Have I "Outgrown" Bluehost? Help...

18 replies
At what point is it a good idea to rent your own server, or space on a private server?

I've been using Bluehost to host all of my websites. They've been great, but lately some of my sites...especially my Wordpress sites, which are autoblogs...are loading and running EXTREMELY slowly.

I've tried all the usual Wordpress fixes...disabling plugins, etc...but they're still ridiculously slow.

I'm guessing that the bigger marketers use private servers and don't use services like Bluehost, Hostgator, etc. I'm wondering, at what point is it really time to upgrade your server situation? Is it a matter of hitting a certain level of traffic? Are there other reasons/benefits to doing so? When do you know it's time to go ahead and start spending the extra money on this?

(We're talking a few bucks a month with Bluehost vs. spending a few hundred dollars a month, with the private/semi-private servers I looked at...so it's not a small difference...)
#bluehost #outgrown
  • Profile picture of the author LMC
    I have one dedicated server, but mainly because its a large ecommerce platform.

    My niche sites all run on hostgator, across three "business" accounts, and I never have had a speed problem.
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  • Profile picture of the author rondo
    Look at a managed VPS plan, which is your own fixed portion of a dedicated server.
    Costs around $40-$60 per month.


    Andrew
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  • Profile picture of the author robvegas626
    I've been looking at VPS plans. But I'm still not sure why a VPS is necessary, rather than continuing to use Bluehost. At a certain level of traffic, is the VPS necessary?
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    • Profile picture of the author robvegas626
      I've been getting this message from Bluehost lately when I try to view some of my sites: "The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to maintenance downtime or capacity problems."

      Bluehost says you can host unlimited domains for the same low price, but now I'm wondering if I've exceeded the amount of "space" they are willing to give me. I talked to a Bluehost rep on the phone and he said there isn't any alloted amount, but I have to wonder.
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      • Profile picture of the author alvinhuang
        Originally Posted by robvegas626 View Post

        I've been getting this message from Bluehost lately when I try to view some of my sites: "The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to maintenance downtime or capacity problems."

        Bluehost says you can host unlimited domains for the same low price, but now I'm wondering if I've exceeded the amount of "space" they are willing to give me. I talked to a Bluehost rep on the phone and he said there isn't any alloted amount, but I have to wonder.
        Its not about the disk space, bandwidth or number of domains. It's to do with the CPU usage your websites are taking up. Autoblogging wordpress websites I presume? They take up quite a fair bit of CPU usage and that's why you have outgrown shared hosting.

        Liquidweb would be my recommendation too. Their response time and support is top notch! They have a promo bundle over at LiquidWeb Windows & Linux VPSs starting at $50 Fully Managed! - Web Hosting Talk (not an affiliate link) or you can check out the other VPS webhosts over there.

        Alvin Huang
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        Happy Cool Hand Luke?

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  • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
    Originally Posted by robvegas626 View Post

    At what point is it a good idea to rent your own server, or space on a private server?
    My opinion?

    Day one.

    The raw fact is that it's inevitable you'll outgrow shared hosting and need dedicated hosting.

    And then Murphy's law kicks in, to ensure that you outgrow it when you can't afford it and don't have time to migrate everything and there will be eight thousand calamities along the way.

    Now, of course, reality intrudes and you need to shuffle things around so you can make the move in the first place. But literally: when I moved from shared to dedicated, it was an absolute nightmare because I didn't do it until I needed to do it. When I helped clients move from shared to dedicated, it was an absolute nightmare for the exact same reason.

    Every day you spend building your business on a shared server makes it just a tiny bit harder to move that business onto a dedicated server, and all those tiny bits add up.

    The best time to get your web sites on a dedicated server is yesterday. The second-best time is now. The worst time is tomorrow.

    This is not a mainstream viewpoint, and a lot of people will have differing opinions. Those opinions are based on their experience; my opinion is based on mine. All of them are highly individual and subjective. Your mileage may vary. Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball.
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    "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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  • Profile picture of the author DogScout
    If you wamt a dedicated server, 'The Plenet' has the best programs I have found WITH support.
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  • Profile picture of the author rts2271
    I would concurr on you might be ready for a VPS and if you do a lot of launches a clustered VPS solution. You can get goos ones starting aound 50-60 bucks. PowerVPS and Hostgator all offer decent VPS solutions.
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    • Profile picture of the author behnk01
      1 word - liquidweb
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  • Profile picture of the author robvegas626
    Thanks Alvin. I had not thought about the fact that my blogs require a lot of CPU usage. Yes, my autoblogs are running on Wordpress with WP Robot. It was worried that if I kept setting up more and more autoblogs on a shared hosting service (i.e. Bluehost), sooner or later there's going to be issues. So I guess it's time to find another solution...
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  • Profile picture of the author Vikram73
    You definitely need to look into VPS hosting. You can expand the amount of CPU or disk you'll need if you outgrow your resources and you can actually measure how much of the system you are using (ca

    When you scale blogging platforms and really want to tune them (Apache tweaks, MySQL tweaks etc..) it will almost always require a dedicated host (and a smart admin who knows how to do this) to really add the amount of RAM & CPU you need.

    I'm happy with hostgator - but others seem to think they're a PITA to deal with.
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    • Profile picture of the author Robert Puddy
      Originally Posted by vikramd View Post

      You definitely need to look into VPS hosting. You can expand the amount of CPU or disk you'll need if you outgrow your resources and you can actually measure how much of the system you are using (ca

      When you scale blogging platforms and really want to tune them (Apache tweaks, MySQL tweaks etc..) it will almost always require a dedicated host (and a smart admin who knows how to do this) to really add the amount of RAM & CPU you need.

      I'm happy with hostgator - but others seem to think they're a PITA to deal with.
      VPS isnt any better than shared hosting, your still sharing the cpu with anyone else on that server.

      when ever a coaching client asks this question, this is the answer they get

      if you really dont expect to make more than the $200 a month it costs to rent a dedicated server WHY are you starting this in the first place?

      Robert

      PS: Remember you can put any amount of extra sites on that server for no extra cost. add up the number of sites you have and how many you could have and do the math
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      • Profile picture of the author mojojuju
        Originally Posted by Robert Puddy View Post

        VPS isnt any better than shared hosting, your still sharing the cpu with anyone else on that server.
        It sounds like you don't know how a VPS works.
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        • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
          Originally Posted by mojojuju View Post

          It sounds like you don't know how a VPS works.
          Well, it stands for "Virtual Private Server," and "Virtual" is another word for "Not." So it's a "Not Private Server."

          Compare "Dedicated Server" which is, in fact, a real server that you get to keep all to yourself.
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          "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Riddle
    VPS is ok for development, but if you are in this for the long haul you need your own server.

    If you are looking at the server provider to do your management, the it is important to get them on board PRIOR to set up.

    If they are really just someone who does installs, backups and restarts, that isn't enough.

    You will need someone who understands the server from the processor on up to the Operating system to the platform you are hosting and data bases (mysql isn't always the best choice)

    Definitely something you want a tech head involved with your choice.

    Mark Riddle
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    Today isn't Yesterday, - Products are everywhere if your eyes are Tuned!
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  • Profile picture of the author Neil Morgan
    Another vote for LiquidWeb. I've had a dedicated server with them for years and years. They have great products with great support.

    Cheers,

    Neil
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    Easy email marketing automation without moving your lists.

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