server upgrades

[lukeprog]

I don't see much advice on the blogosphere about upgrading servers. There's lots of advice about getting traffic, but not much about how to handle it once it's coming.

For example, I signed up with Siteground because they offer 5000GB bandwidth per month. This is on a shared server with limited CPU/memory resources, but their only upgrade option is a VPS, which offers more resources but only 150GB of bandwidth (which my puny site has already used in its first month alive). That doesn't seem like an "upgrade" at all.

Do you have any advice on smoothly upgrading your blog to better hosting solutions as your traffic gradually increases?

[Gene]

Originally Posted by lukeprog

I don't see much advice on the blogosphere about upgrading servers. There's lots of advice about getting traffic, but not much about how to handle it once it's coming.

For example, I signed up with Siteground because they offer 5000GB bandwidth per month. This is on a shared server with limited CPU/memory resources, but their only upgrade option is a VPS, which offers more resources but only 150GB of bandwidth (which my puny site has already used in its first month alive). That doesn't seem like an "upgrade" at all.

Do you have any advice on smoothly upgrading your blog to better hosting solutions as your traffic gradually increases?

If you are using word press there are some tools to allow you to move your blog content to another location. First get the new server and the new installation of word press up and running and then go to your dashboard then to manage and then to import.

I use a vps which allows me 1000 gb per month traffic and 40 gb of hard disk and I pay $149 per month. How much bandwidth do you need and what is your budget?

[lukeprog]

My budget will grow as my traffic grows, and as I learn to monetize my blog more optimally. I'm not about to hit my limits anytime soon.

I guess I'm looking for more general advice on necessary server upgrades, and perhaps a list of some hosts that allow a smooth upgrade from package to package, rather than a jump from $5.99 hosting to $89.99 hosting, with nothing in-between (which is what Siteground has).

[1000feet]

Don't be fooled by bandwidth promises - there's a lot of other factors that are important to your site. When you need to upgrade those, the bandwidth you have won't matter.

Typically there's only a few levels - shared hosting, virtual dedicated servers, dedicated servers, and having a network of servers. Within the shared hosting level you can pay for a bit more bandwidth, but you'll never escape the fact that it's a shared server. Many of them put limits on the number of simultaneous connections you can have, which is one of the biggest problems when you get hit with a lot of traffic. When you need to upgrade, there's nothing below a virtual dedicated server and you usually can't do so without moving your site to another server (which is essentially the same as moving to another host, as far as disruptions go).

One company that might offer smoother upgrades is Media Temple. Unlike most hosting companies, they don't just give you an account on a server and set the limits you paid for. Instead your site is seamlessly shared across many servers (still with limits of course), so they say you can upgrade from "shared" hosting to a "dedicated server" without interrupting your site. I haven't tried this yet, but I just got a virtual dedicated server from them and my understanding is that I can get more resources (even several servers worth) by simply paying for the upgrade and starting to use them. You should read their FAQ or contact their sales department if you want to make sure this will work.