Web hosting these days are dirt cheap, you can buy hosting plans ranging from $1 to $5. Some of the web hosts even offer unlimited domain hosting for very minimal fee.
But should you choose free hosting? For those who are on a tight budget or those who are still new and experimenting what works on their website then free hosting is a very good option.
Why choose free hosting over free websites services? You have more control as you own your own domain name. Most of these free hosting companies offer ads free hosting. So what's the catch you might ask?
Most of these companies offer almost the same features as standard hosting like php and mysql, cpanel, fantastico, email, etc.
But some features might be restricted or not offered in full. Limited bandwidth and disk space, no backups, limited support or no uptime guarantee. So you should check and compare first which which free hosting company offer the best plan that best suit your needs.
In the end, all these companies would want you to switch to their premium hosting plans. Once you are already comfortable and satisfied with their service, chances are you would buy their paid service once the need arises.
My take on this is if you have a hobby or personal website that is just starting and not yet generating any revenue then it's OK to use free hosting. But if your business or website is already earning a substantial income then it is high time you go for paid hosting.
Below is a list of free hosting companies:
000webhost - Free hosting with 99% uptime guarantee, features PHP and MySQL, FTP, etc. Offers ads free hosting. A very popular free hosting provider.
110MB Hosting - Another popular free hosting provider. No ads on your website. PHP, SSI, Shockwave and Flash, etc.
x10 Hosting - Offers ads free hosting with daily backup.
FreeHostia - Large disk space and monthly bandwidth. No ads hosting.
DirectNic - One of the larger domain registration companies. Offers free hosting but supported by ads.
If you are a beginner then creating a website using free hosting is the best way to go. Cost is literally zero or very minimal. Most of these free websites are supported by placing ads on your web pages. You can have fun creating websites for your kids, personal or family use, business, groups, and communities. For business websites, it is highly recommended to have your own domain name.
There are two ways to go about it. The first is to sign-up with companies that offer your own free website under their domain. Ex. www.freehosting.com/yourname These are basically sub-domains, you don't own your domain name.
Here is a list of companies that offer free hosting under their domain name:
Webs - Lots of themes to choose from. Ideal for personal use.
Yola - Ideal for small businesses.
Google Sites - From the largest internet search company comes another great product to help you create your own website.
WetPaint - Great for fan sites.
Wix - Free Website with free Flash Website Builder.
MoonFruit - Fast and clean interface, create beautiful websites in a few clicks.
All of these sites allow you to create your own website fast with easy drop-down, point and click interface. Just type in the text, upload your pictures and voila you have your own website.
The second way to go about it is buying your own domain name and then have your website hosting for free. DirectNic offers this type of service but you would need to buy the domain from them. Your website hosting is free but the catch is you must allow them to host ads on your website.
You can also try 000webhost, they literally offer free hosting with your own domain without placing any ads on your website.
For the second step, you must have some background about HTML.
Creating a website can be simpler than you think. All you need is to learn some basic HTML. A good book that you can read is HTML, XHTML, CSS, Sixth Edition by Elizabeth Castro. You can purchase this at Amazon.
Once you are acquainted on how HTML works, you will need to create your first page or web page. This is the most important as this is the main page that everyone will see to access your site. A text editor is needed to write your HTML codes. Notepad will do but a more powerful editor that is free to download is the Coffee Cup Editor.
The file name for the main page of your website must be named and saved as index.html in order for the server to locate it. I'm assuming that you already know how to write those HTML codes. After which you must find a web hosting company to host your website.
If you are going to use free hosting then there is no need for a domain name. But if you want to have your own virtual real estate then you will need to buy a domain name. You will also need a web hosting company to host your website.
You can buy your domains at DirectNic or GoDaddy. Cheap and reliable web hosting can be found at HostGator.
Next, you will need an FTP program to upload your web pages to the server. You can download the free FTP program called FileZilla.
Once you have uploaded your files to your web host, you will need to point the name server of your domain to the one provided by your web hosting company.
One great thing about having your own website is that you can also make money from it. More of it later.
Hope this post helps you in creating your first website.