The global web hosting services industry will be worth €154 billion by 2022. The burgeoning scalability and data security problems are some of the factors that’ll inform the rapid growth. Among the most common services offered are shared and VPS hosting.
What are the differences between the two services and what are the advantages of each over the other? In this article, we’ll review all these and also discuss how to upgrade from shared hosting to VPS hosting. Read on!
For any website to run and go live, it must have a server accessible to the public. A server is a program, device, or computer that manages network resources. Their function is specific to server-related tasks.
Servers come in various types, among them being shared servers. These refer to a hosting where a single program hosts many sites at the same time. Shared servers also imply shared costs, which provide cost-efficiency for the users.
Each user on the server has access to various features like monthly traffic, databases, disk space, FTP accounts, and email accounts. The server sets a certain percentage of everything a user can access, including the RAM and CPU space.
This type of hosting is more suitable for small websites or blogs that don’t require high bandwidth or advanced configurations. This is where VPS hosting comes in for sites with high traffic. We’ll look at VPS hosting details shortly.
Shared hosting is better than other types of servers in the following ways:
The stiff competition sees the providers do their best to keep their services up and running at all times.
You also need to know the shortcomings of this hosting option should you consider it:
These downsides of shared hosting are enough to make you upgrade to VPS hosting.
VPS hosting refers to Virtual Private Server, which is a progression from basic shared hosting plans. VPS hosting becomes a necessity when the shared plans can no longer accommodate the needs of your site adequately. With VPS hosting, your site still shares a physical server with other sites.
The difference comes in because each site is assigned a virtually partitioned part of the server all to itself. This means that your site has access to a good portion of resources for the smooth running. How does VPS hosting differ from shared hosting plans?
VPS hosting combines the features of shared and dedicated hosting. They’re designed to meet the needs of those sites that need more than the features provided by shared hosting. The mode uses virtual technology, also known as a hypervisor.
It works by partitioning a single server into multiple spaces or virtual machines. The spaces come with an independent operating system and infrastructure. Each site operates in isolation but receives an allocation of the shared resources on the server.
One virtual machine can be used to host a single website or multiple sites under a single account. This is a strategy that startup web hosting companies can use to host sites of numerous clients. This allows all users to configure and manage their sites independently, but at a much lower cost.
With VPS hosting, you can enjoy complete control over all aspects of your site’s features and functions. This ensures you get better performance and scalability than what you’d get with shared hosting. Most businesses enjoy a lot of conveniences using VPS hosting services.
When you know how to use the VPS in the right way, you’ll have all the features necessary to accommodate growth.
VPSs have a few things in common with shared hosting but have advantages you may not get from shared hosting.
They also have their downsides:
The extra cost is just a small price to pay for the convenience you get out of VPS hosting. All that is left is for you to decide if it’s the right choice for your site.
There are clear indications that’ll point you towards upgrading from shared hosting to VPS hosting. However, one of the most crucial factors to consider is server performance. If your site runs on a shared server and has too much traffic, at some point, you’ll need to upgrade.
Let’s look at the other indicators that show it’s time to upgrade.
You likely started your site on a free or shared hosting plan. There’s nothing wrong with that since it’s the only fair option for small businesses with a low budget. However, as your site grows and as you add more content, you’ll realize that it becomes slower in performance.
You can determine how slow your site is using a web performance tool for free. The software will help you determine the changes you need to make to speed up the website. If this doesn’t produce much success, it may be time to upgrade to VPS hosting.
There are features you can have on your site when using a shared hosting plan. If you want to impress visitors to your site, there are things you need to do to boost sales. VPS hosting allows you to do a lot more with your website.
The increased RAM, CPU, and disk space are more than you can get from a shared plan. This allows your site to handle more resources as well as more traffic. Remember that the more the features you add to your website, the more the demand you create on the service provider.
Popular website design trends and themes include custom illustrations like videos, images, databases, and flash files. These are features that’ll require a lot of space from the server.
There has never been a time when websites were faced with security threats than now. Different types of scam and sophisticated cyber crimes are on the increase. It’s your responsibility as the website owner to protect your website and its users from attacks.
For example, if you use any forms for data collection, ensure the information is as safe as possible. If using card payments, check that you comply with the minimum Payment Card Industry requirements.
VPS hosting is safer than shared hosting plans. VPS hosting companies always strive to acquire better and more reliable site security solutions. With shared hosting, our site might pick security threats from another website without your knowledge.
You’re continually marketing your site, in the hope to get increased traffic. Your marketing efforts may lead to unprecedented traffic surge to your website. With a shared hosting plan, your site may not adequately handle the increased traffic.
In any case, your site may end up crashing if the server isn’t adequate for the new traffic demand. Alternatively, it’ll suffer slow speeds in loading. It’s better to deal with this challenge in advance than wait until customers have started coming to your site.
If they come but can’t find a solution because your site won’t load, they’ll move to your competitors. Most online consumers want to deal with websites that load within a few seconds. If they don’t get this from your site, they’ll leave, and this will drastically reduce your sales.
Your website was probably just a simple platform to get your online business started. Maybe you now want to step it up and convert it to an e-commerce website where you can sell your products. A free of shared hosting plan may not work for you in this case.
You need to look at hosting options that have more sophisticated security features. Remember, you’ll be dealing with online payments and customers’ data. The hosting option you choose should support your product pages and offer you enough space to run your business operations.
It can be quite frustrating for your website to keep experiencing down times. This is the one thing that can harm your online reputation. There are many reasons as to why this happens, but it could be that you’re running out of space or have reached visitor limits.
If this happens more than occasionally, it’s highly likely that you’re losing customers each time. Once you’ve lost the initial connection with clients, the chances are high that they won’t come back. VPS hosting solutions give you a guaranteed amount of uptime, which is a solid reason why you should consider upgrading.
If you’ve been using a hosting plan whose contract is ending, check other options before renewing the contract. Technology is always evolving, and what might have worked a few years ago may be overtaken by events. You might not be for the idea of changing your hosting plan, but it may be what you need.
The process isn’t complicated, and some advantages come with upgrading from shared hosting. If you’re sure about the VPS hosting provider you want to work with, the process of transition shouldn’t be complicated.
Some of the reasons that may inform your decision to change your host include a better pricing plan. It’s always good to compare what other providers have to offer. Performance issues can also lead to a change in the hosting plan.
If you’ve got plans to make changes to your site, it’s advisable to incorporate them in your hosting plan. Develop your strategies for one year, so that you can look for a hosting plan that’ll adequately accommodate them.
What’s the relationship between hosting and SEO? A shared server means your site isn’t alone on the server. Most of the other sites on that server use the same IP address as yours. If any of them have a bad reputation online, your ranking may be negatively affected.
If any of these reasons directly affect your site, it’s time to consider upgrading from shared to VPS hosting. It may seem like an expensive option now, but it’ll save you a lot of disappointments in the future.
Your website can’t run without hosting services. Most new sites go for free or shared hosting plans in the initial stages of going live. As they grow and their needs change, the need to look for other hosting alternatives is inevitable.
One of the plans you can consider is VPS hosting. Although it shares some characteristics with shared hosting, it provides much more benefits. The website owner can customize the features and functions of their site.
VPS hosting is more security-friendly and maintains your site’s uptime longer than shared hosting. If you’re running a big website with a lot of traffic, you need to upgrade from shared hosting. There are more advantages to doing this than can be captured in this space.
If you have any nagging questions, be sure to contact us today.
