Have you wondered if free web hosting is any good? More importantly, is it a viable option for someone who wants to set up an online business presence without a significant cash commitment?. It may be but only if you take the time to understand what it will and will not provide.

Free web hosting usually comes with significantly limited capacity and services. And while free web hosts may not charge you anything for hosting your web site, they still have to generate revenue to stay in business.

The Price of Free

The way most of them do this (there are exceptions as youll see below) is by inserting paid ads on your web site. And since you wont be able to control what kind of ads are posted on your site, theres a good chance youll have ads from competitors (if youre trying to run a business) or ads that may not be on a topic you want to be associated with. Unfortunately, that's often the price youll pay for "free" web hosting.

To limit the amount of resources you can use, free web hosting plans come with very limited disk space and bandwidth and may even impose restrictions on the types of content you can upload to your site. For example, you may not be allowed to sell anything on your web site.

What do you really want to do?

If you intend to start a business on the cheap then this obviously isnt going to be satisfactory. Some free web hosting plans prevent you from uploading videos or music files because they take up a lot of storage space and use a great deal of bandwidth when your visitors try to access them.

The Big Risk

Finally, and of greatest concern, is that you may wake up one day and find that your web site has simply vanished without warning. Companies that provide free web hosting pop up practically every day, but they also disappear with alarming regularity.

So if you plan on putting any real effort into developing a web site for personal or business use, you'll be better served by selecting an established, reliable web host.

Professional Image

There are a number of companies that provide free web hosting, under your own unique domain name (not a subdomain under them). All you have to do register your domain through them and pay the annual renewal fee of around $15-25. This way youll be able to have free hosting under your own domain and the credibility that comes with it.

The Bottom Line

You should look for a free hosting provider that provides a simple upgrade path. This way you can can enjoy free web hosting now and have your own unique domain name (plus the credibility it brings) for nothing more than the cost of a domain registration fee. You should later be able to upgrade with no disruption when and if you decide youre ready to move up to a paid plan.

Anthony Hamill is the founder of http://www.Web-Host-Watch.Com which is devoted to helping new webmasters learn the basics of web hosting. It provides tutorials, tips on avoiding common mistakes, a glossary of web hosting terms, and a list of Top Web Hosts.