Some time ago, I switched web hosts, transferring the WordPress installation of two sites in the process. I transferred because the sites were loading extremely slowly, and I know it wasn’t the construction of the sites: I believed the previous host’s shared servers were overloaded. Once I switched hosts, my average page load time improved significantly, dropping from more than 10 seconds to less than two seconds.
Given my experience, I wanted to provide information on how to:
- Check how many websites are at the same IP address (this post);
- Move your WordPress installation from one host to another (the next post).
Most bloggers with self-hosted installations use a shared hosting service for their site. In my experience, some of the shared hosts seem to overload the capacity of any given server/IP address by putting “too many” sites on the same server. Now, the definition of “too many” is vague, as server capacity depends on many factors, ranging from the size, content, and code of the sites and other materials uploaded by subscribers, to the physical capacity of the servers and the host’s overall configuration.
Not all shared hosts overload servers, and slow-loading pages are not always the result of overloaded servers. However, if you feel your blog is loading slowly, and think it might be the result of bloated servers, you can check to see how many sites share your IP address.
To check how many sites are at the same IP address:
- Log in to your current hosting control panel (c-panel).
- Note the IP address listed on the control panel.
- Click the following link, which is a service provided by yougetsignal.com (there are probably other sites providing this service, but this is the site I use): http://www.yougetsignal.com/tools/web-sites-on-web-server/
- Enter the IP address of your website.
- Click Check on the submission page.
- The screen will refresh and show you how many websites are at the IP address.
Reminder: Slow loading pages are not always the result of overloaded servers, and “too many” sites on a server is relative!
Disclaimer: My new, current host is HostGator, and after transferring to and being impressed by their services, I became an affiliate. If you click a link or ad to HostGator on this site or my blog, and purchase their services, I am paid a small amount. If you want to visit their site and not click any links, type hostgator.com in your browser. I am not receiving any compensation from HostGator for writing these instructions.
