Blogging is great! Do you know what is even better? Owning your own blog or website. It is not easy. In fact, I am sure as hell that if by now you have already made up your mind to start out, countless questions are running through your mind.
You are not sure whether to go for a free or a paid hosting service.
A good number of folks go for free hosting services because they are on a tight budget. Free hosting services have countless advantages. One of them: you do not have to pay a dime.
Nevertheless, selecting a free hosting service may have a negative impact on your business in the future.
Let us briefly look at free and paid hosting, together with their pros and cons.
Free Hosting
There are myriad web hosting providers offering free hosting services. They provide clients with limited amount of bandwidth and space to run their own websites or blogs.
The word "free" is always good for the ear. But the truth is: every a good thing has its pros and cons.
Pros
- It helps you stay in touch with your family and close friends. By showcasing and uploading your videos and pictures on your website or blog, you get the opportunity to stay in touch with your family and friends. They can easily check on you and you can also do the same. Free hosting gives you the best chance of doing this.
- It is a good form of experimentation, especially for newbies. Free hosting is the best way to go when you just want to experiment with your website design, or if you want to learn HTML. As a beginner, you get plenty of experience without parting with any pennies.
- It is free! Your web hosting provider gives you a totally free hosting. As noted earlier, you will receive unlimited amount of bandwidth and space, without digging into your pocket.
Cons
- You will not enjoy the free service forever. A free hosting provider will not guarantee you of a free service forever, because it may shut down at any time, maybe due to loss.
- There are no backups. With a free hosting service, you are not allowed to backup your data and files. If by any chance a problem occurs, you risk losing all your data.
- You are likely to get annoying advertisements on your site. The advertisement pop-ups and banners that come with a free hosting service can be quite a nuisance.
- There is limited space. With a free hosting service, the amount of space and bandwidth given will be limited. Once you exhaust the allocated capacity, that's it!
- You do not get a brand name. Upon signing up with a free hosting company, you will not be allowed to have a brand name. This is a huge setback if you are looking to promote your business online.
Paid Hosting
With paid hosting, you enjoy numerous features and unlimited amount of bandwidth and space.
Pros
- There are backups. You get the chance to backup all you files and data.
- There is unlimited space and bandwidth.
- You will receive free software. With paid hosting, you get free software assist you in installing forum software, themes, and blogs.
- You get complete control. Full control over your website or blog enables you to put up ads and banners. From this, you will rake in even more money.
- There is full time technical support. With paid hosting, you will be awarded with 24/7 support, whenever you encounter any problem.
- You get to have your own brand name. A brand name is vital for your business as well as your brand. The name will be a simple one, you will always remember it.
- Most times, the cost will be friendly. The cost of hosting a website is not that high. There is a long list of web host providers you can choose from. Moreover, most of these hosts have a money back guarantee, and you can always terminate your contract if you feel you are getting a raw deal.
Cons
- Cost. They say good things have a price. There is always a monthly fee that has to be settled.
If you only need limited space and bandwidth that will enable you stay in touch with your friends and family, go for free hosting.
But if you are looking to start a large business or website, and enjoy great features and support, go for paid hosting. Case closed!
