Have you ever wondered why some sites take longer to load than 'other? Sometimes it is due to poor Internet connection, but more often than not, it is because of the limited bandwidth, which essentially determines the speed of a website loads. The higher the amount of bandwidth the owner of that website gets the best site response time. If you start to create a website of your own, or plan to do so in the near future, bandwidth is a major consideration. We break all you need to know about bandwidth to help you get a better understanding of it.
What is bandwidth and why is it important?
Whenever someone accesses your website or page views, photos, videos or other information on your site, it takes up space or bandwidth. Basically, bandwidth is the amount of data that can be transferred at one time, or in simpler terms, the amount of traffic your website can handle both. This means that when you decide which web host to use and the construction of a website service to go with, it is important to pay attention to different types of diets and monthly allowances bandwidth associated with each. The more bandwidth, the higher your site will load and more responsive, it will be when visitors access. If you have a high traffic site (which means a lot of visitors) and you do not have enough bandwidth to support the traffic, your website could stall, take a long time to load or not properly upload images and multimedia for your visitors to see.
How do I know how much bandwidth I need for my site?
The two key factors to consider when determining how much bandwidth you need is traffic and web design. If you know or suspect that your website will get a lot of visitors, you will need a higher bandwidth. Some website builders offer analytical tools to help you track the number of visitors you have daily, weekly or monthly, and the days and hours that you have the most visitors - who study these figures and trends can you help determine if your site needs more bandwidth. That said, if you are not sure or do not have a live site to test the number of visitors, you can always start small to mid and expand as needed. Web design also plays a major role in the use of bandwidth. If you have a complex site with things like a store or many images and videos online, it will use more data, and in turn, more bandwidth.
So what happens if you do not have enough bandwidth? Sometimes, the hosts will automatically bump you the next plan to give you more bandwidth and allow your website to function properly. Other times, you might face large overage charges your provider or worse - you could have your website suspended for going over your bandwidth usage for the month. If you use your website to run a business store or online, it could refuse customers. Make sure you know how your website builder or web host manages the excess before signing up. If this is not your preferred method, it may be better for you to look in another service.
You can learn more about the bandwidth and other factors that go into website building our FAQ construction site. Also, visit our website building comparator to a breakdown at a glance the characteristics of schemes, including bandwidth and storage options.