“Free” is such an appealing word. Most novices who want to build their first website fall into the trap of free web services. Free web hosting is arguably the most tempting of all. And if it also offers free SSL Certificates it sounds too good to be true. Inexperienced beginners might think they’ve found a great deal when in fact they’ve entered a losing game.
As in any field of life, with free web hosting, you get what you pay for! If you are serious about your website and value your time and effort, here’s why you should avoid free web hosting providers offering free SSL Certificates at all costs:
1. Limited bandwidth and low disk space
Bandwidth is the volume of data transferred from a server to the user’s browser. It costs money. For instance, a larger bandwidth can move a video file much faster than a lower bandwidth. Free web hosts offer limited bandwidth. They also host all the websites on the same server and hard disks. They can’t afford powerful resources, so you’re bound to get limited space to store your data. That’s another obstacle to your website’s growth.
2. Limited design and site-building choices
Real web hosting companies offer tons of building tools, wizards, automatic installs, and free CMS platforms. With a free host, you’re missing out on all these perks. Building your website becomes much harder, but its appearance remains unprofessional.
3. Extremely slow speed
No matter how much effort you put into your website, slow loading pages keep the visitors away from your website. It also has a negative impact on SEO. Due to being hosted on a shared server, free hosting will never be able to reach the required speed heights.
4. Annoying ads on your website
Advertising is often the only source of income for free web hosting companies. They need to cover their operational costs and, eventually earn a nice profit. That’s why they will shamelessly place intrusive and irrelevant ads on your website.
5. Big security vulnerabilities
Free web hosting providers have neither financial resources nor the necessary expertise to fight continuous cyber-threats. Hackers rub their hands when it comes to free websites. If your site gets hacked, recovering it or clearing it of malware will be a difficult, if not an impossible task.
6. Malware distribution
Free website services are known for being involved in shady practices such as malware injection. Whether they’re doing it for monetary gains, or other mischievous reasons, your website is a sure victim.
7. Lack of credibility
Websites hosted on free hosting domains look cheap and unprofessional. You can’t build your online authority with URLs like mywebsite.freehosting.com. Both online users and Google will flag such websites as insecure and unreliable.
8. No money-making options
Have you ever thought of monetizing your website in the future? You’ve seen thousands of folks doing it, and want to join them? Well, you won’t earn a penny unless you host your website with a proper company. With free hosting, you won’t be able to build e-mail lists, advertise or accept payments.
9. Inability to install and control a paid SSL Certificate
All SSL Certificates issued by reputable Certificate Authorities aren’t compatible with free hosting websites. If you want to manage your secure connection, you need a paid hosting account. Free SSL Certificates have validation and hosting limitations. As a result, your website and business flourish.
10. Nonexistent or very poor support
When something goes wrong with your free web hosting and free SSL certificates, you better figure it out by yourself, because waiting for professional help is a total waste of time. Free web hosts don’t have the personnel to assist you 24/7. The email exchange is the best you can hope for.
11. They can vanish anytime without a notice
One morning you can find that your website has gone forever. All your hard work, your content, files, and data can disappear in an instant, just because the hosting company has decided to close their business. But that’s not all, you won’t be able to do anything about it because the provider’s terms and conditions allow them legally to do so.
