Taking the next step: is it time to move from shared hosting to a dedicated server?

Last week we discussed the different options when it comes to hosting options and requirements. But how do you really know when you’re ready to move from shared hosting to dedicated hosting, is there a sign you should be looking for? Read on to see if your website ticks the boxes and might need a dedicated hosting package and server.

Shared hosting suits smaller businesses and websites who require a smaller amount of server space and have low website traffic. So when your traffic starts to get bigger and more popular, and you require more server space, it’s time to get some dedicated hosting sorted. But what’s the requirement for ‘bigger’ and ‘smaller’? Here are some useful questions to ask yourself:

Is my website slow to load? A slow-loading website creates a poor user experience and people are more likely to leave your website quickly, so it’s important that your website loads quickly. With a shared hosting service, you’ll be sharing server space with other websites. If your website starts to become demanding on server space, then this may slow it down and it’s probably time to think about moving over. Apparently 40% of people will leave your website if it takes 3 seconds or more to load, try to keep it to a maximum of 2.

Am I taking payments on my site? If your answer is ‘yes’ then you need to make sure that your site is really secure as this is private information that should never be shared. In this case you should have dedicated hosting, no more debate needed.

Am I planning to add more complexity to my website? If this is a ‘yes’ then again, you will want to consider moving to dedicated hosting. The more features you have on your website, the more server space it’s likely to need and so dedicated hosting is your best option.

At Webforward, we offer a range of hosting options. So whether you know which one you want or need, or you’re still trying to work it out, just drop us a message: hello@webfwd.co.uk