Are there really any good, free webhosting companies out there? Actually there are. It’s finding them that can be a huge challenge.

As with everything, you can’t paint every webhosting service with the same brush. Being free doesn’t automatically mean a webhosting service is bad. But the truth is that you are more likely to have problems with webhosting you don’t pay for.

Still, if you really want to save money on webhosting, there’s nothing wrong with looking for a free hosting plan. There are just some things you should keep in mind when you do.

First of all, don’t go with a hosting company that is just starting out, even if it’s getting good reviews. The thing is that most companies that offer free webhosting start out with the best of intentions. They really are dedicated to giving the best service they can, even to their free customers. But, often, this doesn’t last. As more customers sign up, they start running into inevitable technical problems, and those running the service start getting overwhelmed by its demands, the quality of their service can drop. In fact, some companies that start out with great reputations for the first 6 to 12 months can end up having terrible reputations just a year or two later.

Go with a company that has been around for a while, like 3 to 5 years. And look at some recent customer reviews. The quality of a webhosts service can change drastically in just a few months, so you want to know what customers are saying about the service this week.

When it comes to free hosting, most companies will offer you a free subdomain. So your website address might be something like www.http://companyname.com/nameofyouraccount. This is fine for a personal website. But, if you aren’t happy with the quality of your free hosting and decide to leave for another company, you can’t take a subdomain with you. And any links you had pointing to that site will pretty much be lost.

Also, for a business website, a subdomain doesn’t seem all that professional. To project the right image, you want your own domain name. You can buy a domain for as little as $10, and then host it on a free hosting account. The good thing about this is, if you want to leave that hosting company, you can take the domain name with you.

Some hosting companies will give you free hosting if you buy a domain name from them. While this seems like the easiest, most convenient way to go, it isn’t always a good idea. Why? Well, as with a subdomain, if you leave that hosting company, you might not be able to take the subdomain with you. So, again, a lot of your hard work can end up going to waste.

Finally, free webhosting plans are usually very limited. You are given very little web space and bandwidth. This is fine if you have a small, simple site, no large files (like images, videos, audio files, or games), and a modest amount of traffic. But if you have a lot of large files and a lot of site visitors, most free plans aren’t going to fill your needs.

Finding free webhosting that is high quality and will suit all of your hosting needs can be pretty difficult, but it’s not impossible. It can be done. It will take a lot of time, effort and research on your part, but it can be done. Still, going ahead and paying $5 or $10 a month for a hosting plan with a reputable company could is much easier all around, and could save you from a lot of complications in the long run.