Why Pay For Hosting? - Webmaster Forums UK SEO SEM Webmaster Community Forum

espmartin · #1 (**permalink**) 12-13-2007, 10:17 PM

Why should you pay for hosting, if you can find free hosting plans on the
internet? I know of so many people who opt for the free services that they
find, not minding the banner ads that are placed on their sites to comply
with the web host's TOS. There are actually free hosts that do not impose
ads on their free accounts, as long as you maintain a minimum post count
on their webnmaster forums.

I have my reasons for opting to pay for hosting, as you seriouly "get what
you pay for"...but I wanted to poll the rest of you all...

So why pay for hosting?

SkinnerW · #2 (**permalink**) 12-13-2007, 11:15 PM

Usually you get more flexibility with paid account compared to the free one.

With free hosting most of the time you have to use subdomain of the main website so it's hard to build brand recognition...

Nowadays hosting cost pennies and if internet is your business - you should be able to find $30 a year for hosting and domain name...

temi · #3 (**permalink**) 12-14-2007, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by espmartin

Why should you pay for hosting, if you can find free hosting plans on the
internet?

Martin, there is a quote that if you pay peanuts, you get a monkey, the same applies to free web hosting.

I an EXTREMELY sceptical of anything free, I remeber in the communists days in USSR, there was also a provert that no lunch is free, not even in Moscow.

If you get a free web hosting, they eitther ruin your site with adverts plastered everywhere or support is non existent, I do not trust anything "free" or something that is too cheap, quality is always compromised.

SkinnerW · #4 (**permalink**) 12-14-2007, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by temi

...I remember in the communists days in USSR, there was also a provert that no lunch is free, not even in Moscow.

I don't know where this phrase came from... Do you know any special place in Moscow where I should go for a free lunch?
I'll check it in a few weeks

temi · #5 (**permalink**) 12-14-2007, 07:18 AM

You are a bit late, this was in the Soviet era when we used to believe in Communist countries you just go to the shop and get what you need free

TheeCommerceConsultant · #6 (**permalink**) 12-14-2007, 02:34 PM

Physical location of the servers is imperative aswell, you might get free hosting but where is it located? TOS goes two ways aswell, if the company folds you loose your website, all gained SEO and then you have to get the domain back, we all know what a nightmare that can be.

You pay for simple reasons,

Location of servers, speed of connection, free phone support, good uptime. knowledge = money.

Pay everytime, and make sure you are on a uk ip range. one and one for example is not free but the majority of their servers are in germany. useless for a uk biased business in terms of seo.

My tuppence anyway.

temi · #7 (**permalink**) 12-14-2007, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheeCommerceConsultant

P

Pay everytime, and make sure you are on a uk ip range. one and one for example is not free but the majority of their servers are in germany. useless for a uk biased business in terms of seo.

I think one and one are aware of this they have started location servers in the country they are selling from. This forum for example is on one and one server and it has a UK IP address

TheeCommerceConsultant · #8 (**permalink**) 12-14-2007, 03:00 PM

Good news from one and one, they were always pretty good and that was the only thing that let them down imho, good to see a proactive company. Another good reason to cough up.

espmartin · #9 (**permalink**) 12-14-2007, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheeCommerceConsultant

...Pay everytime, and make sure you are on a uk ip range...

Of course, that's if your site is UK specific... Not applicable to me, a Californian Dude

Although, I do have a new website niched on the classical music genre, and
a UK IP would actually benefit me, as I expect more of an international
audience for it.

Meti · #10 (**permalink**) 12-15-2007, 12:40 AM

I agree with temis statement, free hosts aren't as reliable and their servers are usually overloaded, they sometimes exceed limits which is unlike paid hosting companies, that's onne of the reasons I stick to paid no matter what.

Do a speed check on, one of the most famous free web hosts around and do one on a famous paid web host and see the difference, do a uptime check and see a huge difference; ftp server is usually top speed etc. Many advantages being with a paid host.

Meti