Why Move
Generally, most personal sites start on a free host, After some time, you may notice free hosts no longer fit your needs. Commonly, free plans offer too little bandwidth and space for growing sites. Other needs which free hosts may not fill are script support, tech support, direct linking, MySQL/databases, FTP and backing up.
Another reason one may want to move hosts it because one's URL is too long to remember of because it is not appealing. One has less choice in the appearance of one's URL when one uses free hosting. Generally, one's URL contains the URL of the free host and it just a subdomain or directory off of that location. This can seem impersonal or take away from the effectiveness of a creative name. Having a domain name which is one's own can give one leverage on the world wide web.
Paid Options
Alternatively, one may move to a paid host or upgrade with their current host to a paid plan. This solves most issues: space, bandwidth, tech support, FTP, script support, et cetera. Gemerally, however, one's site will still be located on the host's domain and this does not improve the appeal of the URL.
Domains
To solve the URL issue, one might purchase a domain. The decision to own a domain should be given some thought and one should consider some questions:
- Do I need it?
- Can I afford it?
- Why do I want it?
- Will I be able to make the transition slowly?
- Will I lose hits?
- Is my site good enough for a domain?
- Which company will I go through?
- How much am I willing to spend?
- What name Would I like?
When one decides to buy a domain, one must keep in mind that domain names are often purchased separately from hosting. This means that one can purchase a domain from a registrar and still not have a site on the internet. It's necessary to also have hosting and point the domain to the DNS servers of the host. Of course, many hosting plans include domains; some are even free! It's best to clarify this beforehand, though.
Getting Hosted
In the world of personal websites, one alternative to free hosting is especially popular: getting hosted. Getting hosted is a term which means one's site is hosted on another personal domain, for free, often by a friend or acquaintance though one may not know the domain owner well or at all. It's not uncommon for those who have extra resources to advertise hosting on their sites.
Getting hosted is similar to free hosts in that one's site will be on someone else's domain; it differs in that the domain is generally owned by a person, not a company and depending upon the host's resources and the terms of hosting, one will have more resources available.
Because, ultimately, someone is paying for the domain and hosting - the domain owner - owners can choose to accept or deny anyone for hosting for any reason. When looking for these type of hosts, one will generally need to supply examples of work to prove 'worthiness.' One may apply for hosting dozens of times before someone accepts the application.
This method can be a good way to become accustomed to working with what domains and paid hosting have to offer without having to deal with the financial aspect and other responsibilities. For some, getting hosted is a stepping stone between free hosts and purchasing a domain; for others, it can be a more permanent home.
However, getting hosted can be slightly less dependable because the domain will only exist as long as the owner wants it and the owner can choose to shut it down at any time. Since one is not paying for the hosting and there is no legal agreement, one simply must find a new host and move one's site. This is why getting to know one's host and making sure he or she is dependable and trustworthy is a good idea.
Finding a Host
If one is interested in getting hosted, there are several websites and communities which offer match making services for potential hosts and the people they hosts - hostees. Try one of these:
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