How to get a free website

Posted by Felix Okoli on Sunday May 18, 2014 at 12:56:59:

Everyone wants a website these days. Why not? The internet helps business people reach way more clientele than they could reach without it. There are so many pros of having a website but that’s for another article. Although the cons do not in any way out weigh the pros; they can still be a problem.

One of the factors that challenge new, small SMEs and individuals who are looking to have a website is the financial implications of running and maintaining it. Having a website means you have leased a piece of virtual real estate and just like you pay your rent monthly or yearly (depending on where you live), you have to pay rent on your web space as well.

Firstly, there’s the domain name. This is to your website what your address is to your house. If there is no description to it, your visitors will get lost; maybe wander into a mall for a bottle of coke after searching under the hot scorching sun and just decide to go see someone else. It’s pretty much the same. You need an address before you say “I live here”. In a future article, we will talk about how to make a web address (domain) memorable so your web visitors can easily remember.

Domain names cost anywhere from $2 - $10, depending on who you register with. Next comes the hosting. If you are looking for an apartment to rent, you will need to find a suitable place before you pay for it. So after registering the domain name, you pay your rent. This is known as hosting. This payment is normally made on a yearly basis. This entire process can be a pain to people who do not make a lot of money so as to cross it off as "worthwhile investments". If you are looking for a way to bypass all the expenses, have your own website; basically just have your cake and eat it,

STEPS
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Go to Google and type in "Free web hosts". Thousands of results will come up. Now, the next step would be to pick the right host. Some of these web hosts claim to be “free” but in truth, are not. Take a pen and a pad; write down at least 10 – 20 "free" web hosts. After that, begin a Google search that looks something like this: "keyword" reviews or “keyword” cons (where keyword is the name of the free web host.

Basically, you are looking for a bad review or bad experiences. Some web hosts delete websites or blogs if their policy is breached. It is also noteworthy that not all bad reviews are bad for you, simply weigh the risks and take the decision.

Next, find out how much space they offer. Some of these web hosts only offer a certain amount of space (bandwidth, disk space etc.) so if your traffic or content exceeds what they have offered you, your website or blog will simply go offline and will become inaccessible.

Select one that is easy to sign up with and has a user friendly platform. This is especially important because of your potential visitors.

Find a web company that offers a free domain. Ensure it is truly free and has no strings attached (at least for first year). Redirect your free blog to the free domain and voila! You’re in business! There might be a few technicalities associated with redirected but it’s easy as pie.

Simply search online for: how to redirect “your chosen free web host”.
Truly, there’s almost nothing you can’t do if you harness the power of search engines like Google.