Over the past few years, there has been a notable spike in competition and raffle websites. An upgraded casino-style lottery with alluring prizes and instant wins, usually at minimal cost to enter.
With the appeal for potential big wins brings an influx of traffic and that’s why it’s important for competition website owners to have a reliable, fast hosting solution. It is not just a luxury but a necessity. As your website grows, the increased number of customers can put immense strain on your website’s infrastructure, especially when counting down those final hours of until the live draw. Without the right hosting in-place, you may face slow load times, frequent downtime, and frustrated customers.
Shared Web Hosting
Believe it or not, it’s not uncommon to find competition and raffle websites running on shared web hosting. This is an immediate red flag. Sharing your hosting resources with other websites is an unmanageable and unpredictable way to run any eCommerce site. If your website is on shared hosting, you should consider migrating away from this type of environment immediately.
VPS Hosting
VPS hosting is a popular choice for new businesses due to its affordability and the increased control it offers compared to shared hosting. It provides a balanced starting point for competition and raffle websites. However, as your site grows, scaling a VPS can become expensive. You’ll also find with with managed VPS solutions, you don’t get full root access, limiting your ability to implement custom configurations.
Dedicated server
Dedicated servers are the gold standard for hosting competition and raffle websites, offering unmatched reliability and performance. One of the key advantages is having a single, non-shared IP address, which enhances security and reduces the risk of your site being affected by other websites’ issues. While dedicated servers can be more expensive upfront, especially for new businesses, they are a worthwhile investment as your website grows. The cost-effectiveness becomes evident as you save money in the long run by avoiding the need for frequent upgrades or scaling challenges. With full root access, you have complete control over your server, allowing you to implement custom configurations tailored precisely to your needs.
What do we recommend?
At 25Digital, we exclusively offer dedicated servers for competition and raffle websites. A dedicated server is often a more cost-effective option compared to scaling a high-capacity VPS or using premium providers like AWS or Google Cloud. Unlike managed VPS hosting, a dedicated server gives you full/root access, enabling you to create custom configurations that precisely meet your website’s requirements.
A common misconception is that a dedicated server cannot be scaled. While it may be more challenging than scaling a VPS, it’s certainly possible to upgrade a dedicated server when the time is right and your business needs it. However, one of the significant advantages of a dedicated server is that, due to its robust performance and ample resources, you may rarely need to upscale.
This version emphasises the strength and reliability of dedicated servers, suggesting that the need for scaling is often minimal.
If this technical jargon has got you confused don’t worry we’re here to help.
Other factors to consider
While choosing the right hosting environment is crucial, there are other important factors that can impact your website’s performance. Database bloat, especially in platforms like WooCommerce, can slow down your site significantly. Over time, unnecessary data accumulates, making database optimisation essential to maintain speed and efficiency. Additionally, poorly developed websites with multiple unoptimised database requests can strain your server, leading to sluggish performance. Plugin bloat is another common issue; having too many or poorly optimised plugins can drastically reduce load times. Regular maintenance and optimisation of both your database and website code are key to ensuring smooth, responsive performance.
