreds of web hosting companies offer their | | | | website is also important if you are planning to |
| services at affordable prices, but there are also | | | | grow your website, or at least have the flexibility |
| some that offer free hosting to their customers. | | | | to be able to expand it at a later date. Free web |
| Here we look in detail at the major differences | | | | hosting services usually limit the amount of web |
| between having a free hosting service versus a | | | | space allowed by you web site, the number of |
| paid hosting service and the impact it can have on | | | | pages your website can have or both. It is |
| your website. | | | | therefore important that if you have a website |
| Price | | | | that can grow to being quite large and significant |
| The first difference is the price. Free webhosting | | | | you are going to need server space from a web |
| allows website owners to host the website | | | | hosting company that provides you with plenty. |
| completely free of charge. There are no fees | | | | Many paid web hosting services also provide |
| involved in uploading files to their server. There | | | | unlimited space for your website, which helps put |
| are no fees involved for keeping the website | | | | your mind at ease. |
| hosted on the server over time. Paid webhosting | | | | Functionality: |
| services on the other hand charge a small fee for | | | | Functionality and control of your website is |
| website owners to have their website hosted. | | | | probably one of the most important aspects |
| Payment to web hosting services is usually | | | | when considering a web hosting solution. You want |
| prescription based on a monthly interval. You may | | | | to be in control of your own website and have be |
| choose to sign up for 12 or 24 months and | | | | able to do whatever you want with it. Most free |
| receive huge discounts or you can stick to a | | | | web hosting accounts do not allow you to use |
| month by month plan to make sure you are | | | | your own domain name. As an alternative, you |
| happy with the service. | | | | must use a subdomain or internal domain of their |
| Speed | | | | own website. This can be seen as a drawback |
| One important aspect of webhosting you need to | | | | since you will then have poor branding of your |
| look is bandwidth. This determines the speed that | | | | products and services. In addition, many free |
| data is transferred from the hosting server to | | | | hosting options place their own ads on your |
| the Internet user visiting your site The greater | | | | website. You cannot remove these ads and they |
| the bandwidth, the faster your site will load and | | | | may be annoying and distracting to your potential |
| the faster users can see videos, pictures and | | | | online visitors. |
| download files from. Free web hosting services | | | | In conclusion, pricing would be the only advantage |
| usually restrict the amount of bandwidth to your | | | | a free webhosting service would have compared |
| website and as a result this will affect your | | | | to a paid webhosting service. It is also a known |
| website's loading time as well as speed when | | | | fact that it may also be costing you more and |
| visitors are trying to browse your site. If you | | | | causing you to sacrifice more if you do not have |
| have a relatively new site without many visitors | | | | an adequate and reliable web hosting service for |
| yet or your site does not consist of many | | | | your website. If you have taken the initiative to |
| pictures and videos then the restriction on | | | | start your own website then your next step is to |
| bandwidth have little or no effect on you. | | | | find an affordable webhosting solution with no |
| Conversely, if you are planning to grow your | | | | restrictions. |
| website or have a large website with lots of | | | | |