5 Signs It’s Time To Move On From Shared Hosting
There are five tell-tale signs that it’s time to upgrade your hosting…
Many sole traders and start-up businesses will launch their websites using shared hosting. This cost-effective solution means a website will run on a single server, at the same time as other people’s websites. It’s a good starter option for sites with limited traffic and minimal bandwidth-taxing content.
However, as companies grow, many of them find that shared hosting isn’t enough for them. If you’re one of these companies, these are the five signs that it’s time to move on from shared hosting to a dedicated server or cloud product…
1. You have sluggish response times
The average website visitor has an attention span that would make a gnat look diligent. The wait for a webpage to download might be measurable in seconds, but it can feel like an eternity to anyone desperate to ensure they haven’t missed anything on Facebook in the last couple of minutes. Slow download speeds can often occur when another website on the shared server receives a lot of traffic, effectively hogging the available bandwidth. That’s fine if it only happens occasionally, but not if it becomes a regular problem.
2. You feel the need for more security
The difference between shared and dedicated servers can be compared to having your own locker in a train station or your own safe at home. Both will screen your valuables from prying eyes, but one will provide far greater peace of mind. The train station locker is not under your direct control, which means you’re reliant on other people engineering in sufficient security to protect your items. The distance between you and your locker can become worrisome, and attacks on neighbouring lockers may threaten the security of your valuables as well.
3. You want more flexibility
Because shared hosting relies on accommodating as many websites as possible, it doesn’t favour complex or fancy sites. If you want your website to host resource-heavy features like HD video streams or shopping cart functionalities, a shared server is not recommended. Most websites evolve and become more bandwidth-hungry with each redesign or update, making them increasingly unsuitable for servers that already host other portals.
4. You’re launching a new brand
Shared servers usually only allow one domain name per client. Alternatives like reseller hosting ensure the space provided to one account can be subdivided between multiple domains – invaluable for serial entrepreneurs or companies with sub-brands and arms-length offshoots.
5. Your budget just got bigger
If a computer is half the price of its competitors, it’s likely to be slower and less powerful than its dearer rivals. The same analogy can be made between shared and other forms of hosting. UK2’s shared business hosting plans come with an uptime service level agreement, so you can expect the best service you can get with us. However, there may come a time when you outgrow even the best shared hosting. This is when it’s worth spending a little bit of extra money to move onto a dedicated server or cloud hosting. When you make decision, UK2’s tech team will hold your hand every step of the way through the transition.
To find out more about UK2’s cloud and dedicated servers visit the website.