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Like most people, you are probably trying to save money these days. You may be tempted to go with free web hosting to save money on business expenses. It might sound like a great idea, but when you compare free web hosting against paid web hosting, you will quickly see the free version does not stack up and rather than save you money, it might cost you money in the long run.

No control. Another downside to hosting for free is a severe lack of control. Most free hosting companies do not offer a control panel or an ftp access account to allow administration of a web site.

This means you cannot make page changes on the fly or add in programs that may be needed by your business. If you are a retail business, this means no ability to add in a shopping cart or software that helps you control your inventory.

Putting a bit of tracking coding is not an option unless you can have access to the page coding. Even attempting to change the look of your web site can be an issue. Some free hosting sites will give you access to templates and a few will even allow some minor changes made to backgrounds. But, all said, you are very limited to what you can do within your own site.

Free web hosting sites must make money somehow; they can’t afford to let people use their bandwidth for free. Since they do not charge you a hosting fee, they make money by placing ads on your webpages. The revenue from these ads goes to the hosting company, not you. Even worse, you have no control over the type of ads your visitors are subjected to.

The ads might be offensive to your site visitors or unrelated to the topic of your site. What’s even worse, you might have ads on all of your pages that promote a direct competitor of yours. For this reason, free web hosting can wind up costing you money.

Affordable solutions. Paid hosting these days really doesn’t put a huge dent in your pocketbook. Some hosting companies run specials on a regular basis and you’re sure to find one that will fit your budget. You can find hosting from as low as $3-$5 a month, depending on what your business web site requires.

Many of these companies also give a lot of great features for your money – including unlimited web space, unlimited bandwidth and a huge assortment of easy to install programs to get your site up and running quickly.

Support. Support is another problem with free web hosting. You’ll be limited to perhaps some online forum areas to ask your questions but you won’t have numbers to call, ticket support systems or one of many options offered by paid hosting. If your business site isn’t working, this can end up costing you a lot of money.

What it boils down to. When all is said and done, you need to ensure your business is hosted with a company that you can rely on for support and also one that gives you the needed tools to ensure your online site is a success. This is one time when you do not want to “tighten your belt” or “pinch pennies.” Do a bit of research and find a good, solid hosting company with a price you can afford.

Founder and actual CEO, Ricardo d’Argence has been in the field for more than twenty years. Alojate.com is now one of the best web hosting providers in Mexico, offering a range of solutions for all business needs. Dedicated servers, Search Engine Optimization, factura electronica, web hosting & registro de dominios. Visit us to read Internet Articles