The #1 Web Host Isn't Free!
These days the price of web hosting is extremely low, and that gives almost everyone the chance to make their presence on the internet. What used to cost hundreds of dollars is either free or extremely cheap nowadays, and while this may sound good, it doesn't sound the same to the thousands of people who get suckered into internet scams each day. Anyone who is familiar enough with the internet has fallen for FREE advertisements at least once while browsing the internet.
Every web surfer knows the experience: they might be running a Google search on something such as that new Harley Davidson that they have finally saved enough money for-and suddenly, out of the corner of their eye they see an ad on the right of the screen that says: FREE HARLEY DAVIDSON, ACT NOW!
Curious, and with growing excitement, the surfer clicks on the advertisement link and watches the screen expectantly for the Harley he's always wanted to pop up on the screen with a cute, half naked biker chick sitting on it. He is disappointed that instead of the alluring image that he was expecting, there is a few lines of big blinking text in the center of a ugly purple screen that says:
FREE HARLEY DAVIDSON WITH ACCESSORIES
Just complete the offers on the next page
and you'll be on your way to winning a brand
new Harley Davidson.
Offers may require a credit card
and are subject to approval
Upon completion of offers
the contestant is eligible to win the prize.
This guy just happens to not have the credit card that was needed when he tried to complete the offers. If he would have used it he would most likely have been tricked and scammed into buying something that he doesn't want, and then would have found out later that he would not win the prize. He was lucky, but many are not.
Now what does this have to do with web hosting and the #1 web host, you ask. The truth is that it has plenty to do with it. The Internet is largely overpopulated with people who want to make easy money and those who want to sell you their product. Web hosting service is definitely a product the can be utilized to make advertisers some serious bucks. If you do a web hosting search on Google you are going to find hundreds of web hosting services, and many of them will claim to be free.
Let's get this straight: they're not COMPLETELY FREE! Most of these sites will try to sell you something, want your E-mail address so that they can sell it to those who want to spam you, or run you through a series of other “free offers” or ads. Most of them also sell web addresses that are called domains.
There are two different kinds of domains:
- DOMAINS: These are sold for profit and usually offer better service and more features than a subdomain. Another advantage of a DOMAIN: The web address does not have the host's advertisements and your website address does not have the provider's name in it.
- SUBDOMAIN: Usually free but there are not as many features as there are with domains. They usually, despite the host's claims, offer poor services. Many of them are known to not even display your page at all or display it incorrectly. Don't be fooled into thinking that your internet service is slow and that's why your website has trouble loading; the problem is instead the crappy server that your host has placed your website folder in; and if you are having trouble loading it, then that means that other people are going the have the same problem when viewing your page. SUBDOMAINS usually come with advertisements which are forced to be placed anywhere on your website pages and the address includes the host's name or something similar.
As you can see here, a “free” hosting service gives you what you paid for and nothing more. No matter what they promise, there is usually some sort of catch that will mean more money for the host. They make the potential earnings from advertisers when you go through their offers; they might be able to sell you their product, and they make money by forcing Google Adsense and other advertisements on your web pages that draw people away from your site. If you are trying to use your website to start a business and sell your products, stay away from free hosting and subdomains, because they won't help your profits much; only those of the host.
What to look for and what to have
- When starting your own website, personal or business, always look for the best deal on a DOMAIN, where you get your own web address and decent email accounts.
- Find a site where the hosting service seems honest about a decent BANDWIDTH: you want as many people as possible to view your site at the same time without the server transfer rate slowing them down. If they are paying for high-speed internet, they don't want to have to wait 5 minutes for your page to load. 100-500 GB a month sounds about right.
- find a host that supports scripting languages like MySQL and PHP just in case you ever want to code programs that allow users to log in and access your databases.
- find one with the server space you need. A GB or two should be enough to host a small, personal website with photos dynamic text, and videos. If you want to start a big time site or forum, 100 GB or 1000GB should be plenty.
- NO banner or advertisements on your site.
The #1 web host
Opinions vary, but one of the best deals out there, or maybe THE best, is
1and1
They offer service with your OWN domain name for only about $2.99 per year. Now that's a great deal! They also have other, better options for your site, all with different prices; more space, more domains, website builders, business options...etc. They accept Paypal and credit cards. It isn't free, but then again, the best ones aren't.
If you are one of those who want to start your own website, I hope that this information has been helpful. Good luck.
