When choosing a web host, performance plays a key role in your website’s speed, user experience, and search engine rankings. Poor hosting performance can lead to slow load times, server outages, and lost visitors. However, not all performance features hold the same importance, and knowing which ones truly matter can help you make informed decisions without overpaying for unnecessary extras.
In this article, we’ll cover all the important hosting performance features you need to consider when choosing or upgrading your web hosting service.
1. Speed (Load Times)
Hosting speed is a critical factor that influences the performance and user experience of a website. It primarily refers to how quickly data is transferred between the web hosting server and the user’s device. This speed affects how fast your website loads on a visitor’s browser.
Fast hosting speed is essential for maintaining high user engagement, achieving better search engine rankings, and ensuring the overall success of a website.
What Are the Factors that Affects Hosting Speed?
Hosting speed is influenced by a multitude of factors, including server location, type of storage (HDD vs. SSD), network infrastructure, available resources (CPU and RAM), content delivery network (CDN) integration, and optimization technologies such as caching mechanisms and HTTP/2 protocol.
- Server Location: The physical location of a web host’s servers can significantly impact the speed of data transfer. Data takes time to travel. The closer the server is to the website’s visitors, the faster the data reaches them, leading to quicker page load times. This proximity reduces latency, which is the time it takes for data to travel between the server and the user’s device.
- Type of Storage: Web hosting services use Hard Disk Drives (HDD), Solid State Drives (SSD), or Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) for data storage. NVMe storage is the next step beyond traditional SSDs and HDDs. While SSDs are already much faster than HDDs, NVMe offers up to 10 times faster read/write speeds. It communicates directly with the server’s CPU, which drastically reduces latency and increases data transfer efficiency.
- Network Infrastructure: The quality and capacity of a web host’s network infrastructure play a pivotal role in hosting speed. Advanced network setups with high-bandwidth capabilities ensure that data can flow freely and quickly between servers and visitors, minimizing bottlenecks that slow down website performance.
- Available Resources (CPU and RAM): CPU and RAM are the primary resources that your hosting plan allocates to process data and run applications. The more CPU cores and RAM you have, the better your server can handle traffic spikes and complex tasks.
- Content Delivery Network (CDN): Integration with a CDN can dramatically improve hosting speed by caching website content on a network of servers around the globe. This setup ensures that users access website data from the closest server, significantly reducing load times.
- Optimization Technologies: Technologies such as caching mechanisms and the HTTP/2 protocol are vital for enhancing hosting speed. Caching stores copies of website content for quick retrieval on subsequent visits, while HTTP/2 allows for faster, more efficient loading of website resources over the internet.
- PHP Workers: PHP workers process concurrent tasks on websites running dynamic applications like WordPress or WooCommerce. The number of PHP workers determines how many simultaneous processes your server can handle at any given time. If your site handles multiple user sessions, such as e-commerce checkouts or blog comments, you’ll need enough PHP workers to handle these tasks concurrently. Opt for hosting plans with scalable PHP worker allocations.
- I/O Limits: I/O limits control how quickly your server can read from and write to storage. Websites that process large amounts of data, such as e-commerce sites with heavy database usage, benefit from higher I/O limits. Slow I/O performance can bottleneck your website’s speed, particularly for database-heavy tasks like order processing, content updates, or file transfers.
How to Measure Hosting Speed?
- Use Speed Test Tools: Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, Bitcatcha, and Pingdom offer a comprehensive analysis of a website’s load time and performance. These tools provide insights into various performance metrics, including server response time and page load time.
- Test Real User Experience: Tools like Google’s Chrome User Experience Report provide data on how real users experience the speed of a website across different regions and devices.
- Monitor Server Response Time: Tools like Uptime Robot or Pingdom can monitor your website’s server response time over time, giving you an idea of the consistency and reliability of your web host’s performance.
- Consider Third-Party Reviews and Benchmarks: Look for performance benchmarks and web hosting reviews from other users. These can provide real-world insights into the hosting speed and reliability.
- Conduct Manual Testing: You can manually test the load times of websites hosted by the provider using your computer command prompts or browser’s developer tools. This gives you a firsthand look at performance but may not be as comprehensive as using dedicated tools.
HostScore Recommendations
Look Beyond Shared Hosting
The type of hosting you choose directly impacts how much server capacity you’ll have at your disposal.
In shared hosting, the limited CPU and RAM resources are divided among multiple users, meaning that during traffic spikes, your website may suffer from performance bottlenecks due to other sites sharing the same resources.
With VPS or dedicated hosting, you get dedicated CPU cores and RAM within a virtual environment, ensuring your resources aren’t shared with other users.
Opt for SSD or NVMe Storage
SSD and NVMe offer faster data access speeds than traditional hard disk drives (HDDs), contributing to quicker server response times. For websites with large databases, dynamic content, or resource-heavy applications, NVMe storage ensures faster data access, leading to smoother performance. Developers benefit from faster load times and quicker deployments.
Here’s a comparison of NVMe, SSD, and HDD performance:
| Storage Type | Speed | Latency | Capacity | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NVMe | Up to 10x faster than SSDs (3500 MB/s) | Very low latency (microseconds) | Generally lower than HDD | High-performance websites, databases |
| SSD | 10-20x faster than HDD (550 MB/s) | Low latency | Moderate capacity | General use, e-commerce, CMS websites |
| HDD | Up to 150 MB/s | High latency | High capacity, low cost | Backup storage, archival |
Stay Close to Your Target Audience
The physical distance between your website’s server and its users can significantly impact loading times. The farther away users are from the server, the longer it takes to retrieve data.
Choose a web host that provides server location close to your target audience. If you are intending for your website to serve international customers, then a central location like Amsterdam would be a good location. If you are targeting customers from the Asia region then Singapore might be a good location. For US-based traffic, it will always be better to host at a data center near either the East or West coast, depending on your needs.
A Content Delivery Network (CDN) is useful in mitigating latency issue by caching your site’s content on servers distributed around the world, reducing latency.
Get a Host with Good Caching Mechanism
Caching is one of the most important mechanisms to improve website speed by reducing server load. It works by storing copies of static content, so the server doesn’t need to regenerate the same data every time a visitor loads a page. This is particularly helpful for improving load times for returning users and handling higher traffic volumes. Additionally, optimization tools like GZIP compression shrink the size of files, further reducing load times.
| Caching Type | Description | Key Tools/Technologies | Importance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Browser Caching | Stores files (images, CSS, JavaScript) on the user’s device, speeding up repeat visits. Controlled by the developer via HTTP headers. | HTTP Headers | Speeds up repeat visits |
| Server-Side Caching | Stores copies of frequently accessed content on the server, reducing the need to regenerate content. Managed by the hosting provider. | Varnish, Memcached, Redis | Critical for high-traffic websites |
| Database Caching | Stores results of database queries to reduce server load. Crucial for dynamic sites like e-commerce and CMS platforms. | MySQL, MariaDB | Essential for dynamic websites |
| Object Caching | Stores complex computations or queries in memory, improving performance for data-heavy applications. Managed by the hosting provider or server admin. | Redis, Memcached | Vital for resource-heavy applications |
The type of caching your website uses greatly affects load times and overall performance. While browser caching can be set up by developers, the most impactful caching solutions – such as server-side, database, and object caching – fall under the responsibility of your hosting provider.
Selecting a web host with solid caching mechanism is essential for high-traffic websites or those with frequently updated content. Look for hosting providers that offer server-side and database caching solutions like Redis or Varnish, as these features reduce server load and improve content delivery speed.
2. Uptime Reliability
Uptime reliability is a fundamental metric that measures the availability and reliability of a website. It is most commonly shown as a percentage of time, such as 99.9%, that the service is available. High uptime percentages (ideally 99.95% or above) are critical for ensuring that your site is accessible to visitors around the clock.
What Affects Web Hosting Uptime?
- Server Reliability: This factor is foundational to uptime and hinges on the quality and durability of the physical servers used by the hosting provider. High-quality servers equipped with the latest hardware technology are less likely to encounter hardware failures, thereby enhancing overall uptime.
- Network Infrastructure Quality: A robust network infrastructure with high-speed connections and minimal congestion is essential for maintaining high uptime. This includes the use of multiple high-quality upstream providers, which ensures that even if one connection fails, others can handle the traffic, keeping the website online.
- Redundancy and Backup Systems: Effective redundancy measures, such as having multiple data centers, mirrored servers, or redundant network components, ensure that there is no single point of failure. Backup systems further contribute to uptime by allowing for quick recovery and restoration of data in the event of a hardware failure or other issues.
How to Measure Hosting Uptime?
- Leverage Monitoring Tools: Utilize real-time website monitoring systems like Uptime Robot or StatusCake. These tools continuously check the availability of your website and notify you of any downtimes, allowing you to track the actual uptime performance of your hosting provider.
- Review Independent Studies and Benchmarks: Look for independent uptime tests and benchmarks conducted by third-party reviewers or tech publications. These studies can provide unbiased insights into the reliability of various web hosting services.
- Check User Reviews and Testimonials: User reviews and forums can offer valuable information about the real-world uptime performance of hosting providers. Pay attention to comments about frequent downtimes or reliability issues.
- Read the Fine Print of Service Level Agreement (SLA): The SLA is a contractual commitment between the hosting provider and the client. Most SLAs guarantee an uptime percentage (typically 99.9% or higher). Examine the SLAs of potential web hosts to understand their uptime guarantees and the compensation offered if they fail to meet these promises. This can include refunds or credits towards future billing.
HostScore Recommendations
- Aim for High Uptime Guarantees: Look for hosts offering uptime guarantees of 99.9% or higher. While no host can promise 100% uptime, closer to 100% is always better.
- Beware of Overselling: Some hosts may overpromise on uptime without the infrastructure to back it up. Research and reviews can help identify if a host consistently meets their uptime commitments.
3. Scalability
Scalability in web hosting refers to the ability of a web hosting company to accommodate the growth of your website by providing the necessary resources and capabilities to handle increased traffic, content, and transactions without compromising performance or uptime.
Key elements that affect a hosting service’s scalability include resource allocation flexibility, upgrade options, cloud hosting capabilities, load balancing techniques, and auto-scaling features. Each of these components plays a critical role in ensuring that a web host can efficiently handle increases in website traffic and data demands.
Types of Web Hosting
What Are the Factors that Affect Scalability?
- Resource Allocation Flexibility: This refers to the ability of a web hosting service to dynamically adjust the amount of CPU, RAM, and storage allocated to a website. A scalable web host allows for easy scaling up or down of resources to match the site’s requirements, ensuring that the website remains operational and responsive during varying traffic levels.
- Upgrade Options: A scalable hosting solution offers a clear and straightforward path for upgrading hosting plans or services. This might include moving from shared hosting to VPS (Virtual Private Server) or dedicated hosting, or upgrading within a service tier to access additional resources. The ease with which a website can transition to a more robust hosting environment is crucial for supporting growth.
- Cloud Hosting Capabilities: Cloud hosting inherently supports scalability through its distributed network of servers. It allows resources to be scaled on-demand, providing the flexibility to handle traffic spikes without the need for manual intervention. Cloud hosting platforms often offer pay-as-you-go pricing models, which means you only pay for the resources you actually use.
- Load Balancing Techniques: Load balancing is the process of distributing incoming network traffic across multiple servers. This not only prevents any single server from becoming overwhelmed but also ensures that website performance remains stable and reliable as demand increases. Effective load balancing is key to a scalable web hosting strategy.
- Auto-Scaling Features: Auto-scaling automatically adjusts the amount of computational resources allocated to a website based on its current demand. This feature is particularly important for handling sudden spikes in traffic, as it ensures that the website remains available and performs well, even under unexpected or rapidly changing load conditions.
How to Access A Web Host Scalability?
- Review Hosting Plans: Look for hosting providers that offer a range of plans, from shared hosting to VPS (Virtual Private Server), dedicated servers, and cloud hosting. This variety indicates options for scaling up as your site grows.
- Check for Easy Upgrades: The best hosts for scalability allow for easy and seamless transitions between plans without significant downtime. Check if the provider offers one-click upgrades or provides support for plan changes.
- Evaluate Cloud Hosting Options: Cloud hosting inherently offers excellent scalability options due to its flexible resource allocation. Assess the cloud services offered by the host, including auto-scaling features that automatically adjust resources based on traffic demands.
- Read Reviews and Testimonials: Customer reviews can provide insights into how well a hosting provider manages scaling needs. Look for feedback from sites that have experienced growth while using the host.
HostScore Recommendations
- Start Small: Opt for a web hosting provider that is able to scale you up as your grow. Ideally you should look for a host that can start you off at shared hosting to save cost and let you grow up to anything from VPS hosting plans or perhaps even a dedicated server.
- Look for Flexibility: Choose a host that offers a flexible hosting environment, supporting both vertical and horizontal scaling, to ensure that you can adjust your resources according to your needs.
- Consider the Cost of Scaling: While assessing scalability options, also consider the cost associated with scaling up. Ensure that the pricing structure is transparent and scalable options are within your budget as your site grows.
4. Security
Security in web hosting is a critical aspect that encompasses the measures used by a hosting provider to protect websites from cyber threats, such as hacking, malware, DDoS attacks, and data breaches.
A great hosting company must ensure that their servers are safe for you to use. They are responsible to maintain the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of your website data.
Web Hosting Security Features to Look for
- SSL Certificates: Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates are essential for encrypting data between the user’s browser and the web server. This encryption makes it difficult for hackers to intercept and steal data. Look for a web host that offers free SSL certificates.
- Firewalls: Web application firewalls (WAF) protect against malicious traffic and block common security threats.
- Malware Scanning and Removal: Regular malware scans are crucial for identifying and removing malicious software from your website. Some web hosts offer automatic scanning and removal services, providing peace of mind and enhanced security.
- DDoS Protection: Protection against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks ensures that the website remains accessible even during massive traffic spikes designed to take it down.
- Backups & Recovery: Regular, automatic backups protect against data loss in case of a security breach or accidental deletion.
- Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP): SFTP adds an additional layer of protection when transferring files between your computer and the server. Unlike standard FTP, SFTP encrypts both commands and data, preventing the interception of sensitive information.
- Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) Login: 2FA login adds an extra security layer by requiring a second form of verification beyond just a password. This could be a text message code or an app notification, making unauthorized access significantly more difficult.
- Network Monitoring: Continuous network monitoring can identify suspicious activity and potential security threats in real-time. A web host that proactively monitors its network can prevent attacks before they happen.
- Access Controls: Features like two-factor authentication (2FA) and secure FTP (SFTP) limit access to the website’s backend and protect against unauthorized changes.
- Software Patching: Automated patching tool helps auto- or easy-update popular applications such as WordPress. This will give you a single access point to keep an eye on everything you’re using and ensure they are all updated to the latest versions.
How to Assess Security in Web Hosting
- Review the Security Features Offered: When considering a hosting provider, closely examine the list of security features they offer. The best providers will transparently detail their security measures on their website.
- Look for Auto Malware Scanning: Look for a host that offers account-level Malware protection – even if it’s shared hosting. This usually takes the form of a specialized application such as ImmunifyAV. Some hosts like ScalaHosting also offer their own sophisticated brand of cybersecurity protection.
- Check for SSL Certificate Inclusion: Look for hosting plans that include a free SSL certificate as a standard feature, especially if you’re running an e-commerce site or any platform that handles sensitive user information.
- Inquire About DDoS Protection: Ensure the hosting provider has robust DDoS mitigation strategies in place to defend against large-scale attacks that could make your site inaccessible.
- Understand Backup Policies: Check the provider’s backup policy, including how often backups are taken, how long they are stored, and how easily they can be restored in case of an emergency.
- Look for Proactive Monitoring: A host that offers 24/7 monitoring can detect and neutralize threats before they impact your website. Understand how the host monitors its network and what steps are taken in response to detected threats.
HostScore Recommendations
- Prioritize Comprehensive Security Features: Opt for hosting providers that offer a broad range of security features that we mentioned above as part of their standard hosting packages, not as costly add-ons.
- Stay Informed About Security Best Practices: While a hosting provider plays a significant role in securing your site, following security best practices on your end, like keeping software up to date and using strong passwords, is also crucial.
5. Limitations in Server Resources
Limitations in server resources refer to the constraints placed on the amount and type of resources—such as CPU (Central Processing Unit) power, RAM (Random Access Memory), storage capacity, and bandwidth – allocated to a website by its web hosting provider.
These limitations can significantly impact the website’s performance, scalability, and overall user experience.
When choosing a web host, keep in mind your requirements and match them with a hosting provider and plan that can facilitate the resource needs of your website. If your website tries to use more resources than the web host makes available to it, your site could suffer from poor performance or instability. In many cases, overusing resources can lead to an account suspension by your web host.
Different Types of Limitations in Server Resources
- CPU and RAM: These resources affect how quickly your server can process requests and handle concurrent users. Limited CPU and RAM can lead to slower response times during peak traffic.
- Storage: The amount of data you can store on your server, affecting your website’s content, database size, and email accounts. Limited storage can restrict the amount of content you can host.
- Bandwidth: The volume of data transfer allowed per month, influencing how many visitors your website can accommodate. Insufficient bandwidth can lead to additional charges or your website being temporarily taken offline once the limit is reached.
- I/O Limits: Input/output limits dictate how much data can be read from and written to the disk every second. Low I/O limits can slow down your website’s performance, especially for database-driven sites.
How to Assess Limitations in Server Resources
- Understand the Hosting Plan Details: Carefully review the specifications of each hosting plan. Look for clear information on the resources allocated, including CPU cores, RAM size, storage space, bandwidth limits, and any other resource constraints.
- Read the Terms of Service: Some hosting providers implement soft limits and may throttle your website’s performance if you consistently reach the upper limits of your allocated resources. Understand their policies on resource usage and the consequences of exceeding these limits.
HostScore Recommendation
- Evaluate Your Website’s Needs: Before shopping for a web host, assess your website’s requirements in terms of traffic, data storage, and processing power. This assessment helps in selecting a hosting plan that matches your needs.
- Anticipate Future Growth: Choose a hosting plan with slightly more resources than you currently need to accommodate future growth and unexpected traffic spikes.
- Ask About Resource Allocation on Shared Plans: If considering shared hosting, inquire how resources are allocated among sites on the same server and what measures are in place to protect your site from being negatively impacted by other sites’ resource usage.
By carefully considering hosting performance and choosing a web hosting provider that offers the right balance of resources, scalability, and flexibility, you can ensure your website has the necessary support to perform optimally and grow over time.
