ISP hosting is usually the first thing that people consider when putting up a Web site, probably because most ISPs give you space for a small Web site as part of their monthly service charge.\u00a0 So, hey, if you’re paying for it, you might as well use it, right?<\/p>\n
The “free” ISP-hosted Web site has one primary drawback: its\u00a0URL<\/b><\/a>\u00a0or address.\u00a0 The address for your Web site will usually contain the ISPs name, followed by your username, maybe followed by a directory name, and then maybe ending with “index.htm”<\/p>\n As an example, here is the home page address at one of my previous ISP-hosted sites:<\/p>\n http:\/\/people.ne.mediaone.net\/timhiggins\/index.html<\/b><\/small><\/p>\n Really says “This is Tim Higgins’ Web site!” doesn’t it? \u00a0 Besides the fact that people know right away where your “home” is, this ISP-tied address is a big liability when you change ISPs.\u00a0\u00a0This article<\/b><\/a>\u00a0describes why registering your own domain name is a very good thing to do, and I recommend it for anyone who is serious about establishing a professional web presence.<\/p>\n If you don’t want to register a domain name, you can still get a better address than one based on your ISP’s domain by using a dynamic DNS service<\/a>.<\/p>\n “But wait!” you say. “My ISP\u00a0will<\/b>\u00a0host my site with my own domain name!”\u00a0 Yes, they will… for a price, and those prices vary widely, so\u00a0shop around and compare features!<\/b><\/p>\n