One of the toughest decisions of new businesses that want to build a website is choosing between a free hosting plan or a paid one. With free website hosting, you can create a website without paying anything, but you’ll only be able to use limited features and functionality. There will come a time that as a business, you must not settle for a website created under a free domain.
Here are the three reasons that free web hosting plans don’t work for your business:
1) Basic Website Appearance Customization
If you’re under a free plan, you only have limited options to customize your page. Aside from the restricted functionality, your domain host has the right to put ads on your site with or without your consent. Likewise, you don’t earn anything from those ads. Additionally, some ads will not make you look professional, especially if there is an inappropriate ad shown on your website.
Meanwhile, the experience is different if you are working with a paid provider. Some providers have a built-in website builder tool that makes creating a website easy, even for people without any web development experience. You can also hire a talented web developer to create a bespoke website that speaks volumes of your branding.
2) Limited Management Options
There are a lot of factors to take into account when maintaining and running a website. These include servers, files, content, and other backend information. With a free plan, you cannot do that.
Paid website hosting services do not have this problem. Since you have complete control, you can tell your provider to update security, fix issues, monitor server activity, allocate space budget, and many more. The price you pay for their service is worth it.
3) Poor Security Features
Free website hosting has poor security features compared to a paid hosting plan. Hacking is rampant and easy to do if your website does not have the most secure programs and encryption features. When a hacking incident happens, your data will be compromised. On the contrary, paid website hosting providers can guarantee you of sound security measures that will protect your site and all your information from hackers.
Conclusion
While free web hosting platforms allow you to get started with website development, signing up for a paid hosting service is the best way to go for the long term. Paid website hosting lets you customize your website appearance so that you can execute the idea in your mind. It also gives you more management options to help in operating and running the site. Lastly, it offers impeccable security features that provide support against malicious hackers.
For these reasons, you are better off with a paid website hosting plan if you want your business to have a strong online presence and identity. Aside from the benefits above, having a website specially designed for your brand will make you look professional, credible, and trustworthy among visitors. These will help you drive more traffic to your website, generate more leads, and increase your conversion rates later on.
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