The perception of your website to visitors impacts their purchasing decision.

Any business attempting to grow in a scalable manner today has no option but to be prominently visible on the Internet. In absence of an online presence, most businesses are not considered credible these days. Why? The simple answer is because their competition most certainly is already there, and if your products and services aren’t easily found (or not found at all) on search queries, you’re leaving sales on the table. The deep penetration of the Internet in almost all the corners of the globe has entailed the birth and growth of business portals that survive solely on online traffic.

Broadband access makes a visitor’s perception of a website and server much more impressive as compared to snail-paced sessions (dial-up or even DSL). Yet, a number of businesses currently share portals (shared hosting) with other users. Nothing could be more damaging to a business. Why? Websites on shared servers work off of the same IP address, so if a website other than yours is disseminating malware, they could conceivably put your site in a “bad” neighborhood. The consequences? Emails can be blocked and/or your IP address could be blacklisted. If you email a proposal to a prospect and it doesn’t get there because your IP address is being blacklisted, you face the real possibility of losing that sale.

It is of utmost importance for businesses today to move to a fast, reliable server that will respond quickly to client requests – with a predictable and controllable turnaround time. If you are running a business with a significant online presence, it’s recommended that you look for an affordable dedicated server to run your business.

User satisfaction is the key to retaining clients long term

The key focus of operating an online business on a cheap dedicated server (meaning inexpensive) should be user experience. It is no surprise that large corporations historically state that user satisfaction is their highest priority. Large corporations know perfectly well, based upon all the studies that they carry out and all the highly paid MBAs that they hire, that they cannot afford to lose the tiniest fraction of their user base. Studies have historically shown that it’s far easier to upsell a current client than to acquire new clients. Customer churn has to be addressed as it relates to your online presence. Is your site professionally written and designed? Does your content provide value-add information relative to what interests your clients and prospects? And is your site responsive?

Faster download speeds will keep visitors on your site longer

If you are operating any type of business online, speed matters and not just to your visitors. Google also assigns weight in their ranking algorithms to the speed of your website. Why? With the expanse of broadband globally, Internet users have become accustomed to low latency and quick downloads.

No client wants to wait for a single additional second if they can help it. If you provide the speed that your visitors expect, they are going to come back to you and refer your business to their circle of influence. So while planning your online setup, it is imperative that you set aside funds for a high speed server dedicated to your business. The return-on-investment on upgrading from sharing hosting to dedicated hosting is substantial. You not only have more control over your online presence, you don’t face the possibility of bad neighborhoods affecting your operations. Why? First, your IP address won’t be shared amongst 100’s or 1000’s of other businesses, which isolates your site. Second, you have more control over the programs and scripts that you can utilize to promote your online presence.