Free web hosting services are ideal for people who are just testing the waters about running their own website. After all, if you find out that you really do not want to spend all that time maintaining your website, you can just cancel your free account without any financial loss. Not all free web hosts are created equal. Read this article to get some tips on how to choose the best free host for your website.
If you have thought up a unique domain name, check your free host to see if they allow you to use it in your free account. Some web hosts restrict free accounts to using only a subdomain. That means your URL will display your hosts domain, with part of the URL reflecting your subdomain. If you plan to build a website for keeps, it is advisable that you register for your own domain because even if you decide to change web hosts down the road, you can still use the same domain name at the other host. If you just have a subdomain, you have to give up that URL when you change hosts.
Read up on what type of service support they give you. Is back-up provided? Do they offer a user-friendly interface for you to maintain your files and manage your account? What kind of website building tools are offered? Some hosts offer a "one-click" install on many popular applications, like blogs. You should look through the amenities to see if the host offers what you need.
Server performance is very important in how smoothly your website runs. There is nothing more frustrating to an end-user than a website that is slow in loading. Most people will not wait for more than 30 seconds for any page to load. So, find out how efficient the "free" server is. Keep in mind that because it is free, its resource are probably maxed out.
Check to see of the host requires you to display an ad banner on your website. Usually, you have no control what kind of advertising the host puts up on your site. In addition, you may not have a say in the location of this ad banner. Usually, it is at the top of your page. If you prefer not to advertise for someone else, you need to make sure that your web host does not require it for their free accounts. If they do, you can usually upgrade to a paid account to have the advertising removed.
Make sure that you read the fine print regarding the terms and conditions of the web host on the free accounts. If you are found in violation, your website may be taken down without much forewarning to you, and you would risk losing all of your hard work, and maybe your business. Just because the account is free, that does not mean that you have no obligations.
If you play by the rules and do your research, you can have a website for free. Keep in mind the tips in this article, and you should have no problems using a free host for your website.
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