Posted on April 2nd, 2010Web hosting companies do their best to display an image of customer oriented service that aims only to please the customer. While this is true for the most part there are some limitations as to what you can do with your web hosting account. These limitations include bandwidth and disk space, which are limited on every web server regardless of what your web hosting service provider tells you. Nearly all web hosting companies will tell you that you have unlimited resources, however this is simply a marketing gimmick to get you to buy. The reality is you are limited in what you can do with any web hosting account. If you surpass these limits you may get a warning form your web hosting company.
The Warning
The warning that you usually receive from the web hosting company will tell you that you have exceeded your terms of service and that you need to reduce server load or else your account will be temporarily suspended or permanently banned if you fail to comply with these conditions. While this may seem like it is unfair, and in man cases it is, you must understand that the web hosting company has an obligation to fulfill for all of it’s clients, not just you. These means they have to make sure their network is running at optimal speeds for all of their clients. If the network allows too many users to violate their bandwidth and disk space restrictions then the rest of the clients on the service will suffer, especially on a shared hosting service plan.
Why Does This Happen?
You will usually get a message like this when your site has too many files on it or when you get too much traffic in a short period of time with the later usually being the most common problem. If you get too many visitors in a short period of time suddenly, then you will put a large burden on the server which can send a red flag for your hosting company. When the hosting company sees this they become aware of the fact that you are drawing a great amount of server resources, and in some cases they may even deem this as “suspicious activity”.
How to Fix It
The best way to rectify the situation is to call your hosting company and talk with them personally on the phone. Sending an email will also work, however it is usually not as effective. Talking to a customer service rep is the best way to get your voice heard by far. Make sure you let them know that you want to do whatever it takes to fix the situation. They will usually walk you through the process of lowering your server load. You may need to purchase an extra hosting account or a dedicated server to accommodate your recent surge in server usage.