If your website is underperforming, your hosting could be the issue. Learn how to spot the signs—and whether you need a plan upgrade or a whole new provider.
Your website might be built right, but if your hosting isn’t keeping up, you’ll feel it—through slower speeds, more downtime, and frustrated users. The good news? Sometimes a simple hosting upgrade is all you need. Other times, it’s worth switching providers completely.
Here’s how to tell the difference—and what to do about it.
1. Your Website Is Getting Slower
Is your site noticeably lagging—even with image optimization and caching in place? This could mean:
- Your current hosting plan doesn’t offer enough resources (CPU, memory, bandwidth)
- Shared server neighbors are affecting your performance
UPGRADE: Consider an upgrade if you’re on a basic shared plan.
SWITCH: Consider switching if slowdowns persist even after upgrading.
2. You’re Experiencing Frequent Downtime
Even a few minutes of downtime can mean missed leads, lost sales, and damaged trust. If you’re seeing:
- Multiple outages per week
- Slow support response when issues happen
- No clear uptime guarantees
It’s time to reevaluate your host.
UPGRADE: Consider an upgrade if you’re on a low-tier plan with no uptime SLA.
SWITCH: Consider switching if your host blames everyone but themselves—or can’t explain the cause.
3. Support Is Unhelpful or Hard to Reach
When something breaks, you need fast answers. If your current host:
- Only offers email tickets (no chat or phone)
- Gives generic, copy-paste replies
- Takes hours—or days—to respond
That’s a red flag, especially if you run a business.
UPGRADE: Consider upgrading if your host offers better support tiers with higher plans.
SWITCH: Consider switching if their support is consistently slow or dismissive.
4. You’ve Outgrown Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is great when you’re just starting out. But if your site has grown in traffic or complexity, it might be time to step up to:
- Managed WordPress hosting
- VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting
- Dedicated hosting (for large sites or e-commerce)
Upgrading within the same host can often give you more power and features without migrating everything.
5. Your Host Isn’t Keeping Up with Security
Does your host proactively monitor for threats, provide daily backups, and offer malware removal?
If you have to manage everything yourself—or pay extra just to stay protected—it might not be worth the risk.
UPGRADE: Consider upgrading to a managed plan with included security and backups.
SWITCH: Consider switching if your host doesn’t offer any of these options at all.
Need Hosting Recommendations?
We recommend WPEngine for high-performance managed hosting, and SiteGround as a reliable, budget-conscious option. Both are trusted, WordPress-friendly hosts that deliver solid uptime and support.
Check out our full list of recommended tools and hosting providers here.
Final Thought
Sometimes your hosting just needs to grow with you. Other times, it’s holding your business back.
If you’re not sure which is right—upgrade or switch—we can help. We’ll evaluate your current hosting and help you choose a solution that fits your website and your goals. Let’s talk.
