Web Hosting FAQ 5

How can hosts make money offering high transfer limits for low prices?

They count on the fact that the majority of sites won't use anywhere close to the full amount of transfer available. This overselling is usually a valid assumption and it is done in many other businesses (ex. airlines).

Are there any extra costs involved in hosting a secure site?

Yes, you'll need to get a digital certificate from a Certificate Authority such as VeriSign, Thawte, or Equifax Secure.

Should I worry that my host is a reseller?

Probably not. It is quite possible to get better support or prices from a reseller than from a base company. Resellers are usually smaller companies and since they don't own the server, sometimes they have to wait for the parent company to perform some tasks.

Should I go with a big or small hosting company?

This depends on your preferences. Large companies might be considered to have better chances of staying in business for a long time and may be able to negotiate better deals for their customers, but small hosts are usually cheaper, provide better support for individuals and small businesses, and are quicker to offer new features.

Are there any advantages to getting a domain name with Network Solutions instead of a cheaper company?

I don't want my site to be down. Ever. What host should I use?

No host can provide 100% uptime. We monitor uptime for many hosts and you could use this data as a guide but even the biggest and best multi-million dollar sites go down from time to time due to various unforeseen circumstances. The best you can find is an uptime guarantee, where the host offers refunds for downtime.

Can I reduce the amount of data transfer my site needs?

Usually yes. Try to optimize all the graphics on your site. Many GIFs don't look noticeably worse with fewer colors. Don't duplicate graphics files, let the browser cache them. Try to clean up your HTML by using relative paths, short filenames, less extras, and reducing the number of spaces and new lines. If your site is mainly text-based, ask your host about using an HTTP compression module like mod_gzip.

What are "free webspace and free web hosting providers"?

These are online web hosting companies who offer to host your website on their web server at no cost to you (you pay no money). The free webpage hosting servers usually have several drawbacks over paid hosting servers (see next question), but they are especially great for beginner webmasters (newbies) to learn, for those who can't afford paid web hosting, for developing and testing PHP scripts in different webhosting server settings, or possibly even for "doorway pages" to your other web sites (always check the free web space provider's Terms of Service [TOS] first).

Why are these website hosting services free?

Most of these "free" services make profit from hosting your website, either by: (1) placing banner ads on your free web pages, (2) placing banner ads on the administration pages which you use to upload files and other website maintenance, or (3) by sending you email from advertisers. This is to your benefit in a way, since if they make money, they will probably continue to offer the "free" web space. The more traffic your website gets, the more their banners are viewed and the more money they make. (4) Some websites offer free hosting in hopes visitors to your website will visit the homepage of the URL you are given. (5) Many recent free web page hosting sites require forum posting, which gives their website free content. (6) Several commercial hosting services offer free webhosting in hopes you will want to upgrade to their paid hosting. These are often unreliable, as they usually end up ceasing their free service. (7) A few free web site hosts are run as hobbies by the owner, and are the least reliable. (8) There are several services, such as Community Architect, which allow websites to offer cobranded free webhosting at no charge to the cohost (cobranded host). These are not recommended, as your website will then depend on at least two services continuing their free service.

What are the best free website providers?

That depends a lot on the webhosting needs of your free web site (do you need CGI, PHP, ASP, SSI, unlimited bandwidth, domain hosting, FrontPage server extensions, large file sizes, FTP upload, ecommerce with SSL, free cpanel hosting, etc.). If you serious about having a website, buying your own domain name is recommended. Look for a free web hosting service which has been in business a long time, and is making profit. See our web page listing free web hosting ratings (based on user reviews and voting), and our list of best free web hosts.

How do I search for free web hosts which meet my needs?

If you know exactly what services you need, the best method is the advanced free web hosting search - choose only the features you need, click on the "search" button, and the free web space hosts meeting those requirements are returned. The simple search is best if you are looking for a particular free website provider, or a feature not listed in the advanced search. You can also browse the full list of unique free webspace providers. If web hosting features aren't as important as the URL name you will use, also check out the cobranded hosts, such as Community Architect, which aren't listed in the searchable database using the default settings. There is a separate section for a list of free image hosting and free file hosting service providers.

Where do I find what these webhosting words and terms mean?

See our webhosting terms and definitions page.

How do I add new free hosting services to this website?

Just go to our contact page and submit the URL, and preferably as much info as possible about it. We always double-check the information, but it makes the process faster.

Do I need a UNIX or Windows platform?

The choice between a Unix or Windows platform will depend on your personal needs, Unix is the most common platform providing excellent security and a wide range of features. If you need a Windows specific feature such as ASP (see below) or are going to be using an Access database then a Windows platform would be needed.

Do I need FrontPage extensions?

If you intend to use MS Front-page to manage your WebPages and you use any front-page components (such as the hit counter) then you will need this feature.

What is ASP and do I need it?

ASP (Active Server Pages) is a feature similar to CGI that allows dynamic web pages to be generated utilizing Active X scripting. ASP is ideal for people who want to use Visual basic or Jscript scripting languages to enhance their web sites.

How much web space do I need?

The amount of web space is how much physical space you need to store your web pages and images. If the site is going to be less than say 200 pages then 50Mb will be ample as the average web page should be between 2Kb and 50Kb, so this would leave plenty of room for any images you want to use (200 times 50Kb is around 10Mb), if you intend to be using a large database or storing lots of pages/images then you will need more space.
Hosting companies are flexible and will allow you to increase your web space as your web site grows.