So you’ve all heard the ads for “Free Websites” on prime time television. But, are these offers really free?  First ask yourself if you think these large companies are really in business to just give away free work?  Second, ask yourself if you’ve ever gotten much of value in business for free. The answer to both questions is probably a resounding no. And in this case that holds true as well.

In actuality, the free offers are without doubt a ‘come-on’ for never ending monthly fees that quickly add up to a larger expense than actually paying up front for a website. Let’s look at an example: An average custom website may cost $1500 – $2500 to design and develop. Compare this with a so-called ‘free’ website that has a $250 a month ‘maintenance’ fee. Within 10 months you have paid $2500 for your ‘free’ website and within two years that cost skyrockets to $6000. I hate to think how much that ‘free’ site adds up to cost over 10 years.

To make matters even worse, you often do not actually own the domain name or website files, so if you decide to leave the so-called ‘free’ service you will have to start with a new domain name and have the website completely rebuilt. All of the recognition you’ve built up with google and your clients could be lost as you have to begin anew with a different domain name.

In summary we strongly recommend you read all of the fine print when signing up for a free’ website. Remember that old adage:  “you get what you pay for”.