When you search for something on the internet do you ever notice how some sites feel like they're "always on?" Or, conversely, some sites feel nonexistent when you need them? This is determined by reliability and uptime in hosting services. Simply put, reliability and uptime are indicators of how reliable a hosting service provider might be overall.
I've switched a few times amongst hosting service providers for a variety of reasons. Let me tell you when you experience horrible uptime it feels like your site is always on vacation and never told you. So frustrating!
• Reliability is how often your hosting offers service consistently without drops.
If your site is for a shop, blog or side project, the last thing your visitors want to see are error pages.
Uptime (%) = (Total time – downtime) ÷ Total Time × 100
It may sound like math class, but it's actually pretty simple:
• If your site has a solid up time of 30 days, that's 100% (if you count)
• If your site was just down for 1 hour in that month, uptime took a slight hit.
Hosting company likes to boast about 99.9% which is about a few minutes for downtime a month.
• 99% uptime = Your site can be down as much as 7 hours a month
• 99.9% uptime = Your site can be down as much as 45 minutes
• 99.99% uptime = Your site can be down as much as 4-5 minutes a month.
Notice the difference? Just a little decimal point can make the difference between a happy customer or lost sales.
I've switched a few times amongst hosting service providers for a variety of reasons. Let me tell you when you experience horrible uptime it feels like your site is always on vacation and never told you. So frustrating!
What are Reliability and Uptime?
• Uptime is the total amount of time your site is live and running.• Reliability is how often your hosting offers service consistently without drops.
If your site is for a shop, blog or side project, the last thing your visitors want to see are error pages.
The Simple Uptime Formula
Okay, here is the part that most people are waiting for:Uptime (%) = (Total time – downtime) ÷ Total Time × 100
It may sound like math class, but it's actually pretty simple:
• If your site has a solid up time of 30 days, that's 100% (if you count)
• If your site was just down for 1 hour in that month, uptime took a slight hit.
Hosting company likes to boast about 99.9% which is about a few minutes for downtime a month.
Why does this formula matter
So why should this matter to you? Think about this• 99% uptime = Your site can be down as much as 7 hours a month
• 99.9% uptime = Your site can be down as much as 45 minutes
• 99.99% uptime = Your site can be down as much as 4-5 minutes a month.
Notice the difference? Just a little decimal point can make the difference between a happy customer or lost sales.
