Should I Pay for Hosting: Paid vs Free Web Hosting
You want to create your own website but you don’t know where to start from? If you already have your idea about a product you want to promote, content you want to share, design that you would like to build, the next thing to do is to figure out domain and hosting. Now you may wonder, “Should I pay for hosting or should I choose some of the best free website hosting solutions out there?”
Our advice is to rely on a paid web hosting because the advantages are many, while the risks you get with a free hosting exceeds the very few pluses that appear tempting at first.
This quick guide will help you better evaluate the pros and cons and see why a paid subscription plan brings more value compared to the best free website you may have come across.
Topics it will cover:
- What is domain and hosting
- What is web hosting used for
- Free website hosting vs paid website hosting
- BGOcloud web hosting solutions
What Is Domain and Hosting?
A domain (also “domain name” or “Internet domain”) is the unique address that identifies a website on the internet. In general, The Domain Name System (DNS) is used to set up internet domains, allowing users to access web content using a memorable domain name rather than a numerical IP address.
You as a website owner can also take advantage of email domain hosting. This service lets you use your own domain name in the email address. Instead of having a generic one from a free email service provider, you can create and use a unique one that matches your domain name.
Web hosting, on the other hand, allows the storing of web files and makes them accessible to Internet users. When someone types a website’s domain name into their web browser, the browser sends a request to the server where the website is hosted, and the server responds by visualizing the website’s files as web content back to the user.
What Is Web Hosting Used For?
The digital world and the web often appear detached from the physical realm. Terminology like “cyberspace”, “URL”, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), “the cloud” create this understanding that the websites we access on a daily basis exist in another dimension that has nothing to do with our world. Not in a direct way at least. Yet, you have heard the term “website hosting”, right?
So, the reality is that every website is hosted on a physical web server somewhere. These servers are typically stored in remote facilities that the average internet user cannot see or have access to. But it’s them that play a crucial role in the Internet infrastructure, online interactions, and user experience (UX).
How come?
Because they are responsible for storing the website’s files and making them accessible to internet users around the world. In other words, you can build and publish your own website that can be accessed by people all around the world thanks to website hosting servers.
Should I Pay For Hosting: The Free Website Hosting vs Paid Website Hosting Dilemma
Free hosting may seem appealing as you THINK you save from unnecessary costs. But this is not an investment that will pay off in the future. There are certain risks that you mustn’t neglect.
- Limited Features and Resources
most of the time, free hosting solutions don’t provide the resources you need for your website. This means your website may experience slow loading times, frequent downtime, limited storage space, bandwidth restrictions, and so forth.
- Weaker Security Measures
As a result, your website is exposed to cyber-attacks and more online vulnerabilities.
- Inefficient Customer Support
There may be limited or no customer support at all. When you have to troubleshoot issues or transfer website to new host, it will be much more difficult to manage.
- Limited Customization
Free hosting often comes with limited customization options, narrowing down your ability to having just a general or too basic website. You won’t be able to make any fine-tunes or create a website with unique and professional look with smooth user experience.
- Unwanted Advertisement
Seeking to generate revenue, many free hosting providers place ads on your website. And bombarding your web visitors with constant advertising can be distracting and may lead to increased bounce rates.
With this in mind, don’t be too tempted when you see the next rank of best free website hosting solutions.
Why You Should Consider Paid Website Hosting Instead of Free Hosting Then?
There are many different reasons to pay for hosting.
- More Disk Space
Having access to more disk space can be a significant advantage in the long run, especially when you’re just starting with your business, want to build a successful blog, manage a online store, and so on. As comparison, many free hosting services offer a limited amount of storage space, usually around 5 to 10 MB. And if you plan to expand your website in the future, you’ll likely need to transfer your files to a paid hosting provider.
- Super Secured Server
If you pay for hosting, you definitely get better security features and are better at blocking any hacking attempts, malware attacks, or any other cybersecurity threats that endanger your website. Moreover, without a secure web server, customers are unlikely to trust your site with their credit card information, for example, or any personal data.
- Reliability and Uptime
Everyone wants their website to be available and accessible all the time. That’s why it’s better to choose paid hosting as your website will experience less downtime and page visitors will have a better browsing experience.
- Faster Troubleshooting and Better Technical Support
Paid hosting services often offer technical support that can help you fix any web-related issues much more quickly and efficiently.
- Customization and control
You have greater control over your website and can customize it however you want to meet specific business, branding, design, and user needs. It offers more features and customization options so the website you own can look more professional and can help you establish better brand identity online.
- Scalability and More Page Visitors
With free hosting solutions you only get a limited number of visitors. But, when choosing paid hosting service, you can easily add more resources to the server so that it can handle more incoming traffic without causing slow loading times or downtime.
What About BGOcloud Web Hosting Solutions?
We are here to provide lightning-fast web hosting with things like:
- Easy Control Panel
- 1-Click CMS Installation
- SSD Storage & Caching
- Free Backups
- WordPress hosting, Drupal web hosting solution, Magento hosting plans, etc.
- 9% Uptime Guarantee
- Affordable Web Hosting Plans
- 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
- 24/7 Technical Support
- No Unwanted Ads
On top of this, we bring dedicated servers that are super essential in 2023 to a whole new level, providing free IPv6 for all of our dedicated servers, cPanel hosting, OpenVZ, and KVM VPS plans.
If you want to read more about the benefits of our hosting solutions, read the “BGOcloud Benefits: Bring the Best Value For Your Money Through Hosting Services” blog post.