Looking to start an online business but do not want to invest in web hosting? Free WordPress hosting is the way to go. It one means to save money and keep your website up and running quickly. But several drawbacks come with using free WordPress hosting.
Limitation #1 Limited Storage Space & Bandwidth
When using a free WordPress hosting plan, storage space and bandwidth is one of the biggest limitations you will encounter. Limited storage capacity means that your website will not be able to handle large files or images and will quickly become bogged down as you add more content.
Additionally, limited bandwidth means that visitors will likely experience long loading times and slow page speeds when viewing your website. Both issues can be incredibly frustrating for your visitors and potentially cost you valuable traffic.
Fortunately, there are ways to overcome these limitations. One of the best options is to upgrade your hosting plan with a better provider. With premium method, you will gain access to more storage space and increased bandwidth, allowing your website to accommodate more content and serve more visitors at once without sacrificing load time or page speed.
Limitation #2 Restrictive Plugins & Themes
Most free hosts do not allow you to install any plugins or themes, so you are stuck with whatever the host provides. This means you can’t personalize your website meaningfully, as the available themes and plugins are usually quite limited.
Additionally, because your hosting provider chooses the available plugins and themes, you do not have much control over the quality of these tools. If your host chooses a poorly coded plugin or outdated theme, you may end up with a website that looks terrible or runs inefficiently.
Luckily, if you are willing to pay a bit more for WordPress hosting, you can find hosts that offer more options for plugins and themes. Additionally, if you have coding knowledge or are willing to hire someone who does, creating custom plugins and themes is always an option.
Limitation #3 Non-Supportive Behavior from The Technical Support
When you are dealing with a free host, you can expect minimal support from their customer service and tech teams. Often, these are very busy and overloaded with more complex cases than yours, so instead of being helpful, they could just be unresponsive or plain-out rude.
You can avoid these limitations by researching before choosing a WordPress host. Some reputable companies offer free packages that do not limit features or provide any downsides regarding the performance or customer service.
In addition to researching options, you should investigate any online customer reviews. From there, you can decide whether to choose a free hosting provider or upgrade to a paid one for better customer service and tech support.
Limitation #4 Domain with Limited Access
The fourth limitation of free WordPress hosting is that you have limited access to a domain. You might not be able to choose the domain name you want, which may be generic and hard to remember. The domain name may also be longer than what you want, and if you do not like it, you won’t be able to change it without switching hosting providers or purchasing a custom domain.
So how do you avoid this issue?
One way to avoid the limitation of having a long, generic domain name is by purchasing your domain. This will give you complete control over your domain, allowing you to choose whatever name, length, and features you would like. Not only will this make it easier for people to remember your website’s address, but it will also help with SEO.
Related Post: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Best Hosting Plan
Limitation#5: Unwanted Ads Running on Your Website
One of the biggest limitations of free WordPress hosting is that your website can end up with unwanted ads running on it. This can be off-putting to potential visitors, and you will not have any control over what ads are displayed.
There are a few ways you can combat this issue:
- Upgrade to Premium Hosting
- Seek out Ads-Free Hosting Services
- Use an Ad Blocker Extension
Limitation #6 Free Hosting with A Limited Time-Frame
Most free hosting providers offer a limited-time hosting solution for up to one year. After that time frame, your blog or website must either be deleted or upgraded to a paid hosting plan.
This limitation can be difficult to work around, especially if you have taken the time to create content and connect with other bloggers and website owners. Fortunately, there are some ways you can avoid this limitation:
- Start your own self-hosted WordPress blog/website
- Look for providers that do not have a time limit
- Use multiple free WordPress hosts
Limitation #7 Hard-To-Use Tools & Interfaces
While free WordPress hosting provides basic features, the limited options and user interface can be difficult for those who are not tech-savvy or familiar with web development. This can make it difficult to take full advantage of the features available from free hosting or to modify existing content.
As such, there are lot methods to avoid this limitation:
- Use a paid WordPress hosting service – Paid WordPress hosting services to have more tools and user interface options to make managing your site easier. Plus, these services often come with technical support, which can be helpful if you run into trouble.
- Utilize plugins – You can use countless plugins to customize your site and enable additional tools and features. These provide an added level of functionality that will let you make the most out of the WordPress hosting package.
- Take advantage of tutorials and support – Free WordPress hosting often provides helpful tutorials and articles on how to use their services and various forms of customer support, should you need additional assistance.
Limitation #8 Old PHP Versions with Technical Glitches
Older versions of PHP can cause a wide range of technical issues with WordPress websites, such as outdated features, compatibility problems, and security vulnerabilities. Additionally, many WordPress features are only fully available in the latest versions of PHP, so if your server is not running the latest version of the scripting language, your website may not work properly.
Running an outdated version of PHP also means slower website performance due to increased server load and memory usage. For example, sites running on old versions of PHP can take up to four times longer to load pages than those running on more recent versions.
Fortunately, you do not have to put up with these limitations. Plenty of options allow you to upgrade your server to the latest version of PHP without having to pay extra fees or incur other costs. You can investigate managed hosting services or use a VPS (Virtual Private Server).
Limitation #9 Risk of Security Breaches
The ninth major limitation of free hosting is the risk of security breaches. You might not think you need to worry too much about security on a free hosting plan but think again. Free hosting companies do not generally follow best security practices, so hackers or malicious actors can easily access your data.
To ensure the safety of your website and data, you should take a few steps to protect yourself:
- Ensure all the plugins and themes you install are up-to-date with the latest versions.
- Install a reliable security plugin to help detect suspicious activity and protect against malware attacks.
- Regularly back up your data to ensure you have a fail-safe option if something happens with your website.
- Use strong passwords whenever possible; do not store them in online databases or services.
- Use an SSL certificate to encrypt your data and add protection for users entering sensitive information into your website.
Limitation #10 Server Resources
You knew this was coming – server resources. Because the hosting company does not want to pay more than the minimum amount necessary to keep their servers running, there’s a limit to the number of resources you can use. That means your website could slow down or suffer an outage if the server has insufficient space and bandwidth.
The good news is this can be avoided too! Here is how:
- Look into paying options – Most hosting services offer different service levels, including more server resources and better performance.
- Opt for faster loading times – Make sure your images are properly optimized, use caching plugins, and reduce the number of plugins you have installed.
- Keep track of your resource usage – Monitor your website’s resource consumption so you can monitor for any changes or spikes in usage that could strain the server’s resources.
How to Avoid the Limitations of Free WordPress Hosting
Sure, there are some great benefits to using a free hosting service. But it is important to be aware of the limitations. So, how can you avoid these limitations while still taking advantage of the cost savings?
The answer is to use a combination of a free hosting service and an additional paid solution.
These are the strategies you can use to do that:
- Get Hosting & Backup Services Separately
Choose a hosting provider with reliable uptime and security features and pay for your hosting and backup services separately from your WordPress hosting package. This way, you can ensure your site is always up and running and protected from hackers.
Related Post: The Role of Web Hosting Providers in Backup Strategies
- Get Dedicated Support
If you need help with WordPress-related issues, such as plugin or theme conflicts, choose a provider that offers dedicated support so you do not have to wait for your web host’s help desk. Paid WordPress hosts typically provide superior customer service than free ones, so investing in one could be worth it if you need hands-on help with website issues.
- Use Caching & Content Delivery Networks
Caching solutions and content delivery networks (CDNs) can help speed up your website significantly by reducing the amount of data transferred between the server and the user’s browser. This is especially important if you have a large website or traffic.
So, What Do You Think – Free WordPress Hosting Is Worth It?
Well, if you are just starting, the answer is — likely. Free hosting can be a great way to dip your toe into website ownership without wasting money. But it comes at a price—free hosting has some major limitations. To make sure you do not get stuck with a dud.