My morning started with a slow logon, and then this:
Here’s the text of my tech support. I am not happy.
Jon: [10:19:02 AM] Welcome to our real-time support chat. How can I help you today?
Jessica Gottlie..: [10:19:02 AM] help, my site is very very slow
[10:19:22 AM] actually it appears to be down
Jon: [10:20:20 AM] okay I am showing that the account is being throttled quite a bit
[10:20:32 AM] go ahead and login to the cpanel and go to the logs section to CPU Throttling
Jessica Gottlie..: [10:22:01 AM] okay, I’m there
Jon: [10:22:14 AM] and this tool will give you the reason why the site is running slow
Jessica Gottlie..: [10:22:34 AM] okay, but I’m not looking for a reason, I’m looking for a solution.
Jon: [10:22:53 AM] you will need to optimize the site to handle the amount of load it is placing on the server
[10:23:17 AM] you will want to optimize the site, database, clean up unused information on the server to help with the load
Jessica Gottlie..: [10:23:38 AM] but I’m trying to grow my site bigger, not reduce it’s size.
Jon: [10:24:32 AM] okay with that amount of time with the CPU throttling I would recommend using a Virtual Private Server or a Dedicated server to handle the load
[10:24:47 AM] it is looking like you are about to outgrow our system
Jessica Gottlie..: [10:24:52 AM] shit
[10:25:03 AM] I mean shoot.
[10:25:29 AM] is there a dedicated server that I can use without me having to do any work?
Jon: [10:25:56 AM] not within our servers
[10:26:08 AM] to keep the site from being slow you will need to optimize the site on our servers
Jessica Gottlie..: [10:26:41 AM] right, but I’m adding content every day, so I’m thinking that optimizing is a very short term solution.
Jon: [10:27:41 AM] yes it is and the long term solution would be to migrate the site to a server that is able to handle your site
Jessica Gottlie..: [10:27:58 AM] Thanks Jon. Appreciate it, even though you made me want to cry.
Ewww… the part where you have to commit to dedicated server. Or as we like to call it: the part where you pay more because you want to earn more.
It’ s kind of like going up in a tax bracket – only for bloggers.
Much sympathy. And a caution to shop around. Just because you got a good price for shared space doesn’t mean it’s the best option for dedicated/VPS.
It sounds like it is sort of a good problem to have. If the goal is to grow the site, well looks you are doing that. Even better you are doing without having to rely upon all sorts of games and gimmickry.
Are you using the WP-Super Cache plugin? I’m surprised that you’d need to move off to a VPS for this blog. How much traffic are you really getting?
As far as your tweet with this link, I think Drupal uses even more server resources. Why not use BuddyPress if you want to build a community around your blog? It uses WordPress as well.
In theory too much traffic sounds like a good problem to have.
John’s suggestion of using WP-Super Cache is right on target. It’s free and extremely powerful.
However, it may be unusable on your current provider (because you’re on a shared server and plugins’ abilities to change file permissions may be limited).
I would suggest getting a VPS from another provider (1and1 is mine) or go the way of a dedicated server.
A VPS (Virtual Private Server) is still sharing its resources with other sites/clients, but the draw on the system is smaller because each VPS instance has a dedicated amount of resources. Also, you wouldn’t be limited to using plugins like WP-SuperCache. A VPS is less expensive than a dedicated server, not as powerful, but is nearly as flexible. Prices vary widely, but you’re probably looking for something in the $50-60 / month price range.
A dedicated server is the most expensive option and it will depend on your hosting provider for the cost. Shop around for this option. You’ll likely not find anything less than $100/month unless you know a guy that has a server rack somewhere (but then you’ll have to buy your own server).
Don’t underestimate the work to switch to a machine either. You’ll need a full backup of not only your filesystem but also of your database. Setup a test website and get everything loaded and working before pointing your domain to the new server.
Growing pains? Gettin’ too big for dem britches?
My sympathies for your challenges and overall, I think it’s still something I should congratulate you for. This is a success! An achievement!