Have you started noticing significant delays and a lessened user experience on your website? You may be experiencing the side effects of outgrowing your hosting plan. What exactly is VPS hosting, and how can it be beneficial to your website? Read on to find out!
Web Hosting Explained
Web hosting involves storing your website’s files on a server, which will allow viewers from around the world access to your site. When the viewer comes across your website, the server will send the files to their browser through the internet.
When you initially create a website as a business owner, you are likely going to be starting small. You will introduce clients to your products and hopefully see some sales resulting from advertising and word of mouth. For this type of scenario, you will likely be using a shared web hosting plan.
With a shared hosting plan, a server will host your website along with many others. This number could range anywhere from dozens to thousands of other websites. All the websites on the server will be sharing the same resources, including RAM, the CPU, and memory. This could result in the poor performance of your website, especially if your virtual traffic has recently seen a significant increase. A good rule of thumb is to keep track of your website’s analytics and upgrade to a VPS plan when you see at least 150 daily visitors to your site.
VPS Hosting
VPS, or virtual private server, hosting is the next logical step after you have outgrown your shared plan. For this hosting type, your website will still be on a shared server, but it will have its own allocation of resources. There will also be far fewer websites on the same server.
Who Uses VPS Hosting
The ideal user of VPS hosting plans are medium-sized companies that are looking for increased security and performance. These include, but are not limited to, the following types of websites:
- eCommerce sites
- News websites
- Educational sources or online courses
- Larger blogs
Assuming that your business falls under one of these categories, it might be worthwhile to investigate VPS hosting. There are many reputable providers for VPS hosting in Canada, so you have a variety of different options to choose from.
Advantages of Using VPS Hosting
The major benefits of switching to VPS hosting are an improvement to security, more customization, and a reduced bounce rate/faster speed. We will be delving deeper into these topics in the text below.
Improved Security
With shared hosting, there are always going to be obvious opportunities for virtual attacks. With thousands of websites on the same server, it is easy for hackers to take advantage and infiltrate the sites. If even one website owner does not take their virtual security seriously, they are putting all the other websites at risk.
When it comes to VPS, there are far fewer vulnerabilities in security. Business owners on a VPS plan can expect to see enhanced firewalls and more frequent scans to protect their data. A good hosting provider will also perform regular data backups in case of emergencies.
Increased Customization Options
For technically savvy users, a VPS will provide them with more customization options than a shared plan. This is because they will have full root access, allowing modifications to the server setup. You will be able to have control over your operating system, as well as aspects such as partitioning and PHP versions.
This, of course, assumes that the user chooses an unmanaged VPS plan. A managed plan would involve the hosting provider taking care of all the details relating to server setup and other technical applications.
Reduced Bounce Rate and Faster Speeds
A bounce rate refers to the percentage of people who access your website and then immediately return to their search results. An average bounce rate is approximately 50% of website visitors. In general, if the rate is any higher than that, there might be an underlying issue at play, and you could consider hiring a website designer for additional assistance.
One of the main causes of a high bounce rate is slow loading times. With VPS, your website is no longer sharing the same resources with others, and there is a guarantee that your website will have a certain amount. The site’s speed will not be affected by its neighbor’s poor performance. Therefore, it is highly likely that your website’s speed will improve after an upgrade to a VPS plan.