Is free webhosting ok for SEO?

[Oimachi2]

I want to promote some sites and be as anonymous as possible from Google because of Penguin.

Is free web hosting a viable option or would the IP's be too flooded with #*$! and "bad" Neighbourhoods?

If free hosting is ok, any recommendations?

[Robert Charlton]

If free hosting is ok, any recommendations?

Oimachi2 - Discussion of specific web hosting companies isn't allow in any of the public areas of WebmasterWorld. There is a Webhosting Issues and Options forum in the Supporters area which allows specifics.

[aristotle]

Free hosting might be okay for a minor un-important website, if you're willing to take the risk that it will suddenly be deleted for no apparent reason, or that the hosting company will go out of business.

[lucy24]

If you're not paying in money, you're paying some other way. Either by including something you don't want-- like a generic advertising banner across the top of every page-- or by going without something you do want, like no logs or ::shudder:: no FTP access.

[Str82u]

Free hosing can be good. What @aristotle mentioned is the biggest risk, losing your files or limiting access later after you're established. If you research enough of them properly you'll see who's been around. Defiantly don't count on them for your money sites. A big pitfall can be using free hosting affiliates of the same parent company; all the same server and if the parent company starts charging or goes under you're racing to fix it.

What @lucy24 mentions might not always be visible to you, banners you can see, tracking code you might not notice. Some use 1x1 pixel beacons in javascript that definitely hurts SERPs. If you get hosting like that you'll want to check the headers and source closely(WMT fetch as Googlebot will do).

Other things, check that the server is in the country you're targeting, you can also check the ip of the server you're assigned to see the other sites on the server before uploading files. You'll need to sign up to get the ip probably but it'll help you decide if it's a bad neighborhood before putting a site there.

[Oimachi2]

Actually I need this site just as a hub for building backlinks. And then from that site to my money site. If the host goes broke I just change to another free host.

[aristotle]

Actually I need this site just as a hub for building backlinks

After Google's recent implementation of Penguin, building backlinks might do more harm than good. So you should be careful how you do it.

[Hoople]

I created a 'persona' profile for the screen name I use in one niche on a free host. I did the normal search to get past all the sock puppet review sites to find a real one that offered php.

For privacy reasons I did NOT want the profile on the same IP as ANY of my customers.

A downside I encountered after a few years of it's existence was the whole server being flagged as a bad site by one of the minor players in web spam appliances. It turned out one bad player got the IP flagged. A quick entry in their whitelisting fixed that. I would have never known about it if one of the niche's fan boys had not told me about it.

[Sand]

For privacy reasons I did NOT want the profile on the same IP as ANY of my customers.

I use a host that allows me to get new dedicated IPs for like $2 a month. I have about 10 dedicated IPs for my sites now, and the cost is so negligible that it's a serious bargain in my book.

Granted, this would get expensive if you were managing tons of sites, but if you just need a few, it's well worth it. Plus, you get support and quality hosting instead of free hosting with no support and hit or miss quality.

Just a thought -- I don't know your exact situation, but it might be worth considering.

[JamesWt]

Free hosting can not be more reliable because it can be removed at any point of time and your website can be invisible from the web world.

[lucy24]

tracking code you might not notice. Some use 1x1 pixel beacons in javascript that definitely hurts SERPs

I meant that in free hosting you might not have access to services you take for granted, like the ability to look at your own raw logs. Or possibly even a full-service htaccess file.