Local VPS Hosting Benefits
If you have noticed slower page load speeds on your website while using shared hosting like Crazy Domains, 1st Domains etc (especially around peak times 3 – 9pm) it’s definitely worth considering upgrading to a VPS, here is a brief summary of the differences in hosting options.
Shared Servers
Shared hosting is the most common hosting type for individuals and small businesses, it’s easy to set up and its cheap. The reason for this is you share the servers resources with perhaps 1000’s of other customers.
The downsides to shared hosting are limited CPU resources, especially at peak hours, slower page load speed due to the servers location (generally in the USA) and less customisation on your server for example if something goes wrong with the server you have to wait for the host to correct it which can take up to 12 hours if your provider is in the USA.
Shared server hosting is like having access to the public swimming pool, never go there at peak time.
Cloud Servers
Cloud servers are the next step up from shared servers, giving you more power and better performance. They are a connection of servers which all host information relating to your website, the customer received information from the closest server to its location. This is especially good for international businesses that have viewers from the UK, Asia, NA etc. They are generally higher spec due to the configuration required and drain less resources making them quicker than a shared server.
A Cloud Server is like having a pool in your apartment complex, its only used by the people in your block and it’s big enough for everyone to swim in the fast lane all the time.
VPS / Dedicated Server
The most expensive, but the best. A physical server that’s only accessed by you. VPS hosting is best for businesses who need fast, content rich sites loaded in sub 3 seconds 100% of the time. The resources on a VPS server are made available exclusively to the owner enabling consistently the highest performance.
The main benefit of a physical server is thats its generally located close to your business and your customers so the distance a page has to travel to download on a customers computer might be from Queen St, Auckland (where my servers are) to other parts of NZ via chorus’s fibre network. This is vs. a shared server in the USA where a page is transmitted wirelessly through many exchange points until its loaded on a computer in NZ, the difference is a 2-3 second page load vs a 5-6 second page load. The average time a consumer loses focus is about 6 seconds, so its critical that your business website is loading each page in under 3 seconds consistently.
A dedicated server is like having your own private swimming pool.
Without doubt any business that relies on A. Google & B its website to generate new business must be on a VPS.