What’s the catch with the “free web hosting – no ads” you see popping up from time to time? You can bet, there is a catch!

In a previous article, I shared the pitfalls of using free web hosting and explained how it isn’t really free. One of many reasons I recommended you avoid free hosting was that, while you are not paying them cash directly, you are quite like an unpaid writer that goes out, researches information on a topic, and writes an informative article on that topic. The free hosting provider then uses your article to display related ads which pay them revenue.

I also explained in my previous post how pretty much any decent blogger should easily be able to purchase cheap web hosting, place ads on their site, and make more than enough revenue to cover the cost of their hosting. All while enjoying many more hosting features that make it a far more enjoyable web experience for both them and their visitors.

The latest gimmick for free web hosting is the “no ads” advertisement. Now that bloggers are catching on that they could be the ones making that money from those ads on their web sites, those hosting providers are having to come up with a new twist to draw in customers. So, I decided to check a few of them out and see what they are really selling you now.

What I found was that free web hosting with no ads will probably cost you in one of the following ways…

1. You must pay 6 months worth of hosting fees in the form of a “setup fee”.
2. You must register a domain with the provider (at a much higher than average registration fee). A domain that should only cost you about $8-$9 will cost you more like $35!
3. Free only for trial period. Then, you will be billed monthly or lose everything you’ve built.

I came across one provider that, on the surface, appeared to offer truly free web hosting with no ads. However, when combing through their terms of service, it became very apparent that the restrictions on the account made it almost impossible to comply with their rules. Leaving the user no choice but to upgrade to a paid hosting account if they wanted a site they could actually use!

The bottom line, once again, is that you can find high quality, cheap web hosting which offers many great features that make your life as a web site administrator much easier and your efforts much more rewarding. So, there is no need to risk falling for scams or gimmicks like “free web hosting: no ads”!

Do you want to make money with your web site?

There are a number of ways to make money on your web site, even if you have nothing more than a personal blog. If you want to make money on your site you need to get a real hosting account.

If you are looking for hosting for your company, organization, or small business, you should ABSOLUTELY get a paid hosting account. Over the past couple of years web hosting prices have dropped drastically without sacrificing quality. It is truly amazing how many features you can get with cheap web hosting now if you choose the right company. Depending on your business (or personal) needs Hostgator has packages for less than $4 a month. With Hostgator you get quality service (with almost no site downtime) for a single domain name for about $7 a month with no contract (just pay month to month and cancel anytime you like with no penalties).

Are you new to designing & maintaining web sites?

If you are new to building web sites and you are certain that you will only do this once (no more web sites in your future) then it won’t matter which web platform you learn. Both Google Web Hosting and WordPress (which is included with Hostgator accounts) have about the same learning curve although you can do much more with WordPress by using free plugins and themes.

However, if you may decide to create additional web sites later, I don’t recommend that you waste your time learning Google hosting. Chances are very high that you will end up choosing WordPress so why waste time learning to use both? Just start with the best! Additionally, if you are familiar with using common word processing software, you should find WordPress easier to use as it is very similar.

Do you want your site to look different and stand out?

Google Web Hosting offers “dozens” of different themes for your site. This greatly limits your choices for specific topics. For example, I believe there were two wedding themes. On the other hand, you can find thousands of free WordPress themes online. A quick look in a search engine for “Free WordPress Wedding Templates” yielded 2,940,000 results!

Is it possible that you may want to create other web sites in the future that focus on other topics?

Before answering this question, stop and think for a moment. Are there other interests you’d like to share with someone online? Maybe a private family journal to keep in touch with distant relatives, or maybe a public site dedicated to your favorite hobby?

Blogging can be very enjoyable once you get going, not to mention, profitable. It won’t likely make you a millionaire, but it can produce a nice supplemental income for your household. Many bloggers start out with one site, find they love it (and the extra money), then decide to add another site on another topic that interests them. If you think you might be interested in having more than one site, do yourself a huge favor and get a cheap web hosting account with Hostgator. They have a hosting package for less than $8 a month that allows you to host multiple sites. It’s called the “Hatchling” package and it’s an incredible deal with lots of great features!

Can you afford to pay about $7 a month to host a real web site.

It is amazing what can get for around seven dollars! Honestly, choosing Google Web Hosting over even the cheapest web hosting package with HostGator is like choosing a tricycle over a car to get you around town. Google Web Hosting may get you there, but you could have had a much better ride!