4 Signs You Might Be Outgrowing Your Web Hosting

Web hosting is an essential part of running a website. Without it, your website cannot be online. But, not all hosting options are created equal. As your website grows and your business expands, your web hosting needs may change.

A web hosting provider that was suitable for you when you started may not support your current needs. So, how do you know if you have outgrown your web hosting? In this blog post, we’ll share 4 signs it may be time to upgrade to a more advanced hosting plan.

Why does web hosting matter? How does it affect your business?

Choosing the right web hosting will be a game changer for your business. It impacts your website’s performance and speed. Slow websites drive away visitors, increase bounce rates, and harm your SEO rankings. 

Also, the type of web hosting you pick directly influences the security of your website. Businesses require websites to have strong security features that offer protection against malware attacks and data breaches.

What are the different types of web hosting plans? 

There are many types of hosting plans available, such as shared hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated hosting. Different types of hosting offer unique benefits and trade-offs.

• Shared hosting, the most common type of hosting, allows many websites to share a server’s resources. It is ideal for small businesses that need affordable and straightforward hosting. 
• Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting offers dedicated resources and greater control at a higher price point. 
• Enterprise hosting provides the ultimate in scalability, control, and customization, built for businesses that demand a high-performance and secure hosting environment.

Shared and VPS hosting plans may not provide the level of support, control, and customization a growing business requires. Enterprise hosting is perfect for growth-stage companies that are experiencing sudden traffic. 

But how do you know that it’s time to upgrade your web hosting? Read on below to know the signs!

4 Signs that you might be outgrowing your web hosting

1. Your site is running slowly. Or slower than usual. 

A slow website is a major red flag that you’ve outgrown your current web hosting plan. A slow website not only frustrates your visitors but also affects your search engine rankings.

Studies show that 40% of users abandon websites that take longer than three seconds to load. Upgrading to enterprise hosting can give you the speed and scalability you need to handle large volumes of traffic.

What can you do right away? Run a speed to test your website’s page loading speed. If your website is taking too long to load, it’s time to step up to a hosting plan that can keep up with your website’s traffic.

2. You are expecting a huge spike in traffic

Another sign that you might need to upgrade your web hosting is if you are experiencing traffic spikes. 

Picture this. You recently raised funding. You decided to use a part of this new capital towards a marketing campaign. Your strategy works! And from a thousand clicks per day, your website jumps to one million+ visitors. Shared hosting plans aren’t designed to handle such high traffic volumes, and your website crashes. 

If your website receives more traffic than your shared hosting can handle, you will experience website crashes or even server crashes. 

Increased traffic can be a good thing for businesses, but it can also lead to downtime, slow speed, and disrupted customer experience. 

If you are expecting a massive surge in traffic, upgrading to enterprise hosting can help you handle the increased load without impacting your website’s speed.

3. You’re worried about security concerns

Imagine the thrill of success after growing your business from nothing to an impressive customer base. You’ve worked hard to reach this success milestone. Your business is flourishing with hundreds (or even thousands!) of paying customers, and you have a responsibility—both for them and yourself – to ensure their data stays secure.

Websites using shared hosting plans are extremely vulnerable to security threats. This can compromise their user data and online presence. 

Even if you do everything in your power to keep your website safe, you have no idea how other websites on the same server manage their security. 

A single breach on one website can alter all websites on the server, leading to damage and lost business. If you’re worried about the security of your website, it’s time to upgrade your web hosting plan to a more secure one.

Enterprise hosting provides enterprise-grade security features such as DDoS protection, and web application firewall (WAF), among others, to keep your website and customers safe.

4. Your website needs more customization and support 

What started as you and your co-founder sitting at a Starbucks and building a product has now turned into a $5 million in revenue, 20+ team members company. 

While that’s definitely the ideal growth stage you wanted to take your company to, your shared hosting definitely does not fit in this scenario. 

A shared hosting plan typically offers limited resources. This means you have restrictions on the applications and services that they offer. 

To take full control of your website, upgrade to an enterprise hosting plan that offers dedicated resources.  More customization options and fuller control over your server could be the way forward.

Also, if you are outgrowing your shared web hosting plan, you may find that you are no longer receiving enough support from your provider. 

Shared hosting providers often offer basic support services, which can be frustrating when you need help urgently. Migrating to an enterprise hosting plan usually grants you access to 24/7 support, extended technical expertise, and priority support services when things don’t go as planned.

Conclusion

Watching out for these signs can help you make informed decisions about when it’s time to switch web hosting providers. In most cases, upgrading to a VPS or Dedicated server may seem like an expensive option, but it’s worth it, especially when you realize how much downtime, security breaches, and website optimization you’ll avoid.

What plan you choose depends on what stage of growth your business is in right now.

Signs that indicate you may be outgrowing your web hosting plan include slow loading times, security concerns, limited support, and customization. 

We might have a bias here, but upgrading to SirsteveHQ’s Enterprise hosting plan will definitely boost your website’s performance.

With our scalable infrastructure and dedicated support, you can grow your business without worrying about downtime or security breaches. 

Contact us to learn more about our enterprise hosting plan and take your business to the next level!