A website resides on the web host. Hence, the performance of the site depends on the performance of the host. Therefore, selecting a good hosting plan is essential for the success of your website and your business. The web hosting market is awash with different types of hosting plans. Some of these plans are costly, offering the best hosting services available; some others are really cheap or even free. Many new businesses opt for these free or cheap hosting plans to keep costs in check. However, in most cases, such plans come with hidden costs – monetary or reputational costs.
There are different types of hosting services available, like Shared Hosting, VPS, Dedicated Server, Cloud Hosting, etc. In this article, we will focus on Cloud Web Hosting and share some reasons why you should stay away from free Cloud Web Hosting services.
- Performance Issues
A good Cloud Hosting plan ensures that the website loads in no time, offers maximum uptime, and minimum loading errors. Offering these features means having enough bandwidth and state-of-the-art resources. While Cloud Hosting providers who charge a reasonable price for their services might be able to afford these features, free or cheap hosting providers would not have the necessary resources for the same. Therefore, you might host your website on a free plan but compromise on its performance leading to dissatisfied users and a loss in the SEO rank.
- Website Security
While many site owners might ignore other issues that come with a free hosting plan, no site owner takes the security of his website lightly. Websites hold a lot of important and sensitive information – financial or Personally Identifiable Information (PII). It is the responsibility of the website to ensure the security of this information. This responsibility is indirectly passed on to the web host. With free Cloud Hosting plans, the host usually shares one server between many websites. Also, it cannot spend a lot on security measures since it is not charging you anything. Hence, the security of your website can be at stake leading to more serious implications.
- Little or NO support
Free hosting providers cannot afford to have a dedicated team of professionals available to support you in times of need. In fact, many free hosting providers offer no support at all! This can be difficult for site owners with no technical background as they are stuck every time the website hits a technical snag. You must ensure that the web host has support options available. If not, then you will be on your own when your website needs technical assistance leading to a slow/down site and a negative impact on your business.
Summing Up
Remember, cheap or free Cloud Web Hosting plans might sound alluring, but the long-term costs of these plans can be fatal to new businesses. Therefore, it is important to assess the cost-efficiency of a hosting plan and not just its price. It is important to research well and look for hosting plans that can help your website grow while being affordable. Good Luck!
More Stories
Cost-Effective Hosting Solutions for Small Businesses
How to Migrate Your Website to a New Host
How to Choose Between VPS and Dedicated Hosting