Technology

[Honest Evaluation] Is FREE web hosting of any value? Five things to consider!

hosting
Written by Lisa Scholfield

In today’s digital era, it is easier than ever to establish a business and build a brand from scratch. Only a computer and an Internet connection are required. Websites like Wix, Weebly, and WordPress make website creation incredibly simple for anyone with even a passing interest in coding.

However, like with all things, there are also disadvantages. Creating a website from scratch and paying for hosting might be costly if you lack the appropriate tools for new businesses and websites.

What should I check for if I choose free web hosting?

This essay will outline the five must-have qualities that you should evaluate before selecting a FREE website hosting service for individuals, small businesses, and corporations.

1. Uptime

hosting uptime is the first of the most crucial factors to consider.

Uptime is the percentage of time your website is online and accessible to users. When your website is “down,” customers are unable to access it, resulting in lost revenue.

When they get a 404 error, often known as a Page Not Found error, the majority of internet users will seek services elsewhere, even if it means visiting your competitors.

Regularly checking the uptime of a website or application is known as website uptime monitoring.

When a website is down, there is an outage or other issue preventing customers from accessing a business’s website, application, or online store. Therefore, it is a crucial business metric. It has an immediate impact on a company’s output and revenue.

With so many web hosting possibilities, it’s easy to become confused about which host is best for my business; therefore, I’ve compiled a list of seven real free web hosting services with exceptional uptime.

2 –  Support

A website hosting service must not only supply all of the conditions necessary for the success of your page but also effectively assist you in satisfying those conditions.

Customer support is a vital component for many consumers, and the service provider’s availability to assist you might make the difference between a crisis being resolved quickly and a website going offline for several hours.

Determine how the customer support of the provider you’re contemplating employing operates and which channels the company has for obtaining assistance when hiring free web hosting.

3 . Cap on monthly visitors

Unbeknownst to you, some website hosting services impose a monthly bandwidth limit.

In actuality, this indicates that after a certain amount of visits, the server would charge more for “additional visitors” or cease displaying your website online.

Always pay special attention to the information offered by free hosting providers, and choose only those with unlimited data traffic to prevent your website from going offline.

Typically, the hosting provider will inform you of the exact limitations, and the majority will be suitable for small businesses.

4 – Auto installers

With the aid of a helpful tool known as a one-click installation, it is possible to install applications such as WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla, among others, with minimal effort.

The majority of free web hosting services will supply you with a basic installer to launch your website.

In addition, some firms, such as Wix, provide their own site builder that does not require installation. This can be quite beneficial for novices.

If you lack experience with the more technical aspects of website creation, this will be of great assistance.

5 – Server response and speed

Since Google now considers the speed at which mobile pages load when calculating search engine rankings, it is glaringly obvious that having a page that loads quickly is crucial for both your website and business.

To guarantee that your website loads fast and without interruptions, it is vitally recommended that you work with hosting companies that can give you a consistent and rapid server speed.

In addition to an overall improvement in the user experience, your search engine optimization (SEO) rankings will increase as a result.

Free web hosting services may have slow website loading times due to the use of shared clusters (one server serving numerous websites) by the majority of free hosts, which might slow things down.

By measuring the server’s Time To First Byte, you may evaluate how quickly a web host’s server replies to requests. WebpageTest and other tools can be used for this purpose.

Conclusion

Before selecting free website hosting, take your time and research all of the available alternatives. There are good free hosting solutions on the market; nevertheless, free web hosting will deliver significantly less than paid web hosting; however, for new enterprises, free web hosting might be a means to launch an online business.

If you are more diligent when selecting a web hosting firm, you can save yourself a lot of headaches and time.

About the author

Lisa Scholfield