When you create a website, one of the first things you need to do is find an affordable web hosting service. If you’re on a tight budget, free web hosting services are your best bet. However, there are many such providers online, so it can be challenging to identify which ones aren’t trying to rip you off.
Before we continue, let’s take a quick look at Web Hosting. Web hosting is a service that provides storage space on a server for your website. When you publish your website to such servers, it becomes available to users over the internet.
Users must enter your site’s web address or domain name into their web browser. The machine will subsequently connect to the server and show the users the web pages.
However, free web hosting services have some limitations, such as limited bandwidth, showing their own ads, storage capacity, and so on, but if you’re a learner or student, or if you want to establish your website for testing purposes, these limitations are acceptable.
Should Look at When Comparing Different Web Hosts
Low cost: You want to be able to get the most for your money, so make sure that any web host you consider has a low price.
Reliability: A good web host will be reliable and perform well, even under heavy load.
Support: Does your web host offer excellent customer support? If not, avoid them!
Speed: How fast is your site loading? Is it slow? Are there any hiccups in downloading content over your connection? These are all things you should look out for when comparing web hosts.
Here are some tips on how to find a free web hosting service that won’t leave you with unexpected costs later on.
Check the Reputation of the Provider
The first thing you should do is check the reputation of the provider, particularly if you’re unsure about which provider to select. By reputation, we mean how other customers have rated the hosting provider. To find this information, you can check the website hosting review sites.
There are many review sites on the internet that discuss different web hosting providers. You can check them out to find out more about the reputation of the provider. Be aware that some hosting review sites are sponsored by providers, so they may not be completely accurate.
Also, be sure to check out forums related to website hosting, where you can ask questions and get answers from real customers. You can also contact your local Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been filed against the provider you are thinking of going with.
Find Reviews of Free Hosting Companies
Another tip is to find reviews of free hosting companies. You can easily do this by going to a search engine like Google and typing in a phrase like, “free web hosting reviews.”
After you read through some of the reviews, you’ll be able to get a better idea of which hosting providers are fraudulent and which ones are legitimate.
Another way to find reviews of free hosting companies is by going to their individual websites. Most of them have a “reviews” section where you can find out more about what others have to say about the hosting service.
Compare Web Hosting Features Before Making a Decision
Before you select a particular web hosting provider, be sure to compare the features offered by various hosting services.
There are some free web hosting companies that provide only a few basic services while others offer a plethora of advanced web hosting features. The more services they provide, the more expensive it is to use them.
Don’t pay for a Free Trial
When looking into free web server hosting providers, you may come across some companies offering a free trial period. We recommend that you avoid these companies because they’re likely going to charge you a fee after a certain period.
For example, you might sign up for a free trial that lasts for 30 days. After that period, you might receive a message indicating that you need to pay a fee to keep using their service.
Read the Fine Print
Most people don’t read the fine print, but you need to be sure that you do if you want to avoid getting ripped off by a free hosting provider. One way to do this is to use a browser plug-in called “Readability” or “Readability-Classic,” which allows you to expand the font size of the text that appears on a website.
This is particularly helpful when reading the terms and conditions of a free web hosting provider because most of them include a lot of fine print.
Watch out for Hidden Costs
In addition to reading the fine print, you also need to watch out for hidden costs. Some free web hosting companies may try to charge you extra fees at the end of the month or year without providing any warning ahead of time.
To prevent this from happening, you can call the hosting provider and ask if you’re going to be charged extra money at the end of the month or year. If you’re unable to get a clear answer from the hosting company, you should find a different provider.
Look for a Refund Policy
You should also find out if the free hosting company has a refund policy. Most hosting providers will offer some guarantees, such as free support, free upgrades, etc.
If they don’t live up to the promises they made, you can ask for a refund. A good hosting provider will offer a reasonable refund policy so that you can cancel your subscription if you’re not happy with their service.
Don’t provide your credit card information
You’ll also want to make sure that you don’t provide your credit card information when you sign up for a free hosting service. Some hosting providers will ask for card information so that they can charge you if the website you create has a large number of visitors.
This is something you don’t want to happen, so don’t give them your credit card information. Instead, pay for your hosting service using a different payment method, such as a money order or cashier’s check.
Don’t Select a Provider-Based Solely on Price
Finally, when you’re looking for a free hosting provider, don’t select a provider based solely on price. While you want to make sure you don’t pay too much, you also don’t want to sign up with a hosting provider that’s going to rip you off.
This is why it’s important to compare the features provided by various free hosting companies before making a decision. After all, a cheap hosting service that provides hardly any features is essentially worthless.
Conclusion
The more research you do, the easier it is to find a free web hosting company that doesn’t try to rip you off. There are many hosting providers that offer a free service, but you need to be careful because many of them try to make money by charging hidden fees or including advertisements on your website.
You can avoid getting ripped off by doing research, reading the fine print, and not providing your credit card information. When you find a free web hosting company, make sure you select one that provides a lot of features. This way, you’ll be able to create a professional-looking website without having to spend a lot of money.
