Many people believe that the way to go with web hosting is to choose one that is free. Depending on your situation, a free host may not be the right option for you. Like anything else, you need to educate yourself on the drawbacks of these types of hosting companies so you know what to expect. Continue on for some great tips that will inform you on what to look out for when choosing a free web host.
Resist the temptation to accept free domain registration from the same company you will be using for web hosting. There are many start-ups out there who may - or may not - be around for very long, and they probably will not give clients advance notice if they are going out of business. You will need to have immediate access to your domain registration if this happens, but may not be able to get it if they are out of business.
If you are considering using a particular web hosting site, read reviews about it. Specifically, check for reviews written by users of the site's hosting services. Just as you wouldn't make a major electronics purchase without first checking out product reviews, nor should you bypass looking at reviews for web hosting sites you're considering using. Doing this now can save you frustration further down the road.
Make the most of your profitability of your website by closely looking into the many web hosting services that want your business. Rates for services can range greatly, depending upon your needs. More expensive monthly service plans may provide more bandwidth, but you may end up with the same amount of server downtime as any cheap host.
Figure out how much bandwidth you need before shopping for web hosts. Keep in mind that you need more bandwidth if you plan to include photos or videos on your website. Compare different bandwidth plans and purchase a plan that gives you a little more bandwidth than you need so that you have room to expand your site.
Never register your domain with your web hosting service. Many people mistakenly do this, and then realize later they can't transfer their site over to another web hosting service. This can happen when a company goes offline and bust or for other various reasons. Make sure you register your domain with a different company than your web hosting provider.
Some web hosting sites are free and can help you save money and cut costs, but these usually come with a catch. Ads will be sprinkled over your website, and you'll have very little space for storage, let alone bandwidth for visitors. Therefore, if you want your site to look professional, stay away from free web hosting.
Many web hosts rely on other major hosts. These companies purchase a block of space on the server at a discount, and turn a profit by leasing space to smaller sites. This can result in additional choices in web hosting, and you could pay less or more for the same server space.
Look for a web hosting that has won lots of awards. This is a fantastic way to determine the quality of the service and support that you will receive from the web host. Having an award is a good indication that the web hosting company is reliable and has many satisfied customers. Web hosts that display a high number of awards from fan voting are the hosts you should include in your viable choices.
If you need to use multiple e-mails, research what e-mail service format your hosting service uses. It is likely that you will discover the need to stick with POP 3. POP 3 e-mails will be linked to your domain name, allowing them to be accessed online from anywhere.
Save yourself some money by upgrading your account with your web host to an annual plan. Most of the yearly web hosting plans cost less on a monthly basis than a pay as you go arrangement. If you are pleased with your web host, there is no reason not to upgrade to take advantage of these savings.
If you are getting started with your website, you should look for a web host that allows you to use 30MB of storage space. This is the average size of a new site, but you should expect it to grow as you add more content overtime, at least up to 100MB.
Be aware of what type of storage the web host offers. This is only relevant for certain site owners, though. If you have a site that requires a lot of videos and music, then you need to ensure the host offers the space necessary. Decide how much space you need in advance to ensure you are getting a host that supplies you will just what you need.
Be wary of web hosts with a price that seems too good to be true. It may be quite tempting to go with one that is quite cheap, but understand that they are usually cheap for a reason. They will have limited customer service, low-quality hardware or other methods of cutting costs, which will impact your website.
If you wish to add videos to your site, look for a host that supports Flash FLV format. This format is currently the most efficient way to host videos online and guarantee a fast streaming time for your visitors. Make sure you are allowed enough storing space and bandwidth for videos.
Some web hosting services guarantee you a certain number of visitors every day for an additional fee. You should not rely on this method to increase your traffic, since you have no guarantee that these visitors will correspond to the audience you are targeting. Use good internet marketing strategies to promote your site instead.
As you can, there are many inconveniences that can arise from having your site hosted by a company that is free. If you are aware of the many pitfalls that come with the territory, then you will not be upset when going with this sort of service. Apply the advice from this article so you are more aware of what these kinds of hosting services provide.
