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Web Hosting: - Free versus Paid

In order for your website to be viewed by people searching the World Wide Web, it must be hosted on a server that is connected to the Internet. There are many choices in hosting that all have there advantages and disadvantages. We can help you to decide on what is the best option to suit your needs.

We would like to start off with letting you know that if you choose WebCrosser Designs to build your website, or renovate a current website, we do not require you to use our hosting service. That is an extra service that we provide, although it is your better choice in the long run, it is not mandatory.

The main advantage to hosting with us is we generally do not charge for minor text updating and graphical changes, the only time we will charge for extra updating is when there is an imposing amount of information and/or graphical changes that affect the look and navigation of the website.

Another advantage is that should any problems arise, you will be able to contact us and have any problems looked into, and solutions provided much quicker than with other web hosting providers. If problems should arise with another webhoster, it will be your responsibility to have the problems rectified.

Hosting Options (Note: Purchasing a Domain Name will alleviate some disadvantages - more information on the Domain Names page.)


Free Webspace from your Internet Service Provider (Shaw, Telus)
or Free Webspace Providers (Angelfire, GeoCities)

Free web hosting is very tempting to the new website/business owner due to budget constraints. What you may not realize is using free web hosting is detrimental to your website/business.

Question: How do you think the company offering free web hosting stays in business?
Answer: Advertising.
That's right. If you host your website at a free web hosting service they will insert advertising. You will have no control over what ads are shown on the website, would you want to chance a competitor's website ad being shown on your business website, or an ad that might be offensive to your website visitors? Most likely not.

Put on your web surfer hat for a moment. When you are searching for something on the net, what websites have you found that are using free web hosting services that you would trust to make a purchase from? Why not? What impression did you have of the business? Did you question the quality of the product? Were you put off by all the ads and pop ups that appeared? Most likely you did not even find a website from a free hosting service worth visiting on a search engine because generally they do not rank high in the search listings if at all.

Internet service providers sometimes provide web space with your internet service package. This is fine for a friends and family website but if you are using it for a hobby that will eventually turn into a business (you never know, it just might!) then this will create problems for you later (explainations below) because you are going to have to start from scratch when you move to paid web hosting.

Whether you are using a free web hosting service or the web space provided with your internet service there will be problems associated with this decision.
  • Website Address
    A website hosted at a free web hosting site or at your internet service provider will tend to have a really long URL (website address). Your URL will include the company's URL. Example: At GeoCities the website address would be http://www.geocities.com/yourfoldername and your ISP like Shaw would be http://members.shaw.ca/yourfoldername. A business domain name should be something easy to remember. Wouldn't www.yourdomainname.com be easier for people to remember than the examples above?
  • Search Engines
    Some search engines have a policy that they do not show websites using free web hosting in their search results. The ads that the free web hosting inserts into the website could impede the search engines robot from viewing your website through incorrect coding that hangs the robot up. As well, they limit the number of pages that a top level domain can have indexed, just imagine how many personal pages there would be on Shaw or GeoCities, your page would most likely never be indexed on a search engine.
  • Error Pages
    With quality paid web hosting you can create custom error pages for when there is a website problem. With free hosting the visitor will see the web host's error page and be totally lost.
  • Website Design
    When the free hosting company inserts ads it could damage your website design or take the visitor's attention away from your website. If you use any of the features or designs provided by the free hosting service/your internet service provider you cannot take them with you! Look at the terms and conditions for the service. Somewhere it will say that you cannot use their designs and/or features elsewhere.
  • Moving to Paid Web Hosting
    If you start off with free web hosting either through a free service or at your internet service provider and then decide to move to a business domain name you are going to have to start from scratch as far as getting listed in the search engines. When a website is moved from free web hosting you will not be able to implement the proper techniques to tell the search engines your website has moved. You are going to have to start from scratch to get the new website location listed in the search engines again (if it was indexed to start with).
  • Using a Domain Name
    If you use our Domain Name forwarding or aliasing service, this would alleviate the problem URL's with free hosters, and your ISP, but this also does not guarantee that your site will be indexed into the search engines as the search robot will be confused by the Domain Name bouncing from server to server trying to locate the actual page.

Paid Webhosting with Domain Name

Once you secure your domain name, you are ready to have a quality website and web hosting:
  • Your website address will be shorter and easier to remember than the one from a free web hosting web space.
  • You will have more control over your web space.
  • You will have control over your website's appearance.
  • Your business will appear professional and credible.
  • If you decide to change web hosting companies there is no problem with the search engines.
  • You will be able to create custom error pages for those times when there is a website problem. The error pages can contain information for the visitor to help them find their way.
  • You can move your website to any web hosting company you wish without affecting search engine listings.
  • Detailed website statistics would be available through our Domain Name hosting.
There are definitely more disadvantages than advantages when it comes to using free webspace for your hosting needs.

WebCrosser Designs would like to be your webhosting provider and the advantages far outweigh the costs involved in having a truly successful website.
One main advantage of hosting with WebCrosser Designs is that website updates are usually free, depending on the severity of course, but more often than not, included with webhosting.
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