{"id":358,"date":"2021-01-31T04:00:46","date_gmt":"2021-01-31T09:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webhostbros.com\/?p=358"},"modified":"2022-03-05T22:53:56","modified_gmt":"2022-03-06T03:53:56","slug":"web-hosting-bandwidth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webhostbros.com\/web-hosting-bandwidth\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Bandwidth? How Much Do You Need for Web Hosting?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In computing and web hosting, bandwidth can be defined as the maximum amount of data that can be transferred in a network from one point to another, in a given amount of time. It is basically the capacity of a network communications link to transmit the most data it can in a period of time. So the more bandwidth the communication link has, the more it can send and receive at that point in time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a simple illustration to make things clearer. Consider two pipes of different diameters used to transport water underground. The bandwidth of each pipe is the capacity of the pipe to allow water to flow through it at any specific time. Of course, it makes sense to assume that the larger pipe will have more water flowing through it than the smaller one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bandwidth is often used side by side with speed and sometimes interchangeably. They are not the same thing, though. Let\u2019s go back to our example, shall we? The water flowing through the pipes may be doing so at different rates. That rate is the speed of transmission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what is bandwidth as relating to web hosting? Website bandwidth is the rate of traffic and data that can be transmitted between your site and its visitors. It is technically the data-carrying capacity of the network and indicates how much data can travel from your website to its users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is Bandwidth Important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Higher bandwidth means that more data can be delivered to your site users per month. It plays a very important role in growing your website\u2019s traffic and sales. According to research by Google<\/a>, about 53% of mobile phone users will leave a website if it takes more than three seconds to load. Page load speed also plays a vital role in how good a website\u2019s SEO rankings are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, high bandwidth means that websites can employ graphics, video, images, and audio to create more enjoyable and dynamic experiences for their visitors.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Unlimited Bandwidth?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Shared web host companies constantly tout the term \u201cunlimited (or unmetered) bandwidth\u201d as a major selling point. But is it ever really unlimited? What is unlimited bandwidth anyway?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the users, unlimited bandwidth means that they are allowed to use as much data and attract as much traffic to their websites as possible. Essentially, it implies that there are no caps to the bandwidth they are allowed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be clear, there is technically nothing like unlimited bandwidth. It would simply be too expensive for the web host company to allow unfettered access to bandwidth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of these web host providers place some sort of limit on the bandwidth that they offer on their various plans. This limit means that if there is a huge spike in visitors to your website, there may consequently be throttling. Most web hosting providers with \u201cunlimited bandwidth\u201d don\u2019t provide any information on these limits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So why have marketing claims like \u201cunlimited bandwidth\u201d not been denounced as false? Well, because there are little chance websites on shared hosting plans would be able to use the bandwidth made available for them anyway. Websites on shared hosting plans usually fall within the range of normal bandwidth usage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Much Bandwidth Does Your Website Need?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Not all web host companies offer unlimited bandwidth. If your web host does not, it wouldn\u2019t make much sense to buy more than you need. Not buying enough bandwidth is even worse. Whatever the case, you may be interested in knowing just how much bandwidth your website requires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For new websites or for websites with little in terms of multimedia content or traffic, high bandwidth is not necessary. On the other hand, if your website is established or you run data-heavy content, then low bandwidth would slow things down considerably. This is also the case if your site gets a lot of monthly visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To determine just how much data your website needs, three factors must be considered:<\/p>\n\n\n\n