The choice of hosting plays a crucial role in the effective development of a business. A large number of offers makes potential customers wonder by what criteria to choose a virtual dedicated server. At first glance, the low price may seem like an attractive argument in favor of the option. However, if you are thinking about the long term, a cheap server can be an obstacle to achieving your goals. It is important to understand what is behind the low price.
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Reasons to avoid a cheap dedicated server
The criteria for choosing a dedicated server are high performance and speed, improved scalability, and maximum security. Hostzealot dedicated servers meet these parameters. However, the cost may be slightly higher than that of competitors. Some entrepreneurs may be tempted by the tempting offer without fully realizing the consequences of their actions.
To effectively develop a business on the Internet, you need resources and tools. A cheap dedicated server is often limited in its capabilities, which negatively affects the work of the site. Therefore, it is important to specify all the technical parameters of the rented server when choosing a hoster. This power, and the amount of RAM. Do not forget to guarantee continuous operation time. After all, it depends on the stable presence of the site on the Internet.
Example: It is not uncommon when the website provider stated that the rental offered a “powerful XEON server”. But in fact unscrupulous hoster gives you an outdated XEON from 2012. That is, the cheapness of the hoster may be due to an insufficiently powerful and efficient processor and to disguise this drawback, the provider specifies only the name of the brand without specifying the model.
This parameter affects the performance of the website. Even if you later make every effort to optimize the site, it will load slowly in the absence of sufficient resources and support for special products. There are many reasons to avoid a cheap dedicated server. The 5 main ones are described below.
Additional hidden costs
Some providers offer dedicated servers at low prices in order to charge additional fees for the necessary services and resources. As a result, the tenant may pay several times more than the initial agreed-upon cost. Additional paid services may include the configuration of the server in accordance with the set business objectives, the installation of programs necessary for the development of the site, backup, and protection from hacker attacks and DDoS-attacks.
Slow page load speed
Dedicated servers are characterized by faster page loads and excellent scalability. According to studies, the optimal loading speed of website pages should not exceed 1.5 seconds. If a page loads longer than 3 seconds, 70% of visitors leave the site, resulting in lower conversions and company revenues. Accelerating a website means more traffic, a higher position in search engine results, and higher profits. A dedicated server is the best solution for accelerating the web resource. However, a cheap dedicated server can work differently. Causes of slow loading pages of the site:
- Ill-conceived system configuration. The speed depends on the server settings, such as the caching function and reducing the size (compression) of transferred files. If the hoster has not configured the server accordingly, you may experience hangs and delays when loading pages. For example, the file compression feature may not be use to reduce the load on the processor.
- Incorrect choice of hosting location. The physical equipment (data center) should be located in the country where the main audience of the website resides. The closer the physical machine to the location of the visitors, the faster the site loads.
- Cheap plan with limited resources.
A slow site threatens a negative user experience and unfavorable ranking. Search engines, like Google, lower the position of sites that load slowly. Usually, in cases of a slow-loading site, a load analysis is performed. The analysis consists of collecting statistics and processing data on parameters such as CPU load and memory usage.
Increased downtime
Failure problems are also associated with insufficient resources and improper configuration of the server. As a result, when the load exceeds, for example, an increase in the number of visitors, failures occur – the site stops responding to requests. Track downtime can be used with the tools – dotcom-monitor, statuscake, sematex.
Low security
Cheap hosting will never be a model of maximum security. On the contrary, it is vulnerable to hacker attacks and malicious software. For example, the lack of a firewall greatly increases the risk of data corruption, theft, or loss.
Lack of proper customer support
If you rent a cheap dedicated server, live prepared for a lack of professional help. You will have to download the necessary applications, configure the working environment, and optimize the site yourself. If you do not have sufficient technical knowledge and skills, it will be difficult to establish the work of the resource. People who do not understand technology can make serious mistakes. The consequences of bad decisions will lead to a deterioration of the web resource and a decrease in the company’s profits.
A reliable provider provides customers with round-the-clock support. It is possible to ask a question at any time via different communication channels such as online chat, e-mail, and phone. The round-the-clock consultation service costs money. Choosing a cheap dedicated server, make sure that you will have someone to ask for help.
Other possible problems
Cheap hosting is unreliable. Providers who offer cheap services, care about increasing their customers and the prosperity of their business, not thinking about your website. A simple example. If a reduction in rent has been made possible by handing over basic management functions to you, your business at risk. For example, doing your own backups doesn’t guarantee your data will be safe unless you’re an IT professional. If the slightest system failure occurs, you could lose your website and all of your important business, and financial information.
Some multimedia files may not run correctly due to missing scripts. Visitors encountering such problems will leave the site. Each visitor with deceived expectations will form an unfavorable opinion of your site and brand. The lack of necessary tools, like apps and utilities, reduces your functionality for customization and design. A provider whose services live more expensive offers clients bundled with useful tools like SSL, automatic backups, daily scans, and malware removal.
Given all the possible problems that may encounter by the tenant of a cheap dedicated server, we can confidently assert that we are not talking about the economy in this case. Improper operation of the website will lead to financial losses and eventually to the collapse of all plans, for which the server was need. Free is not always a good thing. A momentary benefit can turn into a failure on a global level.