Web Hosting and Site Hosts

Using Free Web Hosting Services

By Ammon Johns

Free web hosting (web hosts that do not charge for space and use of bandwidth) is sometimes a subject of heated debate for those engaged in web promotions. There are many that claim that free web hosting is a waste of time and doomed to failure against any commercially hosted domain.

On the other hand, there are many sites using free hosts quite happily - this was once one of them.  The content of this web site is information that appeals to a specialised group. It is never going to appeal to a wide enough group of the banner-clicking public for me to really worry too much about banner impressions.

The free host enabled me to present my information without the need to concern myself about generating any minimum revenue to cover hosting fees each month.  In fact, with some hosts , I can even get a (modest) CPM payment for the banners that are shown.  If I can make a small profit without any additional investment then why would I not?

So why the controversy over free web hosting?  Well there are a number of limitations to free web host services, so you have to consider your business model and strategy to know whether free hosting is right or wrong for you.

Firstly, and most obviously, the Terms of Service for free services tend to be far more restrictive than those of commercial hosts.  It is often the case that limitations on how you may use banners and what content you may provide (this is usually to ensure that 'Adult' or illegal content does not appear to be supported by the advertisers using the host) are strictly applied.

Secondly, the 'branding' of much of the free hosting available will interfere with your own branding. If creating Brand Recognition is a part of your business plan then you need your own domain and a host that adds nothing at all to your own content.

Thirdly, the vast majority of these services are not really totally free - you are paying for the hosting by displaying the host's banners on your pages.  If you had planned to generate renenue from banner impressions yourself then the host's banners would certainly interfere.

Finally, there are usually feature restrictions, such as no secure connections, no shopping cart, and often no CGI capability. Unless you have limited needs, or have found ways to out-source such facilities, then free-hosts may not fit your needs at all.