by Guy Bolt

Created on: October 19, 2010   Last Updated: October 21, 2010

A person or business does not have to pay for a website. There are many online services and web templates that let a person create a very basic free webpage.  The thing to remember about free websites is that you get what you pay for. You probably won’t be able to do that much with a free webpage or website. Most of the unpaid websites will not run e-commerce functions or an online store through them for example.

Indeed all you will be able to do with the average website you get for free is to post some basic information and pictures. You won’t be able to take credit card payments, send out downloads or do anything else that can help you make money.

Uses of Free Websites

There are some things that you could be able to do with a free website. You could use it to promote your ideas or product if allowed. You also might be able to enable links to other paid websites that you have. The free site could be used to drive visitors a paid website or a website that sells products. A free site could be a cheap way of promoting a product such as a book or business, provided that you have a way of getting people to visit it.

A person could also generate some additional revenue by using pay per click software such as a Google Adwords to put adwords on their site. Adwords are phrases that serve as links to other websites that pay a small amount of money when somebody visits them. You might not make much money this way but it can bring in some revenue. If a person could create popular free site this could help generate revenue without spending money.

Types of Free Websites

Blogs: Blogs are basically internet journals where a person records thoughts or commentary. If a person can write content people want to read or buy such content a blog can be a good way to promote a cause or product.

Webpages: These are very basic websites on which pictures and ideas can be posted. There are a number of sites such as www.webs.com that allow people to create webpages.

Sponsored or hosted sites. There are also sites that give people a webpage or website in exchange for allowing ad content. The problem with these sites is a person may have no control over the kinds of ads posted on the site. An individual that doesn’t want adult products or sleazy ads for basic ads for blatant scams posted on their site could be out of luck.

Free Website vs. Cheap Website

If a person is going to be engaged in e-commerce or wants a little more control of their website it might be a good idea to pay for a website. There are many hosting companies that will let a person put up a very website for a small amount of money. These services will provide a person the hosting and even design for a low price. The advantage to these services is that a person can control their site and build in security features and other services a person wants for a low price.

What Type to Choose

Depending on your intentions with the website you need, you should assess if it’s better to get a free host or to pay for website hosting. The downside of free websites is that they can impose certain limits for files uploaded with regard to limited size. Also, free websites come with advertisements which you might want to avoid if you’re selling something yourself.

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