Web Hosting: Should I Pay or Should I Go Now?
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David
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November 26th, 2012
Whether you're new to website building or an old timer, I'm sure you've struggled between web hosting options before.
First, there are two main types of websites and they revolve around payment type.
Some Wikimedia servers. When you pay for self-hosting, you help maintain these sorts of things! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A free website is usually a blog run through a free Content Management System like WordPress.com or Blogger, both of which place certain limits on the amount you can do.
A self-hosted website is one for which you pay a monthly or annual service fee to cover storage and usage. There are many, many different web hosting companies out there and quite a few different website-building programs you can use to make intensely customizable sites for your cause.
Many amateur bloggers start off with a free site on WordPress.com or Blogger, and then they transition to paying for self-hosting. Other people start off by self-hosting in the beginning, and others use free sites indefinitely.
One of the most difficult parts of creating your website is deciding whether to use a free program, pay for self-hosting, or use a mix of both.
Personally, I support always starting with a free site unless it's for a professional cause (even then it's okay). Here's a list of situations in which you would choose one side or the other:
You might want to use a free site if:
- Money is tight
- Your blog/website is brand new
- You need to test out a blog to see if you want to support it regularly
- You need a place to add content right away
- You don't care about or want to reach a large audience
- Professional appearance isn't a big deal
- You're not interested in making money through blogging
You might want to self-host your website if:
- You can afford to pay between $6-10/month
- Need a professional image with custom email addresses
- Want to establish a professional internet presence
- You are able to create your own website or hire someone to do the work
- You understand a bit of web design, formatting, and hosting
- It is for a business, registered charity,
- You want to earn revenue through ads or sales
- You want to begin long-term SEO practices
- You want to create websites with extra capabilities like ecommerce, forums, etc.
- You are looking to create a big, dynamic website
Now, these lists are not complete in any way or shape. Really though, if you want to turn your website into a website and not just a blog where you write profusely, you probably want a website.
Free blogs are mostly limited with a small selection of options. For those in need of more power or if you're wondering if a free blog will do everything you need, self-host.
Web Hosting Customer Service Fail (Photo credit: johnscotthaydon)
I've never regretted self-hosting in any way. First of all, many web hosting packages allow you to create multiple websites on one plan, which makes it easy to start collecting domain names and testing out new website ideas. Domain registration itself can be incredibly cheap (like $2-10), and that registration lasts a year.
If you're okay with paying a little bit a month and would like to make your website last, go ahead and self-host. If you're unsure of what you want and don't need the blog for a professional image, start with a free site. You can always jump to something else in the future.
Avoid paying high monthly rates for blogging "options" on those free sites, though! You'll be better of self-hosting if you need extra capabilities.
Got any questions? Write below! We'd love to help you make the decision.