Why the Number of Websites on Your Server Matters

Why the Number of Websites on Your Server Matters

And Why eCommerce Needs its own Server

Imagine your website lives in an apartment building. In some buildings, there are thousands of neighbours all sharing the same electricity, water, and internet. In others, there are just a hundred — more space, less noise, better service. For ecommerce, even a hundred neighbours can be too many — that’s when you need your own private villa.

Cross-account compromise on a shared server: hacked WordPress site leads to compromise across multiple websites via poor isolation.
How a single hack can spread on overcrowded shared hosting

  • Account isolation gaps: Misconfigurations (e.g., symlink traversal, permissive file permissions) can expose neighbouring accounts.
  • Privilege escalation: Vulnerable plugins/themes give attackers a foothold to attempt cross-account moves.
  • Email/IP reputation damage: Spam or malware from one account can blacklist the server’s shared IP.
  • Resource abuse: DDoS or crypto-mining on one account can throttle CPU, RAM and I/O for everyone.
  • Backups and logs targeted: Attackers often try to delete backups or poison logs to make recovery harder.
  • Compliance headaches: Multi-tenant breaches complicate PCI-DSS/UK GDPR duties and incident reporting.

Mitigation: keep server density low, enforce strong per-account isolation (e.g., jails/containers), least-privilege, timely patching, Web Application Firewall (WAF), malware scanning, and rapid restore processes.

The Numbers Behind Hosting Models

Hosting TypeTypical Sites per ServerWhat It Means for You
High-density budget hosting1,500–4,000+Slower load times, higher security risk, less stability
Low-density performance hostingMax 100Faster speeds, better uptime, reduced “bad neighbour” risks
Dedicated managed ecommerce hosting1 (you)Maximum speed, uptime, and security — all resources are yours
Crowded
High-Density Budget Hosting
1,500–4,000+ Sites
Low-Density
Performance Shared Hosting
Max 100 Sites
Dedicated
Managed Ecommerce Hosting
1 Site
Fewer neighbours = more consistent speed, stability, and security.

Why Overcrowding Hurts Performance

On a high-density server, all websites share the same CPU power, RAM, disk speed, and network connection. Even a few busy sites can slow everyone else down. That’s why some sites are quick in the morning but crawl in the afternoon — it’s not your site, it’s your neighbours.

127 Media’s Hosting Approach

  • Low-Density Shared Hosting — Max 100 sites per server for small business websites.
  • Dedicated Managed Ecommerce Hosting — One client, one server. No shared resources, no neighbours. Fully managed security, monitoring, and updates. Perfect for ecommerce where uptime and security are mission-critical.

Why Dedicated Hosting is Essential for Ecommerce

  • Speed = sales — Faster sites convert more customers.
  • Security — Isolation eliminates the risk of neighbour vulnerabilities.
  • Compliance — Easier to meet PCI-DSS and data protection requirements.
  • Scalability — Dedicated resources ensure your store can handle traffic spikes without slowing.

A Simple Truth

Your hosting isn’t just “space on a server.” It’s about how many neighbours you have — or whether you have any at all. At 127 Media, you choose the right neighbourhood for your site: quiet apartment building for most business sites, private villa for ecommerce.

Checklist: Are You on an Overcrowded Server?
  • Website feels fast in the morning but slow later in the day.
  • Frequent unexplained downtime or “5xx” errors.
  • Emails occasionally land in spam despite clean sending practices.
  • Your hosting plan doesn’t state a max sites-per-server limit.
  • You share an IP with hundreds or thousands of other domains.
Ready for faster, more secure hosting?
Talk to us today and find out why fewer neighbours means better business.
I hope you enjoyed todays blog post “Why the Number of Websites on Your Server Matters” and found the topic interesting.

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At 127 Media, we’re proud of our track record – backed by our five-star reviews on Facebook and Google. Our strength lies in delivering a personal service that fosters trust.

If you’re ready for a partnership built on dedication and results, call +44 01704 332127 or email info@127media.com.

Thanks for stopping by.

Until next time.

Gary