It might become difficult for you to decide when to upgrade your web hosting plan. This has become a concern of most of the people. In this article, we will help you understand when to take this decision. Before digging deep into the details, let’s take an overview of the various types of web hosting choices available. Although there many web hosting options, the three major types of web hosting are:
Shared hosting: This is the most common type and popular web hosting service. In this type of hosting, several sites are hosted on one single server and utilize the common resources. The websites on this server share the same resources with other websites on the server. These resources include- RAM, disk space, computing power etc. The overall server maintenance cost is divided across multiple users, thus, making this as the most affordable web hosting option for the website owners.
If you have a small website which doesn’t have huge traffic and looking for a less expensive solution then shared hosting is a good choice for you.
Dedicated hosting: As the name suggests, you get the complete access to the web server in dedicated hosting and this server is not shared with any other users. This ultimately means the server resources are not shared among other accounts and will be utilized only for your website. As a result, you get higher performance but the cost is more as compared to shared hosting.
This type of web hosting is mostly suited for huge websites that need solid security and has massive traffic.
VPS- Virtual Private Server: This type of hosting is a combination of shared hosting and dedicated hosting. In VPS, the physical server is partitioned into multiple virtual servers where each virtual server gets its own space and resources. Although other users reside on the same server you will have your own share of resources and any other users won’t impact your website performance.
For those who don’t want to spend more on a dedicated server and need full access of the account on the server, VPS is suggested.
When should you upgrade to VPS?
Shared hosting is mostly preferred among people when starting their first website. As this one is the appropriate choice for small and medium websites or blogs, at the same time for growing websites a shared hosting plan may not be sufficient. Even though it offers extensive features at a low price, once your business becomes larger, your web hosting needs may grow as well. So, if you are planning to expand your website then you must consider upgrading your shared hosting plan to a higher one- VPS hosting. This is because as your website grows, the resources of shared hosting may not meet the needs of your site. At this point of time, you will have to opt-in for such a plan that is capable of handling larger traffic, along with desired security and be affordable.
In comparison with a dedicated server, a VPS server will be more suitable because it is not only lower in price but also highly flexible and customizable. You can modify the server as per your requirement such as installing apps/ software, adding resources etc. Besides, a VPS server provides higher security along with many other features.
Some signs that will help you know if its time to upgrade from shared to VPS:
Your business depends on your website
Let’s say you have an online store, a store that generates good revenue for your business. It is important for it to be available 24/7 for your customers. Shared hosting may not be the right idea in such case as it may not perform as expected in the peak hours. Choosing a virtual private server can be a good decision because along with providing many benefits like good uptime, reliability, security and scalability it also assures top-notch performance.
You want to grow your business
If you own an e-commerce store or a website for your business, as time passes, you may find the need to grow your website. Hence, your website’s traffic will start increasing too. If you are on a shared server, this may cause a trouble. After a certain period of time, you may come to a point where you won’t be able to grow your website further and will have to search for upgrading to a new server. All this mess can be kept out if you pre-plan at the beginning stage, making a room for website growth in mind and switching to a VPS server at an appropriate time.
You need an affordable web hosting solution
You get what you pay, this is applicable even when it’s about web hosting. Even if shared hosting is offered at lower prices, you may have to let go off a few things like security and performance of your website. By adding up a few bucks you can avail a faster, reliable and secure environment under a VPS. Almost all web hosting providers have a different range of packages so as to meet the requirements of small, medium or large websites.
It’s always better to go with VPS hosting, if you have a business website and are looking for an affordable web hosting services.
You need more control of your server
If you have such website or an app that needs installation of new software, or full control of your web server then you must definitely consider upgrading to a VPS server. Only a VPS is capable to carry out advanced tasks and provide root access to your server.
Your website speed has sinked
A sudden traffic spike on your website may affect the performance of your server as the shared server plan may not cope up with the high demand of website. Thus making your site slower and affecting your website users. The hosting provider may notify you if you use up too many resources of the server and exceed your limitations. Thus, heavy traffic is also one of the reasons for switching your plan to a VPS server.
You need increased security
As mentioned earlier, if your business is completely dependent on your website you may never wish to face any issue related to web-attacks. As there are plenty of websites hosted on a shared server, probably there might be a possibility of a web attacker entering the network. As a VPS server provides a higher level of security by giving you your own server space, there are lesser risks of hackers. The safest way is to make sure your website is hosted in a secure environment and provides better performance which you get with a VPS server.
Final Verdict
If you are experiencing any of the above scenarios then it’s time for you to upgrade from your shared hosting to a VPS plan. Shared hosting is undoubtedly a good choice for small to medium websites with average visitors. But when it comes to huge or e-commerce websites that has ample amount of traffic you need higher security and maximum uptime. That’s exactly when you will need the urge to use a VPS. The way you plan your other business strategies, it’s equally important to plan and select an ideal web hosting solution. Doing this will help you achieve your goals and take your business to a whole new level.
