It’s not uncommon for websites to run into performance and functionality issues, the temporary dips in performances are nothing to worry about. However, if they happen more frequently, it's a sign to scale your website, and yes, not addressing this will affect your SEO.
Websites are an integral part of any business in the digital age. Whether it's an established local brand, a small up-and-coming shop, or a creative venture, everyone needs a functional website to reach their market. A slow website with compromised functionality will affect your online presence and steer away your potential customers.
If you are noticing this very often, it's likely because your site is attracting more traffic than usual and its infrastructure isn’t able to meet those demands. This is where website scaling comes in, it will ensure fast load times under high-pressure scenarios.
What Is Website Scaling?
Website scaling refers to the process of optimising your website for massive workloads, which could be anything from user traffic to simultaneous requests. When you scale your website, you adjust its infrastructure so that it is capable of handling growing traffic without sacrificing performance or functionality.
A properly scaled website not only delivers enhanced user experience but also prepares you for the future. This also means that your website’s backend will be able to effectively handle content growth along with its ability to deliver at all times.
Why Is Scalability Important For SEO
Website speed, which is one of the most important factors of SEO, is directly linked with its scalability. Large page sizes and resource-intensive background processes can take a toll on a website's software and result in slow web pages. Scaling your website resources will give you consistent performance and make search engines rank your site higher.
It will also help you manage keywords and on-site content for long-term needs. Search engines like Google and Bing mostly prioritise sites that load faster, typically those that load within 2 seconds. The rest of them go to the bottom, even if they have better content. For business owners, a scaled website translates into more profit.
Understanding Scalability Better
First things first, web scalability does not always equal performance. Scalability refers to the ability of a site or a web app to deal with sudden spikes in traffic. A scaled website will be able to accommodate a sudden increase in demand and effectively manage resources for multiple tasks. Scalability and performance both have different metrics and get measured in different ways.
Scaling up and down to meet different needs also allows you to be cost-efficient. Say one of your products goes viral, and to prevent the website from crashing, you scale it up to ensure resources are allocated properly during the surge in traffic. And when the market is less lively, you can scale down to save on operational costs.
In the case of news and blog sites, seasons when the major geopolitical events are taking place scaling up keeps you from getting caught off guard. Finance websites can scale up accordingly, such as when people start to wonder, “Will bitcoin continue to rise?” or during the end of a quarter when financial reports start coming out. We have seen in the crypto market how looking at the past Q4 surges gives you the idea of future trends in the same season. In similar fashion, other industries can also track market activity and investor sentiment to keep their sites ready for different scenarios.
Design A Scalable Website Today
To effectively implement various SEO strategies,you need a scalable environment. There are several ways to make your website scalable, which you will learn the more you are in business. Following are scaling essentials that you need.
Hosting Plan
A basic hosting plan may deliver a subpar user experience, hurting your online visibility. Some hosting companies offer scalable hosting plans that give you increased CPU and storage needs on demand. Alternatively, you can switch to VPS or dedicated servers if your operations need more power.
Use A CDN (Content Delivery Network)
SEO takes into account the speed of your web pages across all regions, especially if you have users coming from different countries. By using a CDN, you can store copies of your websites on local servers in various geographical regions. This will take the load off of a main server and still ensure that content is delivered quickly to those browsing from far away.
Use Multiple Databases (For Web Apps)
Some websites feature web apps such as games, integrated wallets, and other systems that may need the use of multiple databases for scalability. Leveraging multiple databases can enhance the ability of a web app to handle simultaneous functions for a number of users.
Regular Updates
By regularly updating content and optimising it for fast deliveries will ensure your site is ready to scale at all times. You don’t want inefficient processes or unused plugins to hinder performance when the stakes are high.