The Internet has changed the way millions of people handle daily tasks. Today many people use the Internet for a wide variety of tasks such as shopping, paying bills, socializing, dating, catching up on the news, watching movies, listening to music, and many other activities.
At the core of Internet are millions of websites. These websites provide an array of products, services, information, news, and other things that people would like to utilize.
Reasons Why A Free Website is Not Always A Good Idea
For websites, one of the most popular trends on the market today is to create a website for free. Companies will literally create a free website for people. However, even though on the surface this might sound like a good idea, a free website is not always the best option. There are several reasons why including:
- Free websites are usually not free.
- Free websites tend to be hosted on the company’s server.
- Free websites tend to have limited host resources.
- Free websites tend to have bad source code.
- Free websites are usually not customized.
1. Free Websites Are Usually Not Free
In many cases, what is offered for free is usually not free. For websites, this is frequently the case. It takes considerable time to plan, design, develop, code, and test a functional website. Why would a company create a free website for you?
The reasons vary from company to company, but a common reason is to make money down the road. The free website is typically called a leader, which is a product or service used to gain the attention of potential prospects. Once the free website is created, the effort to receive money from the prospect is started. If something sounds to good to be true, it usually is. Rarely is anything in the business world free. There is normally a price.
2. Free Websites Tend To Be Hosted On The Company’s Server
One of the most misunderstood aspects of a free website is the website hosting. In general, hosting is where the website is located. The host is usually a web server. Typically the owner of the website will either have the website hosted on a server controlled by the website owner or hosted on a third party server where the website owner pays a rental fee.
The company that creates the free website will usually host the website on a server controlled by the company that created the website. This situation is important because if the website is hosted on a server controlled by the creator of the website, the person who is using the free website is at the mercy of the company that created the website.
If the company decides to start charging after a specified time period for the use of the website, the person using the website cannot take the website to another host. The reason is because the person has no access to the website. The website is on a host controlled by the creator of the free website.
3. Free Websites Tend To Have Limited Host Resources
Companies that provide free websites usually place them on one server. In addition, the servers usually are not top of the line servers. The combination of many websites on one server and the servers not having significant resources will eventually cause technical problems regarding website operations. These technical problems will typically involve speed, memory, or storage issues.
4. Free Websites Tend To Have Bad Source Code
Free websites are usually created using generated source code. A human does not write the code. A computer generates the code. Code produced in this manner tends to be bad source code. The code will usually have numerous source code errors that will result in website operational problems.
5. Free Websites Are Usually Not Customized
The amount of time needed to create even a basic website is significant. Therefore, free websites are usually cookie cutter websites. A template for the website is created then the website is offered for free. The company will usually offer basic options such as page color changes, text changes, and adding pictures in specific locations.
However, the purpose of a website is to provide what the website owner desires. This is rarely done with a free website. The options are limited and there is no true customization. The websites typically look the same.
Create a website for free is a popular trend in the business world today but there is a cost associated with most free websites. Moreover, beyond the cost of a website, ownership and control are vitally important for a website.
Without ownership and control of all aspects of a website such as the domain name, hosting, source code, and other related matters, a website is not truly owned. Free websites are generally owned by the company that created the websites, not the people using the free websites.