Lots of people do ask questions like are there companies that provide free web hosting packages for hosting websites in Africa. In this guide, we will be providing you with four best platforms that will host your website as well as launch it for free on your behalf.
The best option for a newbie in the blogging or webmaster industry is to try a free host and then upgrade later on as experience gets better and business becomes more lucrative. Myself, I started my first website with wordpress.com, which they launched it on my behalf for free until I decided to dive into the premium world of blogging.
Just as mentioned earlier, we will be listing four crucial and best platforms that will provide you with free hosting package. Also, we will look at the pros and cons of running a website on a free host and then lastly our recommendations on the best web hosting companies to switch to, when you feel you now need to upgrade your work as a webmaster.
Contents
Types Of Free Web Hosting Offers
1. Free hosting with free domain name:
This is a type that one get a free hosting but purchases a premium domain name with any sort of extension. Example kofi.com, aben.org, kwame.net etc. Here, you will be on a free hosting, but have a premium domain name.
This is very good if you have plans of expanding your blogging or website business in the mere future Also, it is very good for SEO purposes, what we mean by SEO is search engine optimization. Search engines allow people to find websites on the internet. Example of search engines are Google, Microsoft Bing, Yahoo etc.
In this case, optimizing your website directory or address which is your domain name is very important if you have plans of expanding your blog. It will also, make your blog easy to identify and therefore promote your brand easily in the eyes of readers and visitors.
This is mostly popular amongst people using Google blogger platforms. For affordable domain names, check out stormerhost when willing to purchase any domain name.
2. Free hosting with a purchased Domain name:
Here, you will be getting both a free host and also a free type of domain or website address. This is kind of a full package. This is the best option for individuals willing to build a website for their personal use, like publication of academic writings. This is because there will be no competition for websites like this.
But for individuals willing to create a website for business purposes or what we term blogging down here in Africa, this is the worst ever decision you should make. This is because, a free domain name or address is never search engine optimized and also doesn’t look professional. An example of free domain names or URLs these platforms provide are; kofi.wordpress.com, abena.wordpress.com, Agyemang.blogspot.com, emma.blogspot.com, kwaku.wix.com
Comparing the first type of domains listed, you see, these are kind of long and doesn’t look that professional.
Platforms That Provide Free Web hosting Package
1. WordPress.com:
WordPress.com is a content management systems that provide both free and premium hosting for customers or publishers. There are two types of WordPress, the freemium version is the wordPress.com and the fully premium on is the wordPress.org.
In this article, we will be talking the one with TLD .com. WordPres.com provides freemium service, thus, both premium and free option. With the free version you can build a complete website and even get a free domain like kwaku.wordpress.com.
Development of websites built with wordpress.com is normally not difficult and very fast to get done. These websites free websites have fully functioning buttons like a premium website would have. The only different between them and a premium website is Theme editing and domain URLs to the blog.
Coursera has a full course and certification on how to create and build a free website with wordpress.com. Lastly, free website on wordpress.com mostly can’t be monetized.
2. Wix.com:
Wix is second on our list. You might have probably heard about them or seen their ads online. They have been around for more than a decade now. Wix is an Israeli software company known to provide cloud based web development services.
Just like on wordpress.com, building a website with Wix is very easy and simple. Wix is also a freemium platform, that’s they have both paid and free plans for customers. Just like WordPress, free hosted Wix websites have URLs like kwame.wix.com.
On there, you can create and build any kind of website of your desire. And it’s the best option for newbies in the blogging industry.
Also: Best Web Hosting Companies In Ghana
3. Olitt:
Olitt is also a website builder platform that allows its users to create and host websites without requiring significant prior technical knowledge or even coding skills. With Olitt, you’ll just have to select your templates and additional touches on how you want your site to look like.
After all your drag and drop edits, you can then proceed to publish your site and make it public. With Olitt, you are given free hosting only, you’ll have to purchase a domain name and then connect it to your built website, so it serves as its address online.
Alternatively, if you do not have a domain, you can purchase on straight on the platform and continue to publish your website. It’s simple and easy, but might sound complicated. Once you start the process, you’ll get along with it.
4. Google Blogger
The last on our list is Google’s blogger platform, popularly known as blogspot. Just like Olitt, Google’s blogger platform helps create and build websites without any coding experience. Here you can get a free hosting and also a free domain for your site as well.
Its free domain names end with blogspot.com. An example is kofi.blogspot.com. Also, you can add your own custom domain like, kofi.com if you have any. Adding custom domains will make your website look professional and search engine optimized.
With one Gmail account, you can create more than 10 different websites with Google blogger. Blogs built with blogger can look so professional when they have a custom URL. And will be difficult to determine whether that website is on a free hosting.
Pros Of Using A Free Web Host
Just like every other thing in the world, there is a good and bad side of everything. Below are some of the pros of using a free hosting;
1. It’s cost-effective:
Hosting plans can be very expensive sometimes. And for newbies who do not have much money to invest getting into a business. It’s definitely the best option for them.
2. Easy to use:
Free websites mostly are easy to build. This is because you mostly choose or even sometimes drag and drop templates and themes, since you will not have the option to make any serious customizations.
Cons Of Using A Free Web Host
The only problem that comes with this is, blogs do not look professional and if created for business purposes you might be found lacking when compared to your competitors in the business. Below are some of the cons been on a free web host.
1. Website will surely lack that professionality look:
Websites especially ones created for businesses have to look professional in the eyes of customers and the public. In this case, running on a free web host will not allow you to have many options or even perform needed customizations for your site to look professional.
2. These websites sometimes load very slow:
Most of these free hosting platforms mostly do not allow users to edit or even customize installed themes. Some themes might have loads of features that will make the site heavy and load very slow.
3. Poor SEO optimization:
Having free domain names is something that is never search engine optimized. And website with such domain names will forever find it difficult to rank SERP, thus, search engine results pages.
Our Recommendation For Newbie Bloggers On Best Web Hosting
Lastly, we will conclude with our recommendation. Choosing a free host can be very cost-effective although, but sometimes some things should be considered. Some of these things to consider is SEO and professionalism.
These two of the above-mentioned are kind of the backbone of every website. And you can get the two of them in a cost-effective way without spending much like being on a fully premium plan.
We recommend, you go with Google blogger’s blogspot platform and then proceed to purchase a custom domain name your website. There are numerous web hosting companies that provide domain services at affordable prices. One of them we will recommend is stormerhost.
Custom domains will help your website look professional and also with blogger you have the chance to select and sometimes customize themes for them to look more professional.
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