Difference between Paid and Free Hosting

For many startups and small businesses investing in free hosting providers seem to be a lucrative decision.  However, before making the decision to go with free hosting providers you should seriously weigh things if they really go in your favor.

Will the savings on the hosting provider fees outweigh the benefits you can get from your business end?  Remember that having a reputable online presence can be priceless for your business; something that free hosting cannot deliver.  Why is a paid hosting provider worth it?

Unique and Professional

Many business owners miss out on the point that their websites are actually a virtual representation of their storefront.  This means that if your website looks just like any other website on the Internet, how can you expect potential customers to visit it or patronize your products and services?

Are you aware that majority of consumers do not take free hosted websites seriously?  Why?  Because it lacks uniqueness and professionalism.

Put yourself in the shoes of your customers.  Would you seriously believe a company that is not putting its money into creating a unique online identity?  No matter how good your products and services are, if your website does not look professional or does not have a unique address, it is like sharing a kiosk in a huge shopping mall where you are jockeying for the attention of would be shoppers.  What type of image do you think you are projecting to your customers by using a free hosting provider?  There is power is having your name in your Internet address.

Reliable Service

Have you heard the adage, “You get what you pay for?”  If you do not pay for anything, what should you expect to get?  Definitely, your customers expect to get reliability, quality, and after sales support.  But if your website is down most of the time or excruciatingly slows because of network congestion, what does that say about your business?

You are projecting an image of unreliability that will create a negative impact on your revenues and possibly result in loss of customers.  If you pay for hosting that guarantees uptime of 99 percent or more, then, you are saying to your customers that they can rely on your products and services all the time.

More Functionality

Serious businesses would want their websites to be designed in such a way that it is a reflection of their business.  This is quite difficult with free hosting providers that generally make use of website templates that offer limited customization and functionality.

Although true that you can upload your own website design, you should read through the fine print of the agreement and make sure that you are giving the free hosting provider the right to allow others to use your customized design; otherwise, it would be like giving away your business.

Putting your personalized feel or signature gives your customers an insight as to the type of business they are dealing with.  What is customer confidence worth for your business?

Rankings

In the world of the Internet, rankings are understood as search engine rankings.  What is the importance of this?  Simply put, when someone searches for a particular product or service, the higher ranked websites appear first on the list of possibilities.

It is very seldom that a freely hosted website would have a very high search engine ranking.  Why?  For one, free hosting providers are commonly used by spammers and similarly unscrupulous individuals to make dummy websites with the intention of taking advantage of less techy individuals.

Is this the type of crowd you want your business to be associated with?  Another reason is that free websites are notorious for pop ads, unsolicited links, and other annoying contents.  Higher search engine ranking will guarantee your business better visibility and increased exposure on the online community.

Technical Support

Do you really want to spend most of your time tinkering, experimenting, and finding out what is wrong with your website?  Or do you want to use your website to push your products and services?  Paid hosting providers generally means leaving all the technical issues to them.  If you have a problem, they are available to you 24/7 via email, phone, or chat.  So why not throw all your worries out the window?

Are paid hosting providers worth it?  Yes, it’s absolutely worth it!

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