Hi, my name is Daniel. I've had free domain hosting for over 13 months now, and I've never even been asked for anything in return. I want to share with you all some advice in choosing a free domain hosting company, because when I chose mine, it was very successful for me - and I would like to help others to be successful in their quests too. It's about time I gave something back to this community.
Well, firstly before you go and find a free host you need two things: 1. a developed site (my site when I first started had about half a dozen pages, if that - and the rest simply said "more to come" - but it was developed). 2. a registered domain name.
If you do not already have a domain name registered it is not time to consider hosting your site on a privately held domain name.
Next think about your requirements, seriously. Mine at the time would have been up to 20MB of space, and 100-200MB of data transfer - and realistically this is all I used to begin with. Even now I still use less then half my bandwidth each month. Do you require PHP, CGI, large file sizes? There's no point in trying to find a host that will give you 10GB of bandwidth if you're going to use less then 1GB. There's no use in having 500MB of space if you're going to use less then 50MB. If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is - and it probably won't last long. Figure out what you need and select hosts that offer that.
This was my first decision, I didn't want a host that was offering "a lot", I wanted a host that offered a "reasonable amount". Something that was modest enough to be seen as reliable. The next thing you should look for is an established host. This was the only mistake I made, I deliberately chose iContact because they were an Australian host (the servers are overseas and I knew that at the time), and I was attracted to that. It turned out fine for me, but personally if I had it to do over I would have applied to a more established host. I also wanted not to have ads on the site, and I vow that my site will never have ads on it - even if I have to eventually pay for hosting; I don't want people to get confused and thing they're visiting IGN!
And the last thing you want to look for is the host that is right for you. In my case it was an Australian host - I'm Australian and so I wanted an Aussie host to host my website. If you're developing an anime site, then you'll want an anime host.
Thirdly, if you're after a free host then you should not expect your site to be profitable to you. If you expect your visitors to earn you money, then your host would expect you to earn them money. I know I've said it twice, but that is, after all, why free hosting exists - so that you can share your free site with the world.
And finally, when you've selected a host make sure you understand their requirements and their terms and conditions. They're hosting you under their terms on their generosity - so don't expect to bend or break their rules and get away with it. If you have a problem with any of their terms, talk to them about it and see if they're willing to compromise. And, never, ever abuse you're privileged hosting account.
I hope some of you find this information useful. As a final note I will say I chose http://name.com to register my domain name with, above godaddy - mainly because of all the stories people have told on this website about problems they've had with godaddy - and maybe today those problems no longer exist, but if I have a final recommendation it is not to do business with companies that have bad reputations - if people have had unresolved problems with a host or a registrar then you should choose not to take your chances, and go with an option you feel is safe and secure. I've worked as a professional sales consultant, and if there is one golden rule of buying it is that it is better to pay a little more for something that you want then it is to have a bad buying experience.
If you would like further advice, you may reply or PM and I will respond personally.
All the best,
Daniel :beer:
Well, firstly before you go and find a free host you need two things: 1. a developed site (my site when I first started had about half a dozen pages, if that - and the rest simply said "more to come" - but it was developed). 2. a registered domain name.
If you do not already have a domain name registered it is not time to consider hosting your site on a privately held domain name.
Next think about your requirements, seriously. Mine at the time would have been up to 20MB of space, and 100-200MB of data transfer - and realistically this is all I used to begin with. Even now I still use less then half my bandwidth each month. Do you require PHP, CGI, large file sizes? There's no point in trying to find a host that will give you 10GB of bandwidth if you're going to use less then 1GB. There's no use in having 500MB of space if you're going to use less then 50MB. If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is - and it probably won't last long. Figure out what you need and select hosts that offer that.
This was my first decision, I didn't want a host that was offering "a lot", I wanted a host that offered a "reasonable amount". Something that was modest enough to be seen as reliable. The next thing you should look for is an established host. This was the only mistake I made, I deliberately chose iContact because they were an Australian host (the servers are overseas and I knew that at the time), and I was attracted to that. It turned out fine for me, but personally if I had it to do over I would have applied to a more established host. I also wanted not to have ads on the site, and I vow that my site will never have ads on it - even if I have to eventually pay for hosting; I don't want people to get confused and thing they're visiting IGN!
And the last thing you want to look for is the host that is right for you. In my case it was an Australian host - I'm Australian and so I wanted an Aussie host to host my website. If you're developing an anime site, then you'll want an anime host.
Thirdly, if you're after a free host then you should not expect your site to be profitable to you. If you expect your visitors to earn you money, then your host would expect you to earn them money. I know I've said it twice, but that is, after all, why free hosting exists - so that you can share your free site with the world.
And finally, when you've selected a host make sure you understand their requirements and their terms and conditions. They're hosting you under their terms on their generosity - so don't expect to bend or break their rules and get away with it. If you have a problem with any of their terms, talk to them about it and see if they're willing to compromise. And, never, ever abuse you're privileged hosting account.
I hope some of you find this information useful. As a final note I will say I chose http://name.com to register my domain name with, above godaddy - mainly because of all the stories people have told on this website about problems they've had with godaddy - and maybe today those problems no longer exist, but if I have a final recommendation it is not to do business with companies that have bad reputations - if people have had unresolved problems with a host or a registrar then you should choose not to take your chances, and go with an option you feel is safe and secure. I've worked as a professional sales consultant, and if there is one golden rule of buying it is that it is better to pay a little more for something that you want then it is to have a bad buying experience.
If you would like further advice, you may reply or PM and I will respond personally.
All the best,
Daniel :beer:
