We went from floppy disks to CDs, DVDs, flash drives, and then to external hard drives. Before with 5 GB, we already loaded our most important documents and there was still space. Over time, HDs with lots of space, high-speed SSDs, and devices to transport giant files at once arrived.
Now, more and more we are entering the wave of cloud storage, with the right to instant backup of information and diverse facilities that make our lives faster and more connected. The truth is that there are not a few companies that are embracing this novelty, and we have many good or free options to save our documents online.
If you put it on the tip of the pencil, there should be at least 20 good services that bridge the gap between storage on your device and the cloud. Except not all have the same resources, and some are focused on one type of consumer or another.
In the world of cloud data storage, we tend to look for the easy and the fast without asking ourselves what is best. This is what happens with Google Drive and similar file storage systems, which, although we have very close at hand in our Google accounts, are not the most appropriate solution at all. So we would like to introduce you to us which is the best alternative to Google Drive.
Google Drive poses several problems for use at the business level from several approaches:
- Its own nature as a data synchronizer
- User control and permission management
But they came up with a subtle change in 2012. It was the possibility of hosting sites on Drive and making them available to the world!
This is not something new since Dropbox has been allowing it for a long time directly or through other associated sites (Site44 or DropPages), but it shows that Google has been keeping an eye on what is most interesting to do and reproduce for your Drive.
As with Dropbox, the sites you can create on Google Drive are very simple and can only use HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. Technologies like PHP and other languages that need to be processed on the server-side are ruled out and are not supported in this service.
If the competition was forced to improve and find alternatives to distinguish its services, Google also did not stop and is constantly optimizing Drive.
That’s a thing of the past. As of now, Google announced on August 31st, 2016, that their Google drive can no longer be used to host free websites. So, are there any alternatives for the same? Oh yes, there are!!
As such, we were looking for alternatives to host websites for free and truth be told, it was not necessary to look far.
Dropbox (Google Drive’s competitor) also allows you to host personal websites relatively easily. For this, you can use the DropPages application (with a custom domain).
How to host a website on DropBox
DropPages is the ideal solution for hosting a website on Dropbox. In addition to simplifying the entire process, DropPages allows you to use a custom domain, which can be an advantage when decorating your page link.
Start by logging into the DropPages service and allow the app to be installed on your DropBox account. Then, click on the “Create New Site” button and indicate the domain you want to use.
You are ready, a new folder will appear on your DropBox in the “Applications - DropPages” directory. Now, just upload the necessary files to DropBox.
In our example, it was enough to send an “HTML” file to the “templates” folder of DropPages.
What if You need something better than that?
If you have your own business, regardless of size or segment, know that web hosting can bring you a number of benefits. That’s because it opens doors for you to expand your reach, and thus increase the volume of sales.
Imagine being able to promote your products and services to the whole country. More than that, for the whole world, With a digital presence, you can be present anywhere.
Many content managers offer this type of service, but they are not as beneficial as a company that specializes in web hosting.
These platforms tend to offer inferior hosting, which cannot support a large volume of visits and data.
What are the benefits of web hosting?
Web hosting is a great way for you to leverage your business. That’s because it offers a number of benefits, such as:
Make your brand more professional
Today, one of the characteristics that show professionalism is having its own website. That’s because most people search for products, services, and brands on the internet. Therefore, by having web hosting, you ensure that your business conveys more professionalism since users will have all the information about it.
Specialized support
One of the advantages you have when hiring a company specialized in this type of service is the specialized support. If there is a problem with your page, you will have a trained professional to assist you.
Content managers generally do not have this support. This ends up leaving you without any help when you need it most.
More memory capacity and volume of visits
One more benefit of web hosting is that your website will not be limited. This is because it is possible to hire memory packs and a volume of visits that really meet your needs at affordable prices.
The truth is that this is indispensable. This is because if a user accesses your page and it fails, the chances of them never accessing it are very high.
Safety
Security is one of the most important elements within the web. After all, you will be providing personal data about yourself and your users. Because of this, it is necessary to invest in solutions that protect this information.
A web hosting company offers all the modules you need. Thus, there will be no risk of data leakage.
This is an important issue, especially for entrepreneurs who want or have a virtual store. This is because the Consumer Protection Code makes it clear that it is the entrepreneur’s obligation to ensure the protection of information, including the use of Digital Certificates.
Bigger reach
Of course, we could not fail to mention that, by hiring such a service, you can increase the reach of your business. In addition to promoting it everywhere, it is also possible to market your services and products, increasing your sales volume.
That is, web hosting only tends to bring benefits to your enterprise. It is worth investing in this type of service and ensuring the success of your project.
But, How to Move from Google Drive to Paid Hosting
There is nothing more frustrating than hiring a website hosting service and it doesn’t work as expected. Whether for lack of resources or for a support that is slow to respond, it is quite possible that you want to change provider.
What to know before migrating sites?
Before thinking about migrating sites to a new hosting, you need to take some precautions. After all, you will want your website to be complete, with all the content, files, and database from the previous hosting at the new company.
Make a Backup. Essential task not only to migrate a website from Google Drive to another hosting provider but also with any digital service. This avoids failures and losses of content and files. Compatible Programming Language. In the migration step, the programming language determines which type of website hosting is most appropriate. The provider itself will be able to identify which is the most suitable for your business. DNS change. Your domain’s DNS before the site migration will be redirected to the new provider. Do not worry, as this will not make your service unfeasible. DNS changes happen with any type of domain extension. Possible incompatibilities. As soon as you migrate websites to a new hosting, incompatibilities may arise. Like CMS (WordPress, for example), which may have some instability due to plugins or any other functionality. Your new hosting provider can help you fix these setbacks.
How to migrate a website from Google Drive to Professional Web Hosting?
Migrating a website from Google Drive to another hosting provider requires a series of technical knowledge. Because of this, website hosting providers often offer website migration services to their users.
Whether you are a little experienced with programming or even an expert on the subject, you can migrate websites to another hosting without any worries. The company itself performs the entire process for you. And at WebLink, for example, there is no extra cost for the user.
As the processes are being carried out by the agents, the structure of your website will be hosted in the new company. At the end of the migration of sites, databases, and all files, a DNS note of your domain will be made to the new provider. DNS propagation can take up to 24 hours.
What data do you need to migrate your site?
In the process of migrating sites, you will need to complete a migration form. It is the way you have to request the service for your new website hosting provider.
The data you will need to fill in the form is:
- Name;
- Your account email;
- Contact phone;
- Domain to which it will be transferred;
- Provider access information prior to migration;
- User name;
- Password;
- Hosting system used
- Accept the terms of the migration policy.
Conclusion
Even if Google might have ended its hosting feature, you don’t need to worry. The best solution is to look for some more reliable alternatives.
Believe me, there are a lot of alternatives to the same, and migrating a website from Google drive to another hosting is not difficult. And with tiiny host, in addition to not having any work on migration, we carry out the entire process for you, at no additional cost.
