Why is Your Website Speed So Important?
Ask yourself how many times you've clicked on a website or link. After two seconds of not loading, you've hit that back button harder than Mike Tyson's right hook, and now you are distracted by that grumpy kitty. We live in a world where fast isn't fast enough, and if you think that your customers are going to wait for your website to load, think again. At Nexthost, we don't know the meaning of slow or average. We process faster than Apple's "Old M1 Chip", work in milliseconds, and our goal is to get your website to load faster than Thrust SSC. We do Super-Fast, ready to roll managed WordPress and Joomla installations, as well as the less known but deadly contenders like Ghost and Concrete5. We offer custom Ultra-Fast stacks that will show you what a REAL WordPress Only website is and what it can do to improve your SEO. A website your customers will love to visit and does not need a set of instructions when you need to update pages or make changes. Although we are speed-freaks, we always wear our seat belts. Nexthost is a quality web hosting company, and we take pride in our work, so ensuring your website is more secure than the cockpit of an F15 Fighter Jet is first on our list. If you are a developer, check out our Dev Page. Tell us what you need, and we will get it done.
If your name is Jeremy Clarkson, then you will agree the mighty hammer is the tool for any job. Most providers seemingly have the same logic when it comes to your website requirements. This is like saying that a bus and a Lamborghini are the same because they both have wheels. Sure, a bus will get you there, but, if you wanted to get noticed, wouldn't you go for the option where the doors open upwards?
Drag and drop is in! CMS platforms like WordPress and online builders like Wix and Weebly have made designing a good-looking website easy. Despite this, they both have their pros and cons. While online builders may be easier to use, you get a ton more freedom from CMS websites. However, if you choose a CMS website, you need the right hosting, and a few critical factors are often overlooked. These can determine the difference between success and failure.
The Make-or-Break Factors
Your Hosting Provider
Hosting is the foundation of any website. Your website might have been built by Steven Wanderski, but you thought badhosting.co.za sounded like a good choice because it was the cheapest, and now you are wondering why your website is not performing and is making Steve look foolish. Because a good foundation is so important, you must get it right. If you aren't sure, ask questions. Where will your website be located? Is your website being backed up? What security measures are being implemented. Ask for a test website and if they seem unsure, you already have your answer.
Shared vs Dedicated Hosting
Shared hosting is the most common solution. It's like an apartment where you have multiple rooms but only one bathroom "CPU". While this is usually ok, many hosting providers will "overcrowd" the apartment. There's still only one bathroom and some tenants will want it all to themselves. You, or at least your website will just have to wait. Some tenants might even sneak in and take something they shouldn't. This amazing concept is called Speculative Execution. Providers using CloudLinux will be able to allocate resources a lot better, however, it is ultimately the provider who will determine how much "bathroom" time you get and this "contention ratio" is more secret than Area 51. Our Contention ratios are available on all our packages.
The Right Tool for the Job
The most important factor that is generally totally ignored is your website. Yes, your website! Static websites work well on NGINX and don't usually require a database. Whereas dynamic websites like WordPress that utilise plugins like WooCommerce will need an efficient database to keep up, or the website will be slow, and your visitors will move on.
Think Your Website is Fast?
It might seem fabulous! But it is probably cached, and your browser is probably lying to you. They have a habit of this. So, before getting out your stopwatch and hitting refresh, check out our test websites. We have some samples and links that you can use to compare what a first-time visitor would experience when viewing your website. Websites like web.dev & Google's Page Speed Insights will give you a ton of information, and if you want to find out if Google approves of your website, ask Google. Right?
Contracts for Humans
We bill in advance, so you are free to move should your circumstances change. Bills paid, no questions.
Zero-Downtime Migrations
Whether you are moving to or away from Nexthost, we will always assist to ensure you don't suffer any downtime.
Security is our Priority
Although we love speed, we always wear our seat belts! We all remember what happened to the Legend Senna.
Nexthost's Ultimate Optimisation
Are you a big shot or just getting started? At Nexthost, we don't care how big or small you are. We are here with the goal of "making the Internet a better place". The world is tired of waiting for slow websites, and we believe that it is time to put a stop to the horrific crime of tortured, overloaded servers and help desk operators who are afraid of Python. We don't use tactics designed to scare you into buying backup solutions or expensive SSL certificates when you can get a top-quality free cert from the champs at Let's Encrypt. Backups and free restoration are included in all our plans. Our plans are based on website visitors per month. This is because normal human beings don't know what inodes are, how many MySQL Databases you need to run the Large Hadron Collider, or what CPU stands for. Cat Puppy Unicorn?