| 09 January 2011
I recently noticed excessively slow speeds at which my website was loading. I first looked at my site for any problems with plugins, or image sizes. After testing from multiple computers, and multiple Internet connections, I decided to get in touch with my hosting provider, GoDaddy.com.
My thinking at this point was GoDaddy must be having a problem with the server my website is hosted on, or possibly a load balancer was down. The representative took some time to run some tests, and reported back that there was not a problem with the server my site is on. If you are unfamiliar with how most low cost web hosting works, a website usually resides on a single server computer that is shared with a number of other websites. If one site on the server happens to be a resource hog, then you may notice problems with your website's performance.
The representative mentioned that I was still on their old hosting plan, economy hosting, and asked if I knew about their new grid hosting plan. Of course, I assumed this would cost more, but to my surprise the change over is free of charge. Grid Hosting is Godaddy's new hosting plan which is replacing economy shared hosting. Your website is still on a shared server, but they employ better load balancing techniques, as well as monitor for any resource problems caused by neighboring websites on the server. As if the rep really had to ask me to switch to better technology at no charge!
Well after switching to the new grid hosting plan, my website is loading faster than ever, and am happy to know I won't have to rebuild it. If your website is on a shared GoDaddy server, I highly recommend that you verify you are on their new grid hosting plan.
