When entering the vast online world, most people opt to get shared hosting to host their sites, blogs, and stores. Of course, for beginners, shared hosting is the most logical and cost-effective option since it is affordable and easy to use.
However, shared hosting has its limitations and can only serve you up to a certain point. Sooner or later, you will find yourself needing something stronger and faster – VPS hosting. But, how will you know when that time is here? When is the right time for you to switch to VPS hosting? Let’s explore five indicators that show you it’s time to switch to VPS hosting and find out!
When Should You Migrate to VPS Hosting?
Here are the most common indicators that can show you it’s time to leave your shared hosting plan behind and switch to VPS hosting.
#1: Your Website Is Attracting More Visitors
With shared hosting, you will get limited resources, including limited bandwidth. Also, your website will only be able to handle certain amounts of traffic. As your site grows in popularity, it will attract more visitors. Shared hosting plans are not equipped to handle large spikes in traffic, so you will need to be prepared. Once you start getting more visitors and web traffic, your site will become sluggish and will take a longer time to load. These two factors will show you that your hosting plan is no longer fit for your needs and that you need to upgrade it.
It is always better to approach things proactively, so we suggest you always monitor your site’s visitor numbers. That way, you will know when to upgrade to a VPS plan and can avoid slow loading speeds altogether.
Also, if you plan on hosting a big event in the near future, you can upgrade to VPS hosting right off the bat and meet all your new visitors locked and ready! A VPS hosting plan can handle increases in visitors and huge traffic spikes. What’s more, the best VPS hosts, like Offshorededi, offer unmetered traffic in their VPS plans, which is ideal for sudden traffic spikes and a large influx of new visitors.
#2: You Need Better Security
As the name indicates, shared hosting plans run on a server that is shared among multiple users. The same goes for VPS hosting. However, with VPS hosting, you will receive a server that is virtually separated from the others. So, in other words, you will receive your own dedicated virtual server.
Also, with shared hosting, you will be affected by all the other users of the server. So, if one user’s site is compromised or is being attacked, you can also fall prey to the same attack. With VPS hosting, you won’t be affected by anyone else and will be completely isolated from the other users on your server. Also, you will get your own dedicated IP address. What’s more, most VPS hosts offer robust DDoS protection, which adds an extra layer of security to your site.
#3: You Want to Add More Content to Your Site
As your business expands, so will the content that you add to your website. Let’s say you have a blog. You will want to add more posts to your blog as it gains more readers. In order to do that, you will need more storage or disk space. As we mentioned, shared hosting plans come with restricted resources, which include limited storage. So, after some time, you won’t be able to add new content to your site.
That is when you will know that you need to upgrade to a VPS hosting plan. Namely, most VPS hosting plans provide much more storage than shared hosting ones, with some even offering unlimited storage. So, when you exceed the storage limit that your shared hosting plan offers, you will know that it is time to get a VPS hosting plan if you want to continue adding content to your site.
#4: You Want to Start Selling Online
If you want to run your own eCommerce store, you will need a secure way to do it. Of course, you can sell a small number of products with a shared hosting plan. However, if you want to gain the trust of people online and ensure them that you run a store that is safe for them and their financial information, you will need to meet PCI compliance standards.
Most shared hosting plans do not meet PCI compliance standards and are not very safe for storing someone else’s credit card information. However, since VPS hosting is much more secure than shared hosting, it meets PCI compliance standards and is much more suitable for accepting payments online.
#5: You Are Experiencing Frequent Downtime
If people cannot reach your site on the first try, then chances are that they will not try again. So, downtime can lead to a decrease in visitors, which is not good at all. If you start experiencing frequent downtime, that means that the performance that your host offers is not enough for your site, and you need to upgrade immediately.
By upgrading to a VPS hosting plan, you will experience less downtime and much better performance. Also, VPS servers are much more stable and reliable than shared hosting ones and can manage heavier loads and content.
Final Remarks on Migrating to VPS Hosting
As your business grows, you will inevitably grow out of the resources that your shared hosting plan offers. The five indicators that we mentioned above are the most common ones that show you when you need to upgrade your hosting plan.
So, by keeping an eye out for those five indicators, you will be able to catch the perfect moment and upgrade your hosting plan without experiencing any unnecessary downtime or security threats. You can monitor the indicators we mentioned by tracking your site’s metrics, including the number of visitors, availability, amount of time your website is online or offline, data breach attempts, etc.