"Free" website advice - geeks please read

Talking to a customer the other day who mentioned that he has thrown out his phone book. I know this is 10 years late but it's time to dabble with a website. I googled it and you can get free website hosts? Looked for "best rated" and 50webs is topping the list but there are some others.
http://www.50webs.com/


Can someone explain the do and don't side to all this please?
Recommendations and any other important things that might get overlooked are always welcome.Assume I know nothing (pretty close assessment).

What do you want the website for? Will it be a blog? A commercial site? Something else?

What does throwing out phone book have anything to do with creating a website??

Quote from shipfaced : Talking to a customer the other day who mentioned that he has thrown out his phone book. I know this is 10 years late but it's time to dabble with a website. I googled it and you can get free website hosts? Looked for "best rated" and 50webs is topping the list but there are some others. http://www.50webs.com/ Can someone explain the do and don't side to all this please? Recommendations and any other important things that might get overlooked are always welcome.Assume I know nothing (pretty close assessment).

Here's the deal

Free web hosting almost always comes with a caveat. If you opt for a free host, here are the possible downsides:

1) Very limited space. i.e. you can only upload so much.
2) Very limited bandwidth. i.e. site will run slow, will crash if too many visitors come
3) limited access. Some free storage solutions don't even allow for FTP access, which can be problematic
4) limited script support. I.E. may not be able to run java, perl, etc
5) limited options for your server OS. Deciding whether you need windows or linux based hosting is a rather important threshold question you need to think about
6) Some sites have forced banner advertisements which takes away from the professional feel of any website
7) Some sites are only free for a limited time
8) Some sites don't include E-mail as part of the hosting

Those are what comes to mind

Pros:
It's free.

Quote from dandlewood : Here's the deal Free web hosting almost always comes with a caveat. If you opt for a free host, here are the possible downsides: 1) Very limited space. i.e. you can only upload so much. 2) Very limited bandwidth. i.e. site will run slow, will crash if too many visitors come 3) limited access. Some free storage solutions don't even allow for FTP access, which can be problematic 4) limited script support. I.E. may not be able to run java, perl, etc 5) limited options for your server OS. Deciding whether you need windows or linux based hosting is a rather important threshold question you need to think about 6) Some sites have forced banner advertisements which takes away from the professional feel of any website 7) Some sites are only free for a limited time 8) Some sites don't include E-mail as part of the hosting Those are what comes to mind Pros: It's free.

Agreed! Pay for a service and get something good.

I use 1and1.com or godaddy.com is also good. Plus lots of others that I can't think of off the top of my head.

I manage my sisters author site for her books she writes and use a low package that runs around $120/yr. with lots of space, bandwidth, and e-mail access. Plus that cost includes 2 domains by default as long as you keep your account in good standing.

hard to beat 1and1

Quote from Count_Chocula : hard to beat 1and1

never used 1and1, but godaddy is pretty easy button.

If you want to 'dabble' with something free before you're ready to pay for one, Google Sites might be a good sandbox, also comes with templates: http://www.google.com/sites/help/...rview.html

Hostgator.com
1and1.com
godaddy.com
bluehost.com

All are good and reliable choices.

What do you want to do with the site. This is the most important question. Any answers are moot without this information.

Quote from shipfaced : Talking to a customer the other day who mentioned that he has thrown out his phone book. I know this is 10 years late but it's time to dabble with a website. I googled it and you can get free website hosts? Looked for "best rated" and 50webs is topping the list but there are some others. http://www.50webs.com/ Can someone explain the do and don't side to all this please? Recommendations and any other important things that might get overlooked are always welcome.Assume I know nothing (pretty close assessment).

000webhost.com

Free and supports many features you might need

Facebook.

Good info thanx. Just want a site that might get a hundred visits a month by people wanting my construction services. Will start with something free to learn how to set it up.

BTW why does godaddy get a scathing review from other posts on SD yet you guys, for the most part like them?

http://slickdeals.net/f/3994902-G...o-10-years

GoDaddy bought out the original NoDaddy.com web site.
Read some problems with GoDaddy here:

http://nodaddy.co/