Do you use free or paid hosting for your affiliate programs?

[Moira]

I heard several expert internet marketer discuss this issue of going with free or paid sites, and most have said that you can begin with a free site if you want to get the feel of this internet thing - but really if you are serious about building an online business, then you need to be owning your own online real estate in the long run - who knows if the sites you have on a free site may be taken down for a variety of reasons - all your work would be gone.

Of course, then there is the other side of the coin - some beginner marketers may not be able to afford those costs and want to be able to earn some cash before incurring expenses - not matter how small - so then for those cases - it is great that the free sites are around - which means anyone with the desire - can get started - money not being an issue.

[leanderson]

There are so many different sites that teach you the basics of setting up a simple web page. There are many hosts like HostGator that offer free site builders as part of their package. And will affiliate links, copy and paste can move the pages from your free site to your paid one. Also, HostGator is great about helping you move stuff for you, although I am not sure how it would work with free hosting. Always keep in mind that some free hosts that provide templates will not let you take the graphics you use on your site with you. Things like headers and stuff belong to the site that hosts your stuff. But if you look, many companies like HostGator offer template driven site builders that are more plug and play. You end up with a GREAT site and it looks so professional without the ads that come with a free site. Another way I have gotten pages done in the past is using a college student or high school student to do the work at a discount rate. Many college students, especially if they need the project for a grade, will design a simple 4 or 5 page site for $25 to $50 while a more complex one may be $100 or so. Web design is rather cheap right now. Devshed is another good place to find a "starving artist" willing to do great things on a very small budget. Owning your site really is the best way to go.

Lori Anderson

[lindsayhogan]

Talking about me I am serious about my business and thus selected paid as with paid there comes guaranteed and satisfied services and no chance of cheat or any other risk because we are paying for that only.

But in free there is no guarantee of any thing and that is why its free.

[Mejo101]

I went for the paid option also. It costs so little to own a website that why would not consider going down this road. I also use web 2.0 platforms such as Hubpages to help as backlinks. I rank for those too but don't spend too much time on them.

[Louidam1]

Thank you everyone for your help and information!!!!

[andyb8079]

I use free hosting with weebly but I bought my domian name through register.com $13 a year.

[Louidam1]

Originally Posted by andyb8079

I use free hosting with weebly but I bought my domian name through register.com $13 a year.

That is who I currently use and been using them since 2008. I'm thinking about going Pro with them and start paying for my website.

[darias]

I would definately go with paid hosting. It's cheap and gives you full control of the content on your site.

[maximumleverage]

I agree

Paid hosting all the way.....all the time

my favorite web hosting is HostGator been using
them for years now and never had a problem.

[sunriser2]

I use paid hosting. The main reason is to have some control over my website, and
the ability to call customer service with the expectation of being served because I
am paying for a service. If I am getting free service there is little obligation besides
professional courtesy.

Don't get me wrong, free is great especially when one is starting out. But the old
adage still applies. "You get what you pay for..."