All You Need To Know About Web Hosting
Has Your NZ Website Outgrown Its Web Hosting? Signs to Watch For
When starting a website, we usually only have projections for traffic and resource needs. There’s no way to know for sure if our initial expectations will be met, or even surpassed. As such, most people start out small with their web hosting. The question is, how quickly might you outgrow that initial setup? A key aspect of maintaining a good website, often overlooked with initial budget setups, involves ensuring the underlying hosting remains adequate as your site grows.
Key Indicators You Might Need a Hosting Upgrade
Before deciding if you need an upgrade, consider these key points:
1. Slow Load Times
This is often the most obvious indicator. Is your website loading slowly? Let’s face it, people don’t like waiting online. Given the choice between waiting for a slow (even if good) website and quickly visiting a competitor’s faster site, many will choose the competitor. This isn’t just a concern for desktop viewing either. Statistics consistently show that mobile usage often surpasses desktop usage in NZ, so you need to ensure your website performs well on mobile platforms too. You can use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to check your website’s loading time. While improving speed can be time and cost-intensive (code might need optimisation, images compressed, design adjusted, etc.), this investment is usually worth it in the long run for user experience and SEO.
2. Poor Server Performance (Overloading Issues)
Starting with an affordable web host is common, especially with budget-friendly web design. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with saving money, some budget hosts might overload their servers, squeezing too many websites onto shared resources. The result can be poor performance impacting your website, especially during busy periods. Research server specifications, read reviews, and understand resource limits before choosing a host.
3. Poor IP Reputation
This is an often overlooked yet crucial factor in web hosting. If the server’s IP address (which might be shared with hundreds of other websites on budget shared hosting) has been flagged by services like Talos Intelligence for spam or other malicious activities, it’s bad news for your site’s email deliverability and potentially your search rank. Search engines may take IP reputation into account. Furthermore, servers might have issues due to outdated software or security vulnerabilities. Try to choose a hosting platform with a good reputation for security, maintenance, and IP address management.
4. Poor Peak Performance
Projected performance estimates and real-world load handling are different things. When your website experiences traffic spikes (e.g., after a marketing campaign or during seasonal peaks), ensure it doesn’t slow down drastically or become unresponsive. Even with a well-built website, inadequate hosting can cause sluggish performance under load, which annoys users and can cost you conversions.
5. Software/Application Compatibility Issues
When using shared hosting plans, you need to ensure they support the specific software versions your website requires. This is important if your website software (like your eCommerce platform or CMS) needs a specific, potentially newer, version of server software (like PHP) that your current host doesn’t support or update quickly. It might not be an issue now, but it’s worth checking compatibility when considering hosting plans or upgrades.
Choosing and Managing Your Web Hosting Wisely
Ensure you understand exactly what your hosting plan provides in terms of resources (CPU, RAM, bandwidth), support, security features, and software versions. Keeping an eye on the points above will help you manage your website hosting effectively and recognise when it might be time for an upgrade to ensure your NZ website continues to perform well.