You never know when your company might take off, and if your business is solely based online, you can expect a wealth of high traffic when it does. For this reason, you and your business must be prepared for that possibility, though if not, you must be fully aware of how to handle the traffic on our website when it does occur. 

Why is it important to handle traffic correctly?

As we mentioned, it’s very hard to predict when you might encounter a wealth of high traffic on your website unless it’s part of your website’s everyday operation. However, failing to have these steps included can result most notably in the reduction of speed for its users, which isn’t ideal if they are all trying to buy something. If this traffic continues to increase without any additions, it’s also likely that the website will eventually crash, meaning no one can access the website. 

Install a caching plugin

One of the issues that often comes as a result of high traffic is slowing down the website, but this can be aided with the use of a caching plugin. For reference, cache occurs when users load websites, at which point the information remains static across the site and doesn’t need to be continuously requesting to display. Through the use of a caching plugin, this will aid with eliminating as many of these requests as possible, helping to increase the overall load speed for the website for users. 

Optimise content delivery

To ensure that everyone is receiving the information that they need quickly and correctly, optimising a suitable content delivery system is also advisable. This is achieved through the use of a content delivery network, where it will have several servers that are spread across the world so that web users can access the local server rather than the primary server. 

Increase the security

With more traffic comes more risk of being attacked, though this can be prevented with an increase in security measures. From DDOS attack to zero-day exploits, you can never predict if you are going to get attacked, especially if your website becomes prone to a wealth of high traffic. Often these security measures should already be contemplated regardless of whether or not you expect traffic, but there are always additional measures that can be taken to ensure the very best security possible for your website, data and the users. 

Upgrade your web hosting deal

Upgrading your hosting package is also advisable once you see an increase in traffic. Especially if you are currently using a shared hosting plan, it’s likely that your website won’t be able to handle the traffic, and will potentially cause it to come offline as mentioned before. Whereas alternative solutions such as VPS and dedicated servers are much more ideal, as you are allocated a wealth more bandwidth, space and more which will help to handle the increase in traffic. 

Analyse the changes

Above all else, it’s also vital that you continue to analyse the changes that you make. It’s very unlikely that you will create the perfect solution with everything you try, which is why it’s now key to monitor the traffic once again, as well as analysing how the changes have affected your websites ability to handle the traffic. 

catalyst2

Would you prefer to talk to an expert about how to handle high-traffic on websites? If so, then be sure to get in touch with one of the UK’s most reputable web-hosting providers, catalyst2. As part of our services, we provide hosting packages that are designed for high-traffic websites, enabling us to guarantee that your website is online and prepared at all times. 

By calling 0800 107 7979, you will have the opportunity to speak to one of our friendly customer service advocates who will be happy to confer about your requirements so that we can recommend the most suitable plan going forward.