10 Reasons Why Free Websites Are Not a Good Choice
Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2025 5:40 am
10 Reasons Why Free Websites Are Not a Good Choice
Despite the title of this post, free websites absolutely have their place. Passionate bloggers and even professionals who want to create their digital portfolios can make excellent use of these free platforms. However, if you want a site that can grow with your business or brand, opting for the quick and cheap solution can lead to terrible results.
In this article, we will look at the disadvantages of free websites and why you should avoid them.
Let's get started!
A Brief Introduction to Free Website Services
Before we proceed, let's take a moment to define what we israel phone number data when we refer to “ create a free website ”: it is any site created using a platform that provides free hosting , including (but not limited to):
WordPress.com Free Plan
Free plans from popular website builders like Wix and Weebly
Self-hosted WordPress installed on a free host like 000webHost
We are not talking about self-hosted WordPress (which is free) installed on a paid hosting plan or a website that uses a domain registered for free as part of that service. Since you are paying for something in these packages, they are not free services (even if parts of them are).
With that out of the way, let’s look at why these solutions can be harmful to some websites.
10 Reasons Why Free Websites Are Not The Right Choice
As we have already said, free websites are not bad for everyone. If you find that none of the following points are a major concern for you, you may be able to make good use of these low-cost services.
However, it is best to know what you are getting into before you do so. Here are some of the main reasons why free platforms tend to create poor websites.
1. They might not actually be free
For starters, you might sign up for a crappy service that isn’t even free. Some platforms, for example, promote their trial periods by making you believe you’ll get a site for free.
In fact, you may have to leave your credit card details or lose access after the trial period ends. Worse, if you provided your payment information during the registration process, the provider may charge you without warning.
Another potential problem is hidden costs. For example, you may have to pay higher than usual fees for services like website transfers, image hosting, professional email addresses, and other advanced features. In short, make sure you read all the fine print before you settle on an offer that seems appealing.
2. Free websites typically have poor performance and scalability
The most obvious problem that usually arises with free websites is poor performance. Pages tend to be slow to load, which can hurt user experience (UX) and search engine optimization (SEO).
This is partly due to limited hosting resources. In addition to preventing your site from loading quickly, this can also make it difficult to scale your site. Bandwidth and content storage space will limit the amount of content you can publish.
3. You probably won't be able to use a custom domain
Another big disadvantage of free websites is that your site will have a branded domain, such as yoursite.wordpress.com. This is unprofessional, confusing to visitors, and not good for your brand.
Most platforms offer custom domains as a paid add-on. However, you can usually purchase one for a similar or lower price from a domain registrar and pair it with low-cost hosting for better performance.
4. Your provider may place ads on your site and limit your monetization opportunities
It is common for free website providers to place ads for their services on users' websites. This is a problem because the ads discourage visitors who may leave the site.
You might be willing to put up with this if you get a cut of the revenue these ads generate, but you don’t. In fact, most providers prevent you from running your own ads and may even have restrictions on your ability to monetize your site.
If your primary goal in starting a website is to monetize, it is definitely better to pay to launch it. This will give you complete (or at least more) control over your content and the ability to scale your site over time.
Despite the title of this post, free websites absolutely have their place. Passionate bloggers and even professionals who want to create their digital portfolios can make excellent use of these free platforms. However, if you want a site that can grow with your business or brand, opting for the quick and cheap solution can lead to terrible results.
In this article, we will look at the disadvantages of free websites and why you should avoid them.
Let's get started!
A Brief Introduction to Free Website Services
Before we proceed, let's take a moment to define what we israel phone number data when we refer to “ create a free website ”: it is any site created using a platform that provides free hosting , including (but not limited to):
WordPress.com Free Plan
Free plans from popular website builders like Wix and Weebly
Self-hosted WordPress installed on a free host like 000webHost
We are not talking about self-hosted WordPress (which is free) installed on a paid hosting plan or a website that uses a domain registered for free as part of that service. Since you are paying for something in these packages, they are not free services (even if parts of them are).
With that out of the way, let’s look at why these solutions can be harmful to some websites.
10 Reasons Why Free Websites Are Not The Right Choice
As we have already said, free websites are not bad for everyone. If you find that none of the following points are a major concern for you, you may be able to make good use of these low-cost services.
However, it is best to know what you are getting into before you do so. Here are some of the main reasons why free platforms tend to create poor websites.
1. They might not actually be free
For starters, you might sign up for a crappy service that isn’t even free. Some platforms, for example, promote their trial periods by making you believe you’ll get a site for free.
In fact, you may have to leave your credit card details or lose access after the trial period ends. Worse, if you provided your payment information during the registration process, the provider may charge you without warning.
Another potential problem is hidden costs. For example, you may have to pay higher than usual fees for services like website transfers, image hosting, professional email addresses, and other advanced features. In short, make sure you read all the fine print before you settle on an offer that seems appealing.
2. Free websites typically have poor performance and scalability
The most obvious problem that usually arises with free websites is poor performance. Pages tend to be slow to load, which can hurt user experience (UX) and search engine optimization (SEO).
This is partly due to limited hosting resources. In addition to preventing your site from loading quickly, this can also make it difficult to scale your site. Bandwidth and content storage space will limit the amount of content you can publish.
3. You probably won't be able to use a custom domain
Another big disadvantage of free websites is that your site will have a branded domain, such as yoursite.wordpress.com. This is unprofessional, confusing to visitors, and not good for your brand.
Most platforms offer custom domains as a paid add-on. However, you can usually purchase one for a similar or lower price from a domain registrar and pair it with low-cost hosting for better performance.
4. Your provider may place ads on your site and limit your monetization opportunities
It is common for free website providers to place ads for their services on users' websites. This is a problem because the ads discourage visitors who may leave the site.
You might be willing to put up with this if you get a cut of the revenue these ads generate, but you don’t. In fact, most providers prevent you from running your own ads and may even have restrictions on your ability to monetize your site.
If your primary goal in starting a website is to monetize, it is definitely better to pay to launch it. This will give you complete (or at least more) control over your content and the ability to scale your site over time.