Risks of Free and Low-Cost Hosting

The benefits of free and low-cost hosting are obvious: they're free! But it's also important to balance your expectations. Everyone must start somewhere, and so many of these risks may be well worth it when you're just starting out.

When hosting free or at low-cost, you usually sacrifice one or more of the following:

• Customer service quality or availability 
• Technical support quality or availability 
• Guarantees (of up time, space, etc.) 
• Primary real estate on your web pages for distracting ads. 
• Privacy
• Visibility 

Before signing up with any host, remember to check their Terms of Use. Many free hosts are for personal use only. 

As your business and web site grows, your need for well-rounded, quality service will increase. At that time, consider upgrading to an industry-standard business hosting package. Contact me to find a hosting provider or application service that fits your unique needs.