Posts Tagged ‘free hosting’
Free Hosting – Who Needs It?
In a general sense hosting is proving people with certain resources. With reference to the Internet it means that the hoster of an Internet server gives resources of the server for keeping and mapping information. Shortly, the hoster gives the chance to place the web site.
Free-of-charge basis, with reference to Internet hosting, means that server resources are given not for money, but “not for money” does not mean “for a song” – the given resources should be fulfilled all the same, having compensated to a hoster his expenses and having justified his expectations. Therefore the matter for both a hoster and a user is getting benefits from the given kind of activity, and ideally both of them have complete mutual satisfaction from such cooperation.
Hoster ’s Expectations
Two main effects which a hoster intends to receive from a free hosting project is an advertising and business development.
Advertising of a hoster and his partners is placed on users’ pages, many Internet resources for beginners are filled with links to free hosting; paid hosting providers produce free resources as “trial samples” of their products, goods, paid hosting and so on.
Business development consists of engaging a magic word “content”. Appearance of perspective content projects from the sites is one of the most tempting prizes which a hoster would like to receive in a lottery from hundreds and thousands of users’ pages.
User’s Expectations
Unsophisticated users, wishing to show themselves to the world via their own Internet site, do not know what to do with all these domains, web servers, traffic, programming languages and other technical things. The only desire they feel is to give up the idea. And here comes salvation in the form of free hosting where everything is ready for using and it is free. The users get a window on the world where they can say about themselves, find partners and adherents for their hobby and for business.
What is in reality?
Hosters
There is no expected dissolve of advertising, as 99 percent of free sites are “dead” pages of the kind like “it is a site about me and my dog” which even their authors do not visit for a long time. But actively visited less than one percent pages physically cannot compensate all expenses for care of this cemetery.
Owners of free hosting either take measures on the projects ennobling, ruthlessly erasing “uninteresting” and seldom visited resources, select web projects before their creation, involving already sophisticated authors, ask for a “symbolical” payment for “free-of-chrageness”, or, simply given up as a bad job, become inspectors of “dead pages” cemeteries.
Many “cemetery inspectors” would be glad to close these projects once and forever, but do not risk to because of fear to damage main business.
Users
If users all the same came to the conclusion that they need their own site, instead of a page on somebody’s resource, actually they have a choice: either to place the project at a “cemetery”, or to prove hosters that their “child” is worthy the best conditions.
In the first case the users should reconcile that, most likely, their page will comprehend a fate of almost all other sites of this hosting. The money spent on the project aim not to develop it but just to keep it alive. That is why there is no hope for a good technical support and quick site work, etc.
In the second case the user should convince the hoster that a created site will be interesting to a great number of visitors, to result convincing arguments in protection of the resource, its originality and usefulness. During this discussion the user can come to a very interesting decision: if the project is so interesting and unique, maybe then it would be great to make it independent. The site independence costs not so much, starting with $5.
What for do we really need free hosting?
Free hosting can be useful in three cases.
First, it is good for creation a trial version of a page, just to see how it will look like, and to decide if you really need a site.
Secondly,a site on free hosting can be used as an anonymous storage (truly speaking, an unreliable one), when it is necessary to transfer some information incognito. Here all depends on requirements and imagination of the creator.
Thirdly, web programmers can use free hosting for giving an Internet project to a customer. If a newly created site works on free hosting it will work everywhere. Having shown the customer a ready working project, it is possible to transfer it simply giving data for log-in to a site, and the customer will receive the project which can be easily transferred on a paid hosting.
What Kind of Hosting Account is Most Suitable For You?
The internet has become, by far, the most efficient and cost effective way to literally reach millions of potential customers from all over the world. In order to have your own website to advertise your business you will need what is called a hosting company. There are 2 basic types of hosting companies, free hosts and paid hosts. But which type is most suitable for you?
Free hosting companies are a great option for every new webmaster. Personally I started with a paid host, then quit because I didn’t understand what to do. Then I went to a free host and was able to take my time and learn at my own pace without the frustration of having to pay for something I didn’t understand. Most free hosting companies will automatically put advertising on your website, but if you look hard enough, you can find those that do not. Also, there is no guarantee of 100% up time. From experience I can say that I had nearly as much down time with my paid hosting account as I did with my free account. Support services on free hosting accounts do exist, but are limited and not available 24/7.
Paid hosting companies are good for webmasters of all levels of experience. Here too you will find different types of services; shared hosting and dedicated hosting. Dedicated hosting is more for big businesses with a huge customer base and a larger expense fund. While shared hosting is more suitable for individuals and smaller companies. Shared hosting is also much less expensive and can be found as low as $1 per month in some cases. With either dedicated or shared hosting you will have much more control over your website. Site support is generally available 24/7 via live chat, support tickets, email, and even telephone in many cases.
Low cost, shared hosting is the best choice for most people. But do not be afraid to try a free hosting company or two first just to get a handle on how things look and work on the other side. I suggest getting set up on a free hosting account until you are comfortable and confident enough to put your money where your mouth is.
Advantages of Using cPanel Web Hosting
When it comes to hosting a website no software makes it as straightforward as cPanel. cPanel web hosting is widely seen as the best hosting solution available at the moment so if you’re planning on setting up a website in the future you should definitely consider paid or free cPanel hosting. Here are a few of the major benefits of using cPanel hosting for your website.
cPanel makes website hosting easy
Because cPanel uses an intuitive graphical interface it’s easy to edit almost all the options that you might need when running a website. For example, if you want create an add-on domain, create a subdomain or just add a new email account then cPanel makes this easy.
cPanel has a large user base
Most of cPanel’s features are relatively easy to use but if you get stuck there are plenty of tutorials available on the internet because of the large user base. While you could always contact your web hosting company if you need help with your hosting the fact that tutorials are readily available for cPanel makes learning much easier.
Fantastico makes creating a website simple
Fantastico is an add-on to cPanel that provides users with an easy way of installing scripts and software onto their web server. For example, if you want to install Wordpress or Joomla to your server Fantastico can do this in just a few clicks. However, some free web hosts don’t provide Fantastico as standard so make sure you know exactly what’s included in the package. Free web hosts such as http://www.host-blaster.com/ do provide free cPanel hosting with Fantastico included though making them a great choice.
Extras You Might Need From a Free Web Hosting Company
If you’re looking to use a free web hosting company then there are some obvious factors that you need to consider such as reliability, server speed and how much space is provided. However, aside from the basics there are some other important features that your website may need so it’s essential to find out whether a free hosting company provides them before making a decision.
1.MySQL databases – If you want to use content management systems such as Drupal or Wordpress then having at least one MySQL database is important. The database is where content management systems store all the information about the website such as post content, comments and titles. If a free hosting company doesn’t provide a database then you may be limited when it comes to software options for your website.
2.Addon Domains – If you only need hosting for a single website then having the option of addon domains isn’t important. However, if you’re planning on running multiple websites then using a free host that supports addon domains will make things a lot easier. Addon domains allow you to direct various domain names to different folders in your hosting account which effectively allows you to host many domains under one account.
3.cPanel – The vast majority of free hosts will provide cPanel but not all do. Free cPanel hosting is essential if you aren’t in expert when it comes to running a web server as it provides you with a graphical way of editing all the server options.
How to Choose Free Hosting
If you’ve decided to use free hosting instead of a paid option then the next thing you need to do is start looking for the right host. While there are many similarities between choosing a free host and a paid one there are also some differences which will be discussed in this article.
In the past, one of the biggest problems with free hosting plans is that they had large amounts of downtime. Today, many free hosts are more reliable which means that your website will be up and running most of the time. However, it’s still important to find out what the average downtime is for a web host before you decide to use them for your website.
The next thing you need to look at is which kind of advertisements the host will use on your site. Free hosting companies make their money by displaying adverts on the sites they host and it’s important to pick a company that doesn’t overload your site with irrelevant adverts. If the host uses multiple pop-ups then it may be best to consider a different company because this will put off the majority of your visitors.
Finally, if you’ve never created a website before then you need to find out which tools a web host provides to make the process easier. For example, some free web hosting companies have templates available to use on your website. Some hosts may offer free cPanel hosting that comes with Fantastico to allow you to install website software without requiring any technical knowledge. An example of a free cPanel hosting company is http://www.host-blaster.com/.
Important Factors When Choosing a Web Host
Whether you’re buying web hosting or have chosen to use one of the many free services available the primary goal is still the same – to find a host that will provide you with a high quality service. This article will take you through some of the more important considerations that you must factor into your decision when choosing a web host.
Speed and Reliability
There’s nothing more frustrating as a website owner to find that your website is frequently unavailable to your visitors because of poor quality web hosting servers. Whether you choose free web hosting or not you need to ensure that the host can guarantee a certain level of uptime. You also need to make sure that their servers are fast enough to cope with the number of websites they host because the vast majority of hosts provide shared hosting plans.
Security
No matter what your website is about the security features of the web hosting you choose are important. However, if you run an eCommerce website then security becomes a vital factor in your decision.
Space and Bandwidth
Many free cPanel web hosts will claim to provide you with unlimited bandwidth for your websites. However, you also need to look at the space they provide for your sites files and databases. Most small websites will not need more than a few hundred megabytes but whether you will require more is something that depends on the size and complexity of your site. Image and video files will use up hosting space quickly so if you plan on using many of these then having a lot of space available becomes important. For example, http://www.host-blaster.com/ provides you with 15GB of space which should be more than enough for all but the largest websites.
What is CPanel Hosting?
In the past, hosting a website was difficult and required specific technical knowledge. Today however, hosting a website is easier than ever before and that’s largely due to the popularity of cPanel. cPanel web hosting provides users with a graphical way of accessing and editing their website servers to suit their own needs which makes running a website much simpler.
The cPanel software was originally developed for a specific web host but after the company merged with another work began on cPanel 3 which was released to other hosting companies. The software is built in such a way that it provides an easy to use graphical interface for users but still comes with command line access to allow developers to expand it to suit their user’s requirements.
cPanel has a wide range of features that are always expanding with each new release. For example, you can use it to easily access MySQL databases and manage email addresses for your hosted domains.
One of the best features of cPanel is that it allows users to access their websites control panel through a web browser. This means that no matter where you are in the world as long as you have an internet connection you have an interface with your web hosting server.
Because cPanel makes hosting a server so straightforward it’s opened the door to anyone who wants to create and run a website. However, unless you have your own UNIX server you still need to buy web hosting or find a free provider. The good news is that there are plenty of free cPanel hosting companies available. For example http://www.host-blaster.com/ provide cPanel hosting for free.
cPanel and Fantastico FAQ
cPanel can make your life a lot easier when running websites because of its easy to use interface. However, if you have no experience setting up a website then using FTP programs to upload files, creating MySQL databases and running installation scripts can be a daunting prospect. This is where Fantastico is so useful because it allows you to install hundreds of different scripts to your web server through cPanel.
Which scripts are supported?
Hundreds of scripts covering a wide range of different functions are supported. For example, if you want to build a website using a content management system then popular options such as Drupal and Joomla are supported which makes the process of creating a website much simpler. If you want to build a blog then Wordpress is also included. Fantastico isn’t just for building websites though but also for adding to them. For example, you can install guestbooks or discussion boards using the software.
How difficult is it to use?
Because Fantastico uploads the script, creates all the required databases and then installs the software for you it’s extremely simple to use. All you need to do is select the script you want to install and enter a few details; the rest is done for you automatically. Remember that many of the scripts will require their own MySQL database so it’s important to know how many you have available before installing.
Do all cPanel hosts provide Fantastico?
Not all hosts provide Fantastico as standard so this is something you need to find out before choosing a host. Free cPanel hosting is less likely to provide Fantastico although some do such.
How Free Web Hosts Work
Using a free web hosting service can be a tempting proposition for anyone creating a new website. Whether you’re building a personal blog or an ecommerce website one of the things that may be holding you back is the start-up cost. While the price of web hosting in general has come down over the years there are plenty of free hosting options available that may be right for you.
However, people are naturally suspicious of anything that seems too good to be true and free website hosting is no exception. For this reason it’s important to know how free hosting companies work in order to understand how they can offer these deals.
It goes without saying that free web hosting companies make money too – they aren’t charitable organisations – but they have a different way of doing so. Instead of charging on a monthly basis most free hosts will require you to display adverts on your website. Whenever one of your visitors clicks on one of these ads the web host has a chance of making money.
In many cases free website hosting companies will also have a paid option that removes all adverts from your website. Many customers who use the free services will go on to become paying customers when their website expands. A lot of free site hosting companies also provide an incentive to any of their users who refer their friends and family which allows them to grow quickly and without much effort.
Free hosting companies provide new website owners with a way to get their site up and running without having to worry about the cost of hosting. Free web hosts have become more advanced in recent years and now offer services comparable to paid hosts.
Free Web Hosting – Advantages and Disadvantages That You Must Know
Web hosting is not hard to get but knowing which one can sometimes be aggravating, especially if you are new to the internet, because, of course, they all claim to be the best. Free web hosting is possible but may not always be the best decision. Let’s look at the advantages:
1. It’s free. Moneywise anyway.
2. You can learn the basics of web hosting.
The disadvantages are:
1. May cost you in other ways such as:
(a) Time. You may end up wasting more time trying to find a good host.
(b) Some free hosting have restrictions.
(c) Some may even modify your web page.
(d) Some will charge for other things, such as domain names. However, that is not always a downfall. That just depends on how much you are willing to spend.
2. Are usually not very reliable. They may be here today and gone tomorrow. You can never to sure.
Web hosting may not be the most important decision to make in a business, but it is important. You want to find a good, reliable host that will do everything you need. You do not want to have to worry whether or not it will be running tomorrow or not. You definitely do not want your website to be down just because of such a simple thing as choosing the right web host.
The best way to choose a web host is to see what each one offers that will suite your individual needs. It does not take that long to figure out if a certain host will be beneficial to you. You can quickly eliminate the ones that do not meet your expectations. If you take your time, you will find a host that will be right for you and your business. It is just a matter of what you need and what they offer.