The average monthly cost of shared hosting is between $3 and $10.

But, businesses pay three times that for dedicated hosting. Why are businesses willing to pay that much for hosting services? We’re glad you asked.

 

The U.S. economy loses an estimated $500 million a year because of slow websites. While hosting providers aren’t the only factor for website speed, they do play a role.

There are more than 1.5 trillion websites online, today. The need to stand out is greater than it’s ever been. Giving an excellent user experience is the best way to defeat your competition.

Speed is an important aspect of offering a great user experience.

Keep reading to learn about why choosing an unmetered dedicated server is game-changing for your business.

Bandwidth Explained in Less Than a Minute

Bandwidth is the max rate at which data can travel along a specific path. So, the more bandwidth you have, the less time it takes to move the same amount of data.

That’s why internet connections with a higher bandwidth run faster.

Having more bandwidth is like using a fire hose vs. using your hose at home. Using a fire hose means it takes less time to produce the same amount of water. The hose hooked up outside your home still gets the job done, but it takes longer.

For hosting services, bandwidth is the rate at which your server transfers data. So, the less bandwidth you have, the less traffic your server can handle in the same amount of time.

If your site attracts more visitors than normal, they will have a slower experience. That is unless your server has enough bandwidth to handle them.

Understanding the Unlimited Hosting Myth

To combat websites running slow, hosting providers offer unlimited bandwidth. It sounds like a fairytale because it is.

Bandwidth measures data over time (AKA speed). Infinite speed is impossible to think about because it’s impossible to achieve. So, unlimited bandwidth is an empty promise in fairytale land.

Now, that’s not to say that hosts offering unlimited bandwidth are bad. Some of them may actually be great hosts. But, their marketing promises are misleading at best.

So, What Does Unlimited Bandwidth Mean?

This is where reading the fine print is important. “Unlimited” is synonymous with undefined. Up to an undefined point, you can use as much bandwidth as you want.

Once you cross the threshold, what happens depends on the host. Some may throttle you and others may remove you from their server altogether. After all, you’re taking up more than your “fair share”.

So, not only does unlimited bandwidth not exist, you can get in trouble for using too much of it. It’s not so much of a fairytale, after all.

But, that doesn’t mean all hope is lost.

What’s an Unmetered Dedicated Server?

A dedicated server means that you don’t share it with any other users. Most low-end hosting plans offer the same server to several people to lower their costs.

If someone on your server experiences a surge in visitors, it affects your website as well. So, a dedicated server is more expensive but you don’t have to share.

Unmetered bandwidth means that usage isn’t monitored. So, they’re not going to throttle you or give you the boot. With unmetered services, you can transfer as much data as you want.

But, the speed at which data moves remains the same. Most plans have a set speed with an unlimited amount of data you can transfer.

Let’s look at a quick example.

Your favorite taco place has 10 cooks on the line. On a given day, they can easily serve 1,000 people. But, what if all 1,000 of them showed up for dinner at the same time?

Those poor cooks can only cook so fast. It’s going to take longer for them to serve those people than it would if they were spread out throughout the day.

In this example, the line cooks are bandwidth and customers are traffic to your website. At peak moments, things take more time because there’s more data.

Benefits of Using Unmetered Dedicated Servers

While there are no perfect solutions, there are better solutions. Unmetered dedicated servers cost more but are worth the investment.

You Have Room to Grow

Business growth is an important part of maintaining success. False promises and sharing a server with countless people don’t give you much room for that.

As your business grows, you’ll get more traffic and have more content to host. Unmetered services give you space to grow as fast as you need to. And, you don’t have to worry about hitting any invisible ceilings.

Flexibility Isn’t a Problem

Some months may be better than others. You won’t have to pay more if you have a spike in traffic. And, you may want to test out different technology and software on your site.

These things take up bandwidth. So, choosing an unmetered server mitigates the risk of downtime or worse.

Save Money Over Time

Bandwidth overage fees add up over time. And, downtime isn’t free. With unmetered dedicated servers, you’re renting your own personal space.

You pay the same amount every month regardless of how much bandwidth you use. So, you can say goodbye to overage fees and traffic spikes breaking your website.

The Perfect Solution Is as Non-Existent as Unlimited Bandwidth

But, now you know why an unmetered dedicated server is a superior choice. You can grow without worrying about crashing into something you can’t see.

While there’s no such thing as unlimited hosting services, unmetered hosting brings you as close as you can get.

What are your favorite unmetered hosting providers? Drop a comment below and let us know why.

We can’t wait to hear from you!