Common Server Problems and How They Affect Your Website

When you run a website, you rely on numerous services beyond your control. If your website server
were to crash, you could face disaster. It’s a known fact that your website performance has everything
to do with your business reputation – both positively and negatively. Here are five common server
problems you may encounter and how they can affect your website.

Problem #1 – Slow Page Loads

47% of website visitors expect the page to load in 2 seconds or less, according to Neil Patel. If it takes
longer than that, the user may abandon your site altogether. That’s why your website needs to load as
fast as possible.

Several factors could cause the site to run slower. The main culprits are:

• High-resolution images
• Long forms
• Auto-play videos
• Network connection speed
• Increased traffic to the site

If your server experiences any issues, your page load times will be longer. This causes your business to
suffer and you to lose revenue.

Problem #2 – Overloaded Website Traffic

It’s a reasonable goal to want lots of traffic on your site. Not only does this create more clients but also
generates more revenue. Depending on what hosting plan you have, too much traffic may cause
trouble.

If you receive more traffic than your site is set up for, your server might struggle to accommodate the
need. This slows down the speed and hurts your functionality. Excessive traffic can take down a server
entirely, leaving your business inoperable.

It’s common to see this on busy shopping days such as Cyber Monday. Sites have a particular plan in
place to accommodate daily traffic, but they forget about the surges experienced on the hectic days. Big
businesses suffer from the same problems. Even Macy’s, Amazon, Target, and PayPal have shut down
because of traffic overload.

Even if you run a small niche-based website, you never know when something you post will go viral. You
must have a reliable, dependable web host that can support the extra traffic on these days.

Problem #3 – Cyber Hacks & Viruses

You know to take precautions against viruses with your personal equipment, but you don’t have much
control over someone else’s server. Cybersecurity is a top concern for most businesses, but unless you
host your website at your organization, you leave security in someone else’s hands.

All online servers face a real threat of cybersecurity breaches. If you store business or personal details
on yours, you should have an even more profound concern.

Viruses and cyber-attacks remain commonplace in today’s technological world. When a hacker
infiltrates your server, their attack disrupts your business and puts you in jeopardy.

It’s not uncommon for a server to go down for days or even weeks after a virus or cyber-attack.
Furthermore, if no backup has been performed, all of that data is lost. Unitrends estimates that 93% of
businesses who lose data for ten days or more file for bankruptcy within a year. Do you want to be one
of these companies?

If you plan to build your business for years into the future, you must invest in strong online security
measures. When searching for an online web host, you want to evaluate their security system and
reliability.

This is where opting for the lowest price web host backfires. You should never choose a provider based
on price alone.

Problem #4 – Software or Hardware Failure

Servers aren’t immune to software or hardware failure. Unfortunately, it’s just a part of doing business.
Hardware isn’t bulletproof and often malfunctions. In the same respect, the software is easily corrupted
and might require reinstallation.

The trouble comes in when this failure leads to server downtime. Without a reliable web host, you
remain a victim to these regular occurrences. You want a hosting company that has time-efficient
remedies to keep your business running.

After all, you didn’t do anything to make their hardware or software fail – you shouldn’t have to pay for
it.

Problem #5 – Server Crash

The worst thing any business might encounter is a complete server failure. This happens after a
significant cyber incident, theft, fire, flood, or hardware malfunction. The cost of recovering from this
failure can be monumental, especially for a small business.

Just think about what your company would lose every day that it wasn’t able to operate. Aside from the
revenue, you also lose potential clients that won’t attempt to revisit your site. While there’s nothing you
can do to prevent the server from crashing, you can control the company you choose to host with.
Companies such as Green Geeks regularly monitor the servers to mitigate any disasters before they
occur.

This protection is invaluable and worth paying more for each month.

By carefully choosing your provider, you avoid many server management issues. Pick a reputable
company that has proven itself worthy of your business. After all, you can’t afford to face any of these
incidents.