Shared hosting can typically handle up to 100,000 visits per month on average, but this greatly depends on website optimisation and the nature of the content. Shared hosting, as the name suggests, implies that your website resides on a server along with other websites, sharing resources like bandwidth, disk space and processing power. This sharing aspect can sometimes limit the traffic your site can handle, especially during peak times or if your site requires intensive resources.
What Is Traffic Limit?
Traffic limit, also known as bandwidth, on a website refers to the maximum amount of data that can be transferred from a web server to a browser within a specified timeframe. This data includes all the elements of your website such as images, text and other multimedia content. The traffic limit is typically measured in gigabytes (GB) per month. A traffic limit can simply be defined as the maximum number of visitors allowed to access and view the data on your website within a given month. This limitation regulates the influx of users and ensures smooth website performance.
What Does High Traffic Mean and Who Handles That Many Visitors?
High traffic, in the context of a website or online platform, refers to the influx of a significant number of visitors on website within a specific timeframe. This term is often used to depict a scenario where a website receives hundreds of thousands of hits, creating a dense volume of data transfer that can potentially strain server resources. Increasing amount of traffic can be a reflection of the platform's popularity or a response to specific events or promotions, but it also requires robust infrastructure to ensure smooth user experiences.
Handling traffic limitations on web hosting is primarily the responsibility of the hosting provider. They allocate bandwidth based on the package chosen by the website owner. Some hosting providers offer "unlimited" bandwidth, while others specify a limit.
Can We Increase the Web Hosting Limit a Website Can Handle?
Yes, traffic limits can be increased. If your website consistently exceeds its allocated data transfer rate, it's generally a sign to upgrade to a more robust hosting package. The process for upgrading will depend on your web hosting provider, but typically involves agreeing to a higher monthly fee in exchange for additional space. Consider your site’s needs and growth expectations before making a decision.
How Much Traffic Can Shared WordPress Hosting Handle?
A decent shared hosting service can smoothly manage website traffic, ranging from 10,000 to 100,000 pageviews each month. But remember, to achieve the best output, you'll have to work on improving your WordPress site's performance.
Some hosting plans offer built-in enhancements to boost your website's speed, helping you manage more traffic. For example, HSJ Hosting Company aims to accommodate nearly 100,000 visitors per month. However, these are just estimations; your actual experience could differ based on your website's complexity and its resource requirements.
Shared Hosting Benefits for Small Businesses
With shared hosting, businesses share server space with other users, which significantly reduces costs. This affordability of shared hosting makes it an attractive option for startups or bloggers.
Here are some popular benefits of shared hosting for startups:
- Cost-Effective: Shared hosting is an affordable solution, making it ideal for website owners operating on tight budgets.
- User-Friendly: Most shared hosting plans feature user-friendly interfaces such as cPanel, making it easy to manage your website, even with little technical knowledge.
- Maintenance-Free: With shared hosting, the service provider takes care of server maintenance and technical issues, letting company owners focus on their core businesses.
- Scalability: Shared hosting plans often come with scalable options allowing businesses to upgrade their hosting plans as their needs grow.
- Built-in Tools: It often comes with a suite of built-in tools like one-click installs for CMS platforms, such as WordPress and Webflow, email accounts and website builders.
- 24/7 Support: Many shared hosting providers offer round-the-clock technical support, ensuring that help is available whenever it's required.
Shared web hosting is a budget-friendly hosting package that offers an all-in-one website solution for small businesses. With scalability and round-the-clock support, it's an ideal choice for businesses seeking to establish a robust online presence without incurring high costs or technical challenges.
Tips for Optimising Your Shared Hosting Performance: Enhance Web Pages and Decrease Server Load
While a web host provider can handle the basic allocation of resources, you can play a significant role in optimising your web pages and decrease server load on a shared hosting plan.
- Leverage Browser Caching: Browsers cache a lot of information (stylesheets, images, JavaScript files and more) so that when a visitor comes back to your site, the browser doesn't have to reload the entire page. You can use a tool like YSlow to check if your cache has an expiration date. If it doesn't, you can set an "expiry" header to decide how long you want the information to be stored. Usually, a year is a good amount of time, unless you make frequent changes to your website design.
- Optimise Images: Make sure your images are no larger than they need to be, that they are in the right file format (PNGs are generally better for graphics with fewer than 16 colors while JPEGs are better for photographs).
- Enable Compression: Compressing resources with gzip can make the files smaller when they are sent over the internet. This means they take up less space and can be downloaded faster. Enabling compression can reduce the amount of data used by up to 90%.
- Minify CSS, JavaScript and HTML: By optimising your code (including removing spaces, commas and other unnecessary characters), you can dramatically increase your page speed. Also remove code comments, formatting and unused code.
- Reduce Redirects: Each time a page redirects to another page, your visitor faces additional time waiting for the HTTP request-response cycle to complete. For example, if your mobile redirect pattern looks like this: "example.com -> www.example.com -> m.example.com -> m.example.com/home," each of those two additional redirects makes your page load slower.
Remember, an efficient website not only improves user experience but also boosts your rankings in search engine results.
Things to Consider When Looking for a Shared Hosting Service
When considering a shared hosting plan, understanding the nature and size of your website is imperative. Smaller websites, such as personal blogs or small business pages, can benefit from shared hosting due to its cost-effectiveness and simplicity. Nonetheless, as your website grows, a shared hosting with limited bandwidth may not be able to accommodate increased traffic and content. If you anticipate growth or if your site is resource-heavy, you might be better served with a more robust hosting option, like VPS hosting (Virtual Private Server) or dedicated hosting.
Here are several key factors to take into account:
Storage
The storage capacity you need will depend on the size and type of your website. For smaller sites or blogs, less storage, such as 5GB, may be sufficient, while more storage may be necessary for larger websites or those featuring high-resolution images or videos. Always make sure to choose a package that can comfortably accommodate your website's size and growth potential.
Security
Look for shared hosting providers that offer robust security measures, including SSL certificates, firewall protection and regular backups. A secure hosting environment can protect your website from potential cyber threats and data breaches.
Uptime
Uptime refers to the amount of time your website is up and running. High uptime percentages ensure that your website stays accessible to visitors at all times. Choose a shared hosting package that guarantees at least 99% uptime to avoid losing potential customers due to website downtime.
Loading Speed
The loading speed of your website significantly impacts user experience and search engine ranking. Opt for a hosting service with a fast loading times. Consider services that provide speed-enhancing features such as Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) and caching.
Customer Support
Effective customer support can be a lifeline when you encounter issues with your website. Look for the type of hosting provider that offers 24/7 customer support and have a reputation for quick and helpful responses. This will ensure that any problems can be promptly and efficiently resolved, minimising potential disruption to your website's operation.
Final Thoughts on How Many Visitors Can Shared Hosting Handle
The capacity of shared hosting to handle traffic largely depends on various factors such as the server's resources, the optimisation of your website and the hosting provider's overall performance. A quality shared hosting can adequately support small to medium-sized websites and blogs with moderate traffic. However, as your site traffic increases, you may need to consider upgrading to more robust hosting solutions or consult with your hosting provider. Always consider key aspects such as security, uptime, loading speed and customer support when choosing a hosting provider to ensure your site's optimal functionality and performance.
