Free & Better

It is possible to obtain a free website, although with a number of limitations (discussed in Free Websites). In general, we suggest that these are most suited for 'hobby' websites rather than professional websites. However, like most general observations, there are always exceptions.

1. Focused Niche Markets

A professional photographer referred us to a company that specializes in websites for photographers. They have created a website portal which offers sub-domains only to photographers. Each sub-domain comes complete with software which allows the photographers to create their website without any technical knowledge. It also comes complete with software for uploading, organizing and displaying photos. Not least, it includes built-in shopping cart and payment facilities which can be used to sell digital copies of the photographers' work. In other words, a complete facility based specifically around the needs of photographers.

Of course, one could duplicate all of this on a paid website. However, it would not only be costly to develop, but there would also be higher maintenance costs. Furthermore, as a one-off paid website, it would not benefit from automatic software application upgrades, which the above community may have.

Furthermore, as all the sub-domains are concerned with the same topic (photography), it forms a community of related professionals who can work together, exchange website links and exchange information. This two offers a number of advantages over a custom website.

This sort of community application is still relatively rare. However, if you find such an application for the business niche you are operating in, it is well worth considering.

2. Focused Software Applications

The other example which we find interesting is the BLOG application. You can either obtain blog software which you host on your server space as part of your domain (e.g. the WordPress blog software) or you can use one of the free online packages such as Blogger. The advantage of the latter, aside from the fact that it is free, is that regular software upgrades (to provide new features, fix software bugs, and address malware security issues) are not only free but also automatically provided. There are a number of small '1-man' businesses based on blogs (and selling associated advertising) which are successful using this free software.

Although we use Blogs as the most widely used example of a high-quality free website application (or to be more accurate sub-website), this is merely the best-known example.

3. Future Trends

Currently, for most businesses, a custom dedicated website is the wise choice. However, there is a definite trend for more niche community software, high-volume niche applications and social communities in general. Over time, we believe that this will increasingly provide more businesses with the ability to benefit from free websites without loss of business potential.