You might like…<\/h4>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/shared-150x150.png\")
<\/a><\/span>Shared Hosting<\/a><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/website-builder-150x150.png\")
<\/a><\/span>Website Builder<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\nPotential downsides of “free” site building or hosting <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Before you decide to build your site on a free site-building and hosting platform, it\u2019s smart to think about how these issues might affect your new site or your business: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ads<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Free site builder services have to make money somehow, and it\u2019s often through ads that will appear on your website. This creates two issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One is that your visitors may click on an ad and leave instead of sticking around to do business with you. The other is that you may not have any control over what type of ads show up on your site. That can affect the impression that you want your site to make on customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Design options (or lack thereof)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
These free services typically only offer simple themes and limited customization options, while offering upgraded options for a fee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Co-branded domain name<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When you use a totally free service, they may give you a domain name that includes their brand. This can make your site look amateurish, and it means you don\u2019t get to choose the domain name that\u2019s best for your website<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\nLimited functionality <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Like design options, you may not always find everything you need from a free site builder. For example, don\u2019t let you integrate shipping apps that you\u2019ll need for eCommerce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Portability<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A free site builder plan may work great when your business is small. But as it grows, you may need more powerful hosting to support more traffic and more features. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, it can be difficult to migrate your domain and your site content<\/a> from a totally free service to another web host. In the worst-case scenario, you could have to build a whole new site on a new domain. <\/p>\n\n\n\nSEO<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Using a free service to build and host your site can create SEO issues in a couple of ways. First, not all free site services make it easy for search engine crawlers to index your website, so it may not rank as well in search results as it could. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Second, if you ever need to move your site to a new host and you can\u2019t keep your domain name or migrate your site files easily, you\u2019ll need to start your SEO<\/a> from scratch on the new site. <\/p>\n\n\n\nSupport and customer service<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s so common to need help when you\u2019re setting up a new website but going with a totally free plan may mean you spend a lot of time on hold when you need to focus on your business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
How to build an affordable website that lasts <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Getting a paid hosting plan can help you avoid many of the downsides of free website builder plans, so you can create a site that will showcase your brand, help you get found in search results, inspire confidence in your visitors, and grow with your needs. And it doesn\u2019t have to be crazy expensive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The right hosting plan can also give you lots of free options for building your site. For example, with a Shared Hosting plan<\/a> from HostGator, you can install WordPress for free and choose from thousands of free themes and plugins to customize your site. You can find tons of WordPress tips and tutorials on our blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\nNeed someone to talk you through it? Watch our WordPress 101 series<\/a> on YouTube to see how it\u2019s done, starting with 1-click WordPress installation: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/span>Shared Hosting<\/a><\/li><\/a><\/span>Website Builder<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\nPotential downsides of “free” site building or hosting <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Before you decide to build your site on a free site-building and hosting platform, it\u2019s smart to think about how these issues might affect your new site or your business: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ads<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Free site builder services have to make money somehow, and it\u2019s often through ads that will appear on your website. This creates two issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One is that your visitors may click on an ad and leave instead of sticking around to do business with you. The other is that you may not have any control over what type of ads show up on your site. That can affect the impression that you want your site to make on customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Design options (or lack thereof)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
These free services typically only offer simple themes and limited customization options, while offering upgraded options for a fee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Co-branded domain name<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When you use a totally free service, they may give you a domain name that includes their brand. This can make your site look amateurish, and it means you don\u2019t get to choose the domain name that\u2019s best for your website<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Like design options, you may not always find everything you need from a free site builder. For example, don\u2019t let you integrate shipping apps that you\u2019ll need for eCommerce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A free site builder plan may work great when your business is small. But as it grows, you may need more powerful hosting to support more traffic and more features. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, it can be difficult to migrate your domain and your site content<\/a> from a totally free service to another web host. In the worst-case scenario, you could have to build a whole new site on a new domain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Using a free service to build and host your site can create SEO issues in a couple of ways. First, not all free site services make it easy for search engine crawlers to index your website, so it may not rank as well in search results as it could. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Second, if you ever need to move your site to a new host and you can\u2019t keep your domain name or migrate your site files easily, you\u2019ll need to start your SEO<\/a> from scratch on the new site. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s so common to need help when you\u2019re setting up a new website but going with a totally free plan may mean you spend a lot of time on hold when you need to focus on your business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Getting a paid hosting plan can help you avoid many of the downsides of free website builder plans, so you can create a site that will showcase your brand, help you get found in search results, inspire confidence in your visitors, and grow with your needs. And it doesn\u2019t have to be crazy expensive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The right hosting plan can also give you lots of free options for building your site. For example, with a Shared Hosting plan<\/a> from HostGator, you can install WordPress for free and choose from thousands of free themes and plugins to customize your site. You can find tons of WordPress tips and tutorials on our blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Need someone to talk you through it? Watch our WordPress 101 series<\/a> on YouTube to see how it\u2019s done, starting with 1-click WordPress installation: <\/p>\n\n\n\nLimited functionality <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Portability<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
SEO<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Support and customer service<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to build an affordable website that lasts <\/h2>\n\n\n\n