Cheap Web Hosting Services in Columbus Ohio
Free web hosting is the most common choice of new e-commerce entrepreneurs who want a cheap web hosting package. However, the cheapest does not mean the best. Thus, it is important to understand what you are missing in availing free web hosting. You may opt for cheap web hosting services in Columbus Ohio that can offer better packages, instead.
Cheap web hosting in Columbus Ohio provides the most basic features that a website needs. Though you can’t expect the complex and advanced IT services like what managed web hosting services offer, it can offer services that are not at the mercy of the web host. You get the assurance that your web host will not take down your site anytime.
There are more differences between free web hosting and cheap web hosting services in Columbus Ohio. However, we can focus on the most obvious reason that people choose free web hosting: cost savings.
Cheap Web Hosting Services Vs Free Web Hosting
Cost is the feature that we need to initially compare to establish the fact that free web hosting is not cost efficient compared to cheap web hosting services in Columbus Ohio. The monthly subscription cost for free web hosting is zero. On the other hand, cheap web hosting services in Columbus Ohio are available for a monthly subscription that ranges from $5 to $15 per month. That is not really expensive, especially if you are earning from your site. However, zero cost definitely looks like a lot of savings for your website.
What most people don’t know is that you are actually paying the web host thru different means. Thus, it is not really different from cheap web hosting services in Columbus Ohio. How is that possible? Let’s talk about the most notable and annoying feature of free web hosting: advertisements.
Free Web Hosting Is Not Really Free
Free web hosting usually compels the website owner to display advertisements. You won’t have any control over the kind of advertisement that they will require from your site. So, it may affect the branding of your website, your service, or your product. Why do they require these advertisements? How come advertisements in cheap web hosting services in Columbus Ohio are optional?
Businesses pay for advertising, and so your web host will earn from these advertisements. It could be a direct agreement on the part of the business and your web host, or advertising pay thru different advertising tools like Google Adsense. The earnings from advertisements are enough to sustain the basic computing resources that your web host provides. What sustains cheap web hosting services in Columbus Ohio are the subscription fees, that is why ads are optional.
How You Actually Pay for a Free Web Hosting Service?
When I said that you are actually paying for the free web hosting service, that is through advertisements as well. Ads pay depending on the website traffic, the number of clicks, and the exposure you bring for their business. Since you are providing content that generates traffic, you are providing service for your web host. Thus, free web hosting is not paid thru subscription, but thru service. If you avail cheap web hosting services in Columbus Ohio, you can earn from advertisements. You might even cover the monthly subscription when you earn. So, which service could really be free?
What You Really Pay For
We have already established that you still pay for services even if you avail free web hosting over cheap web hosting services in Columbus Ohio. Now let’s talk about what you are really paying for both services.
Shared Environment
Both free web hosting and cheap web hosting services in Columbus Ohio use the shared environment to cut the cost of resources. A shared environment allows several websites shared the resources in one server. Resources are expensive, thus the distribution of the cost among websites is a practical way of reducing the expenses in web hosting.
However, a shared environment has several setbacks. One of which is the bad neighbor effect. In this situation, a dominant website can consume too many resources of the shared server during sudden spikes of traffic. Whatever is left would be divided among the other servers. That would no longer be sufficient. Insufficient resources can lead to poor website performance, or worse, a downtime.
Domain
Cheap web hosting services in Columbus Ohio provide your own domain. This is why you can customize your website’s URL and email. Unlike with free web hosting, you are simply provided a subdomain under the web host’s domain. This is why your website URL will bear the name of your web hosting company. Nothing is personalized for free web hosting. However, the bigger risk in using a subdomain is the unsecured hosting. If the domain goes down, your website goes down with it. If the web host decides to shut down their service, they can. That is a setback that any business website could suffer from in availing free web hosting service. It is better to pay for cheap web hosting services in Columbus Ohio done give up security and business branding.
