Different aspects can influence the choice of a web hosting solution. However, the number of visitors is one of the most important factors.
In general terms, a server used in a specific hosting choice has to match the technical requirements of your website for it to function properly. This refers to the server type and power specifications: for example, you can decide to rent a dedicated server with 32GB of RAM, and 1000 GB of storage because you know that this is what your website needs for optimal performance.
You may not be sure what exactly your website requires, but you may know the number of users visiting it. In this article, we want to give you tips on how to choose hosting based on the number of monthly visitors.
Why does the number of visitors matter?
The number of monthly visitors is not the main criterion for choosing a hosting solution, however, it is still important. A hosting package may include various features, but we advise that you focus more on server specs as the basis of hosting.
The number of visitors, calculated whether daily, weekly, or monthly, transforms into a traffic volume a server has to process. “Digesting” the traffic primarily falls on the shoulder of a bandwidth parameter. Bandwidth is responsible for the amount of data the server can provide to the website; so, if there’s limited bandwidth, some users might encounter issues when browsing a website.
The speed of the said processing is based on the server processor — CPU. Here, the number of cores the processor has can determine how fast a server responds to requests: the more cores the CPU has, the more channels there are to run different tasks simultaneously.
Another key specification of the server is RAM (Random Access Memory), which allows the transferring of data from storage to the CPU. The more RAM there is, the less time a processor spends on reading the data directly from storage.
These are the main hardware specifications of the server; however, there’s also a software component. Software a server runs on is a much more flexible parameter since you can generally switch between applications.
Should you focus on the number of visitors in a specific time period?
You can, but we advise you not to focus solely on that.
You might get an average of 200,000 visitors per month, but it doesn’t mean you get around 6,000 daily. Especially, when you run campaigns, sales, or other events, your website is likely to get more visitors than it normally does. With events like this, 30,000 people can access your website, and you need to make sure that a server, which a hosting solution is based on, can handle peak traffic or load like this.
5 Tips for How to Choose Hosting Based on Website Visitors
There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to hosting; everything depends on your website performance, including the number of concurrent visitors, and how they interact with your website, how the website operates on a code level, and what specifications the server has.
We want to give you tips on how to figure out which web hosting solution works for you.
Tip 1: Run a load test
One of the most efficient ways to determine the server specs that can cover your website needs is to perform a website load test. Here, the average is of secondary importance; you have to look at instances with the highest number of visitors and page hits. You should also analyze how users interact with the content on your website. We advise you to look at hits per second during high-traffic periods instead of the monthly hits.
A server your rent has to withhold the potential highest load and stay online; it shouldn’t crash in instances of increased activity. We suggest determining your peak metric, doubling it, and looking for the hosting solution that can handle the double of website activity you currently have.
Tip 2: Take into account factors that influence the website’s performance
A hosting plan and server aren’t the only aspects influencing the website’s performance. Make sure to consider the following:
- The CMS (Content Management System) used;
- A CDN (Content Delivery Network) used;
- A load balancer used;
- Caching;
- Network speed;
- Web page size and the number of resources per page;
- The type of web page (static or dynamic);
- The complexity and frequency of interaction with graphic content;
- Per-page database engagement;
All of these factors can affect the load on the server, and, ultimately, the performance of your website. Consider mentioning the specifics of your website use to a hosting provider.
Tip 3: Research types of hosting
There are four main types of hosting: shared, VPS, dedicated, and cloud hosting. Each of them has its own pros and cons.
Shared Hosting
- Pros: Extremely affordable, and easy to manage.
- Cons: Insufficient security, limited resources (since shared among multiple users), and slower processing.
VPS hosting
- Pros: Dedicated resources thanks to the virtually isolated environment, better website stability and performance, control over server’s software; affordable.
- Cons: More expensive than shared hosting; requires some technical knowledge to operate.
Cloud hosting
- Pros: Load balancing thanks to the network of servers, increased scalability, lower risk of downtime; cost-efficient.
- Cons: May call for additional expenses; less control over the server environment.
Dedicated hosting
- Pros: Complete server control, exclusive resources, unmatched security, possibility of software and hardware customization; offers the best performance capabilities.
- Cons: Expensive; requires vast technical knowledge to manage and maintain.
Here’s what type of hosting to choose based on your monthly visitors:
- Less than 10,000 monthly visitors — Shared Hosting
- 10,000 — 200,000 monthly visitors — VPS or Cloud Hosting
- More than 200,000 monthly visitors — Dedicated Hosting
Tip 4: Know what to look for in a hosting solution
There are general characteristics you should evaluate when considering a hosting solution:
- Minimal server specs: 2-core CPU, 512 MB of memory, 5 GB of storage, and 10 TB bandwidth;
- Multiple server locations;
- Guaranteed uptime, aka the average amount of time you can expect your website to be online;
- Offered security strategies such as malware detection, DDoS protection, firewalls, SSL certificates, backup options, etc.;
- The option of server management carried out by the hosting provider;
- Scalability options;
- The responsiveness of technical support;
Tip 5: Work around your budget
It is objectively hard to predict how many visitors you will have per month if you’re just starting out.
We recommend starting with the most affordable (especially if you are on a budget), but scalable hosting option. This way if your needs go up, or your website will call for additional resources, you can simply upgrade your plan instead of carrying out a full-blown server migration.
