Every time you click on a website’s URL and wait to be redirected to it there’s a whole lot of action going on behind the scenes. Servers receive your request and the reply to it is what means the homepage opens on your screen. That will work very reliably every time, as long as the server isn’t receiving that same request from a hundred other different directions or more at the same time. That can happen for a website, and if it’s an eCommerce website for a business it is usually a reflection of business growth and better visibility. These scenarios are why high-traffic website management is a need in Canada.
That growth and visibility is what any business will want to have for themselves, and some growing pains will be tolerated. But having potential customers be unable to access the website is one that they won’t be able to accept, even grudgingly. Websites that are on shared hosting plans will have this sort of stuff happen more often, and being able to handle traffic spikes is always a big reason why people will switch to a VPS if reliable hosting in Ottawa is a more pressing need.
Businesses become profitable as they grow, so the added expense is definitely going to be worth it if you move over to a VPS server. The same will be said for dedicated hosting, but that is quite a jump in pricing and most popular ecommerce sites will do just fine with a VPS. For anyone who is an online retailer it’s true that this time of the years is the busiest of all of them, and it’s to be expected that the number of people Christmas shopping online is increased exponentially these days.
For some people this may be the time where they realize their site can’t handle the surges in traffic because of server shortcoming, and if so then it’s time to ask if it’s time to upgrade your server too. Ready for high-traffic seasons? Upgrade your hosting plan today!
Pivotal Stuff
A business’ online presence can be a major determinant in whether or not it’s successful. A website can have excellent design, compelling content and the best digital marketing strategies but still be inaccessible. It’s for this reason that choosing the right hosting provider and plan is one of the keys to a successful web presence. This look at the subject can start with an explanation for what is webs hosting, and so that’s where we’ll start. Web hosting is the process by which a website is made available on the World Wide Web and can be accessed by anyone who clicks to request a visit.
A website is going to require a web host before users can visit and browse its pages. Without it your site is nowhere to be found along the information superhighway, even if you’re certain it does exist. No one is going to have the means of creating and running their own web server, and instead what people do is pay for the web hosting provider in Canada to take care of that for you.
An understanding of how the Internet and web servers work is also needed here. When a website is created and designed it will have texts, images, videos and code saved on a web server, and that web server then functions as a file hosting service for all a website’s data. You can conceptualize the Internet as a big network of connected computers and web servers. When users want to visit a website, they enter a URL into their browser’s bar. Their devices request the web server to send that data to that user’s computer. The code then formats how that data is presented on their computer, and displaying the website homepage users were expecting to see.
In some ways you can see a web server as a storage unit similar to a file hosting service, and with shared web hosting you are renting space in that storage unit. There is no shortage of storage unit options, but not all them will offer the same services to accommodate your website’s needs. It’s for this reason that choosing your web hosting provider is important if you want be assured of not being affected by shortcomings. For most people the proof in the pudding with this as it relates to high-traffic website management is an uptime guarantee made possible by the best network and servers in Canada.
An uptime guarantee that’s less than 99.99% can be an indicator of a lower web hosting provider. Remember that if a server is offline then users can’t access server data and that means they won’t be able to visit your website. In other instances a server may simply be too slow, resulting in slow-loading web pages that frustrate users and make it more likely they ‘bounce’ from the site. These issues can also impact your search engine performance, rankings and conversion rates.
Workings of Web Hosting
There are also going to be businesses in Ottawa that require specialized web hosting solutions based on the industry they’re in. Some might be handling sensitive patients’ medical data and as such will need HIPAA-compliant web hosting. At the other end of it may be those with smaller eCommerce websites who find that budget-friendly web hosting solutions like shared hosting meet their needs just fine. It’s normal for larger organizations with more data to need their own dedicated servers to cover everything they need from website performance.
All of this will apply for reliable hosting in Ottawa too, and choosing a well-established provider like us here at 4GoodHosting can mean that these individual gain various features and technologies that could benefit the website’s performance. Among these ones will be server management, storage, bandwidth allocation, security measures and technical support.
The next thing we can look at here is the different types of web hosting, and when it comes to being able to handle traffic spikes at certain times of the year we’ve already explained how a VPS is going to be the solution for that nine times out of 10. But there are different types and the reason these choices exist is because people want to get what they need while staying around a reasonable price point.
If you’re the person making the evaluations and eventual decisions then what you want to be considering are the different levels of resources, control and scalability. There are pros and cons to each web hosting option, so it’s essential to consider factors like traffic volume, performance requirements, budget and technical expertise when choosing the best fit for web hosting for your website. So let’s focus on each one by one.
Shared Hosting
Multiple websites can be hosted on one server if they’re not too large and there is enough space on the server. This is the most affordable option for hosting, and for people who won’t be expanding their site of having visitor traffic services you’re going to be perfectly well served with shared hosting. You might want go with an analogy and suggest it’s like a student living with roommates. Not much space is needed, and it’s unlikely that a whole whack of people are ever going to show up the apartment simultaneously.
As such it’s true that shared web hosting is a popular choice for smaller businesses because of its cost-effective benefits. But for high-traffic websites the need for space, bandwidth and processing power will often mean that this hosting option is instantly insufficient.
VPS Hosting
With VPS hosting each website has its own virtual server within a larger physical server. If we go with the same analogy thinking then VPS hosting is like your own apartment in an apartment building. The benefits you’ll be guaranteed with it are better performance and scalability and if you have a website with the potential for even moderate traffic it might be a good idea to start with VPS hosting in anticipation of future growth, popularity, and profitability for the business.
Greater control over server configurations and the ability to install custom software is a huge plus for people too, and the security with VPS web hosting is much better too. Keep in mind as well that if you need to redistribute resources then that means scaling, and that’s something else that is much more capable with a VPS. But of course all of this comes with increased cost. A cost, however, that is often well worth it if your website is where many customers make their purchases and become repeat customers too.
Dedicated Hosting
With dedicated hosting a website has an entire physical server dedicated exclusively to its data. See this one as a 4-bedroom detached home with a huge, fenced yard behind it. With dedicated hosting you have maximum control, customization and performance, and if you have a site that is bound to be high-traffic and serving eCommerce stores then it may be wise to go with dedicated hosting right off the bat and being accommodating future growth for the site and the traffic spikes that will come along with that.
Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting is also an option, and although it won’t make resources available the same way a VPS or dedicated server will it can also make a site more resilient against traffic spikes and the possibility of a denial-of-service message appearing for people who want to visit the website. Cloud hosting uses interconnected servers to distribute resources and handle traffic spikes more efficiently. You might see this one as having a choice of bungalows to live in based on what’s your current situation, and cloud hosting can be a good choice for small business in Ottawa. Are you ready for high-traffic seasons? Upgrade your hosting plan today!
Managed Hosting
Some people will be willing to pay for the freedom of not having to oversee their website’s wellbeing, and it is these people who will be choosing managed hosting. Many websites are built from WordPress, and if you have one then we genuinely recommend Managed WordPress hosting here as it is an affordable way to ensure your WordPress site is equipped to do its best for you. Go with this option and you can expect your web hosting provider in Ottawa to manage all the various aspects of your server, including operations, maintenance, security and performance. This is like staying in a serviced apartment, and for some people they are happy to pay for that added convenience when getting reliable web hosting.
Host Your Own?
Some may be surprised to hear it, but it is possible to host your own website. But be aware that you’ll need to handle all of the tasks that come with website hosting or hire someone to handle it for your business. Many businesses host their own website for benefits such as cost-effectiveness and better control, but this isn’t what people are usually going to be thinking of when thinking of how to approach high-traffic website management
If you do decide to maybe go this route, you’ll need to acquire your own hardware and be investing in a dedicated physical server that you’ll need to physically locate somewhere. They’re not small, and they’re not light. You’ll also need to install and constantly be maintaining your web hosting OS plus setting up and configuring a web server. Plus adding SSL certs if the sites you’ll be hosting are going to receive financial information as part of sales.
If you don’t know what you’re doing we strongly recommend against this as you’re quickly going to find you’re in over your head. The higher upfront costs for hardware and software are probably going to come as quite a shock, and there’s also accounting for ongoing costs such as electricity, cooling and internet connectivity. These expenses can add up quickly, making self-hosting less economical for websites with less content or low traffic, and for reliable hosting in Ottawa it really makes so much more sense to pay for it and absolve yourself of all these responsibilities.
Choosing a Web Hosting Provider
It’s important to take everything we’ve covered here so far into consideration when selecting a service provider. The 99%+ uptime guarantee is always a good place to start with this, but don’t necessarily take the provider’s word for it and look at online reviews for web hosting providers in Ottawa to see if they deliver on their guarantee. What we’ll advise next is that you see added security features as a must-have rather than a nice-to-have.
Ensure the provider offers SSL certificates, firewalls, malware protection and regular backups, as these are often standard security measures that most services provide. Scalability is also big here, and it’s wise to consider whether your business’ website traffic will eventually grow and you may well be outgrowing a shared hosting arrangement where you won’t have the ability to scale your website unless you move to a VPS or dedicated server hosting.
Choosing the right web hosting solution will go a long way towards your website’s success, and that will likely be true even if it’s hard to foresee it happening when a business is just getting started with a website and needs high-traffic website management. Few people will have the budget, resources, or time required to host your own website, so the next move is to find where you can get reliable hosting in Ottawa for the most affordable price.
That’s right here at 4GoodHosting, and our Advanced Cloud hosting is the best choice for many eCommerce websites for business. Ready for high-traffic seasons? Upgrade your hosting plan today!
