What is better than free web hosting?

I recently talked to a friend about different things and we talked about web hosting, too. She mentioned that she had signed up for free web hosting and how great it was. Ok, she was a little annoyed about the ads displayed on her website (some actually weren’t really a good match for her audience), but overall she said it was fine. I went a little deeper with my questions and also raised a few flags with her.

What happens if your web host decides to shutdown (like even Yahoo did with their free Geocities web hosting service)?
2) How much control did she really have about her content?
3) If the ads are bothersome, why really bother and risk your reputation?

Her answers were something like “Hm, I never thought about this that way” and “That would not be good!”. But I did not really want to worry her about her website and the hosting. She was so proud of what she had accomplished. So, I also offered a light at the end of the tunnel (so to speak). I asked her much she was really committed to this website and she said “100%”. Then I talked about what I do with web hosting, how many websites I have and which hosts I like and I asked her if she would be willing to look at a recommendation (just looking).

So, I mentioned IX Web Hosting to her. I explained what they had to offer and that she would get a free domain name registration with IX Web Hosting. I talked about the control panel and the support and of course I explained prices and plans to her. The main thing I pointed out to her was the fact that if she would prepay for a longer term (not a contract) that she could bring down the monthly cost of web hosting her website to less than $4.00 and that she could save an additional 10% by using the web hosting coupon for the IX Web Hosting Expert Plan. The least I can say at this moment – she had some homework to do.

We switched topics and had a few more drinks and then left. However, I could tell by the look of her face that she was doing a lot of thinking and calculating things out at the same time. I think it really struck her when she realized that free web hosting is actually not that great really.

If you are in the same boat with free web hosting, consider prepaying for web hosting and to get a really low monthly price in return. You will also get a free domain name and tons of features and of course solid support from the web host. That is much better than free web hosting and it comes down to that you can compare it against the price for a cup of coffee per month.