Free website hosting is just what it sounds like; you get to host your website on a server for free with the understanding that you get a certain amount of free server space and bandwidth. An unspoken rule is also that you get some sort of FTP transfer software and that the server has a decent operating system with at least some security measures in place. Here are a few of the most common questions regarding free web hosting.
Is it a con?
It can be a con, there are plenty out there that offer free hosting for nefarious reasons. They may skim the email addresses off your website as users enter them in order to spam them, or may skim your website for secret and financial information. They may install malware and a number of other backdoors to your private files.
There are also innocent and honest reasons why a company offers free website hosting. They may offer free services as a loss leader so that when your website or your needs grow they can sell you upgrades. The company Google offers free hosting with Blogger, as they have the resources and there is a chance the free users will install Google Adsense so that the user and Google make more money. There are some companies that offer free website hosting because they simply have leftover resources they are not using. There are numerous other legitimate and innocent reasons why a company offers free web hosting.
What do I get for free?
That really depends on the company offering the free web hosting. For example, Google offers a nice amount of free space and a lot of bandwidth, along with a content management system and even a free domain name if you want it. There is nothing stopping the hosting service from giving you the absolute bare minimum because they are under no obligation to give a great user experience. Some companies offer free use of their software, which sometimes includes their own version of a content management system, and some companies offer a large amount of bandwidth too. Still, there is no set limit or minimum for free website hosting.
Are there any downsides?
If you pay for hosting you can find downsides. Just like when you purchase hosting services, it is all going to depend on the company doing the hosting. There are some that are going to con you or try to cheat you, and there are others that are just careless. Some may not upgrade their servers or keep them secure because they have no financial incentive, and some will oversell space on the server so that during peak times a lot of the websites go offline.
ServerPronto offers the best affordable and secure hosting service in all dedicated server packages.
Photo cred: Flickr /Â -bast-
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