Did you know that you’ll lose 40% of your customers if your page takes more than 3 seconds to load?
It’s an astounding figure when you think about it, and serves to show just how high the standards of the everyday web browser have become. If you want to ensure that your business isn’t left behind then you need to make sure you get faster.
Here are a few clever ways you can stay one step ahead by making the most of your web hosting options. But first, let’s take a look at a few of the tangible benefits you will see from switching your website’s host to increase the loading speed.
How Does Faster Hosting Help?
It’s a good question because a lot of the time people will tell you’re loading slowly because of common coding mistakes. A huge number of HTTP requests and endless Java scripts are two things known to slow sites down, but what about those hosting choices?
Well, the good news is that not only can they be changed. They’re also a lot easier to put right than coding issues because you won’t be forced to rebuild your site from top to bottom.
Here are a few ways faster hosting will impact your site:
- SEO: No matter whether you run an online writing service, a blog, or any other type of business, ranking high in search is crucial. Google recently updated their algorithm’s criteria to include loading time. I can’t say for sure what the quantitative impact on your ranking will be, but slower generally means lower!
- Conversion Rate: A 1-second delay in page loading times drops your conversion rate by 7%. If you’re 5% bigger than your competition after a year’s worth of hard work then you could see it all wiped out overnight if your site starts to slow down.
Clearly, you have a bit of an issue if you’re running a slow site, so how can hosting help you out? And what do you need to look for?
Find a VPS to Ring Fence Your Resources
Some servers work by allocating their resources on a first come first-served basis. This is great if you’re one of the biggest users on the server as you’ll likely get the first refusal on whatever it is that you need.
If you’re trying to find a hosting plan for your business when you’re still very much in the growth stage however then this will be a major stumbling block. Opting for a VPS, or a dedicated server is a right way to go about things.
That way you won’t have to compete for resources with other sites. Avoid shared plans even if they look like better value for money because before you know it you’ll have a slow laggy site that doesn’t do your products and services justice.
Store Your Content Locally
If you’re looking for a super common example of hosting affecting speed then consider the remote vs local servers argument. If you have the option to store all of your content on the host’s server then go for it (this is what I mean by a local server in this instance).
You might feel smart if you have one server for storage and another for hosting, but what’s the advantage to you in terms of top-end speed? There isn’t one. All you’re doing is increasing the path length of the information whilst your customers sit there getting frustrated at how long it’s taking to load. Keep them waiting long enough and they’ll make their way to one of your competitors before you have a chance to put things right.
Check the Memory and Processing Power
A lot of people fall into the trap of thinking that a server is a magic box in a remote location that creates the internet. This is completely the wrong way to think about it as it clouds your judgment.
As with your choice of desktop computer you need to be thinking about memory and processing speed. The more your host’s server has to offer in this respect, the more firepower it will have to make your website load nice and fast.
Take the time to do your research, and don’t be taken in by the first or the cheapest package you find. You’ll only regret it later when you’re stuck with a website that takes a couple of seconds longer to load than it should do.
Find a Fast Hard Drive
We’ve said that speed improves conversions, so why not search for a server with a fast hard drive that will get things moving?
A solid-state drive is far faster than the traditional hard drives of yesteryear, so shop around for a hosting provider that invests in the latest hardware. That way you’ll know that you won’t suffer a drop in conversions just because you’ve tried to save a few dollars by going with an antiquated host.
About the Author
Daniela is a self-confessed tech-lover with a passion for discovering new ways of doing things. She is also a long-term editor for Grabmyessay and Top essay writing. In her spare time, she can be found growing her following online and relaxing with her husband and dog at the beach.
