When preparing for a major PR campaign, it’s essential to ensure your website is ready to handle an influx of visitors. An unprepared website can lead to crashes or slow performance, potentially turning new visitors away. This guide will walk you through the key steps to fortify your site, so it can deliver a seamless experience for every visitor that your PR campaign brings in.
Understanding the Components of Your Web Presence
Your website is built on multiple interconnected elements, including web hosting, DNS, website software, and the content itself. Each component plays a role in maintaining a stable online presence, but there are limits to what each service can handle.
Web hosting, for instance, comes with predefined space and bandwidth allocations based on your account plan. Even the most robust providers have capacity limits, so it’s crucial to understand what these guardrails are.
Many businesses also use additional service providers for specific functions, such as DNS management, domain name registration, IT support, web development, and security. Coordinating between these providers may be necessary to ensure all technical aspects are covered and that your website infrastructure is strong enough to handle increased traffic.
Knowing Who Handles What
A common pitfall for website owners is assuming that one provider manages everything. In reality, different vendors often handle various parts of your website. For instance, your web hosting provider might offer server maintenance, while an IT specialist manages your DNS records, and a web developer oversees software patches.
Understanding these roles and responsibilities can prevent delays or miscommunication during times of high traffic. Before launching your PR campaign, review your website’s support structure and make sure you know who to contact for each component.
It’s helpful to realize that a “web host” is not the same as a “technology consultant”. The website owner (this might be you) is usually responsible for tracking their website traffic, monitoring their analytics, and addressing the security of their individual website.
Are digital duties sometimes blended? Yes, sometimes multiple services are handled by the same vendor – maybe even the same contact person. Get familiar with all of your providers and their agreed scope of services.
Evaluating the Complexity of Your Website
Not all websites are created equal. Some are simple and informational, while others are complex, featuring high-resolution images, dynamic content, or e-commerce functionalities. A few questions to consider:
- Does your website contain high-quality images, videos, or downloadable files?
- Is there dynamic content or interactive features?
- Does your site have e-commerce elements that require integration for taxes, shipping, or payment processing?
Each of these factors can place a higher demand on your hosting resources, especially during a surge in traffic. Even a small increase in simultaneous users can strain a site with complex features. Understanding these variables helps you plan for the capacity your website might need.
How Much Traffic Can Cause Issues?
The traffic from a PR campaign doesn’t have to be enormous to disrupt your website. Even a dozen users engaging with dynamic content simultaneously can strain resources. E-commerce sites, for instance, often have visitors who stay on the site longer and perform multiple actions, from browsing to purchasing.
Sometimes, even a single landing page with a significant influx of traffic can result in slow performance. To avoid performance problems, ensure your hosting and website platform can handle sudden increases in demand. Otherwise, your site may experience bottlenecks – like pushing a beach ball through a golf ball-sized opening.
Remember, no one has a crystal ball. You can’t expect your web hosting provider to foreshadow your needs. You need to share details about your unique business and technology that help them make recommendations.
Assessing Your Web Hosting Capacity
Web hosting is like an apartment for your website. Your website content is the furniture inside, and visitors are the guests. Just as a one-bedroom apartment may not comfortably host a large gathering, a basic hosting plan might not support a high-traffic event.
Shared hosting, for instance, provides limited resources as it’s split between multiple website owners. Upgrading to a Virtual Private Server (VPS) or a dedicated server offers more control and bandwidth, with some high-traffic sites even networking multiple servers to handle large volumes of traffic. Large organizations, such as Amazon, use thousands of servers to meet their needs.
Planning Ahead is a Key to Success
Preparation is as crucial in website technology as it is in marketing.
When your special event requires an arena, you have to research and book that arena in advance of the event date. If your PR campaign requires the digital equivalent of an arena, plan and secure the necessary resources well in advance. Changing hosting plans or technology providers may require days or even weeks, depending on your vendor’s timelines.
Here’s a checklist to help you get started:
- Identify Your Current Hosting Plan: Understand the limitations of your current hosting setup.
- Research Upgrades: Check if higher-capacity plans are available, and find out how long it takes to implement changes.
- Budget for Upgrades: Some enhancements may require additional budget, so plan accordingly.
- Communicate Early: Share your expectations with your hosting provider and other vendors well ahead of your PR campaign launch.
By taking these steps, you can ensure your website is ready for the spotlight, providing a positive experience for every visitor and making the most of your PR efforts.