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So you have a great idea for a website but no idea about where to host it? You could host it on your own computer however for almost everyone this is impossible and totally impratical. This article will be looking into both free and paid hosting methods along with benefits, disadvantages, costs and a few suggested companies.
Free hosting
Various companies will provide "free" web hosting - but how do they cover their costs? This can be one of the downsides to free hosting - adverts. Most free hosts will insert adverts onto your pages, these can vary from host to host so it's best to look at currently hosted sites to see what sort of things they insert. However not every host does this - some require you to take surveys or ask you to post on their forum in order to obtain hosting. There are a few truely free hosts who give you hosting without such restraints although these don't seem to last that long.
Advantages:
- Free! - Of course the best thing about free web hosting is that it is free - no payments are needed!
- Easy set up - Most free hosts have done all the hard work for you and allow you to easily start a website
- Instant registration - Most free hosts accounts are created instantly meaning if you have a website ready it can be working in minutes
- Updates - Any good free host will add and update software on the system as well as provide 'one click' installs for popular software
Disadvantages:
- Free! - Unfortunately the fact the hosting is free is a disadvantage in itself for various reasons. It means:
- Adverts may be placed on any pages you host on your web space
- Limits on CPU usage in order to squeeze as many users onto limited servers
- Restrictions in allowed content - many hosts don't allow files to be stored and may even delete files after a while
- They could disappear overnight. It happens - one day the host is fine but the next it - and your web pages - have gone.
- Unreliable - a lot of free hosts are notorious for bad uptime.
- Less space - web space, bandwidth and other hosting specs are generally far lower on free hosts than paid hosts.
Paid web hosting
Paid web hosting offer web hosting services for a monthly cost. There are a great range of prices offered from a few pounds a month to over £100 a month for large dedicated servers. Paid hosting is usually more advanced than free hosting - giving you more control over your web space. Don't be worried if you are new to the web though as most hosts do provide a simple user interface, file manager and such for new users.
Advantages:
- More space - Most paid web hosts provide far more space - some even claim to offer unlimited space (basically they will just add another 100GB or so hard drive when space becomes sparce).
- More features - SSH, SSL, FTP, Email, MySQL, .htaccess permissions and CGI are just a few features generally only found on paid hosts
- Offers - A lot of paid hosts have teamed up with companies to provide users with offers and discounts such as cheaper software for your website or free advertising using Google AdWords or Yahoo Sponsored Search Results
- Less limits and restrictions - Paid posts generally provide far less limits on server resources
Disadvantages:
- It costs money! - If you're on a budget paid hosting can be too costly to afford
- Some experience required - Although you don't need to be the next Bill Gates in order to use paid hosting it can be hard for new users to the web. As mentioned above though any good host will provide a easy to use interface and even web building tools along with FAQ's and support forums.
- Charges - This is probably the biggest disadvantage - being charged for going over limits. With most hosts it is near impossible to do this but if you do prepare for a large bill! Make sure you read the small print before purchasing hosting to see the rates which you could be charged.
