Do I want control?
If you are serious about your comic, your answer should be YES. In caps. Bold. Maybe a couple of sizes larger.
Paying for your own hosting space and URL does cost money, but not much in the grand scheme of things. And in exchange you gain so much more control over your website and the way your comic is presented to the world. Hosting your own site grants you control over:
- Total Look & Feel: Make you site look just right and behave the way you want it. Don’t lose space in the header to advertisement unless you want to.
- Back-end Management: Whether you use WordPress, ComicsCMS, or a home-brewed system, you can chose a system that works best for you and your craft.
- Branding: If you’re self-hosted, you don’t run the risk of muddying your brand with that of the free host.
- Advertising & Sales: Most sites that will host your content for free will either 1) put ads on your site or 2) don’t allow you to earn money from your site. Self-hosting puts you in control of any revenue options.
- Deletion Risk: A hosting company will have terms of use that effect what you can and cannot host with them, but in general the restrictions are much looser than a free hosting site.
- Downtime: A paid host is (usually) more likely to be responsive to downtime problems. If you pay someone money they are more likely to make your needs a priority. Simple as that.
Is your answer No?
If these things are not an issue for you, maybe you’re new to webcomics or a hobbyist, then maybe a free hosting service will work for you. In this case seek out a host that will infringe on your control the least. Personally I would give up advertising space before relinquishing a large amount of “above the fold” design space to a host.
What’s your answer to the Control question? What solution has worked for you as a comicker? Share you answers in the comments.
