Calculating Bandwidth Usage of an eCommerce-enabled Website - real use case-1
In this knowledge base article, we'll illustrate how to estimate monthly bandwidth usage while considering the average number of pages a customer visits during their session. This scenario involves a more realistic representation of user behavior, where customers typically interact with multiple pages during their visit.
For the demonstration purpose, we used the service of Pingdom for the web page size calculation
Scenario: We've taken the following website, which is a real/live e-commerce-enabled site built by MediaBee using GetWings:
Remember this: Estimating the precise bandwidth usage of a website/webshop can be a complex endeavor. It's important to recognize that the actual bandwidth consumption varies significantly from site to site and depends on various factors, including the website's structure, content, user behavior, and approach taken at the development stage and in continuous handling.
You can see the high performance of our hosting also in the following screenshots.
The home page we designed for this particular website is 2MB.
Hope you might have been amazed by seeing the results.
Absolutely, our website's performance scores are praiseworthy!
Website Load Time: 587 ms: This website's response time is impressive, taking less than 1 second to load. This snappy performance ensures that visitors don't need to wait long at all before they can start exploring your content.
Performance Grade: 93 out of 100: Achieving a performance grade of 93 out of 100 indicates that this website is optimized and well-tuned for speed and user experience. This high score reflects our dedication to providing our client's visitors with a fast and efficient online interaction, showcasing our commitment to our satisfaction.
Now Coming Back to Bandwidth Calculation:
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Webpage(s) Size of this site:
Home Page: 2 MB
Product Catalogue Page: 1.6 MB
Product Page: 1.5 MB
Checkout Page: 1.5 MB
Order Completed Page: 921 KB
Number of Visitor in the month of June 2023 - 6449
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Number of Visitors: 6449
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Average Customer Visit: 5 pages
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Total Webpage Sizes: 2 MB + 1.6 MB + 1.5 MB + 1.5 MB + 0.921 MB ≈ 7.521 MB
Now, let's calculate the estimated bandwidth usage.
Total Monthly Bandwidth Usage = Total Webpage Sizes x Number of Visitors
Total Monthly Bandwidth Usage = 7.521 MB x 6449 visitors
Total Monthly Bandwidth Usage ≈ 48,456.129 MB
Converting to GB:
Total Monthly Bandwidth Usage = 48,456.129 MB ÷ 1024 MB/GB
Total Monthly Bandwidth Usage ≈ 47.34 GB
In this scenario, considering an average customer visit of 5 pages on a real e-commerce site built using GetWings, your estimated monthly bandwidth usage would be approximately 47 GB. This calculation takes into account actual webpage sizes and a typical user interaction where visitors navigate through multiple pages during their session.
But the Actual Bandwidth calculated at their account is: 11 GB
Actual vs Estimation on This Website
Scenario:
- Total Visitors: 6449
- Total Page Views: 13808
- Actual Bandwidth Usage: 14 GB
When we compare the estimated bandwidth calculation to the actual usage, we discover some interesting insights:
Estimated Calculation:
- Estimated Total Monthly Bandwidth Usage: Approximately 47 GB
Actual Bandwidth Usage:
- Actual Total Monthly Bandwidth Usage: 14 GB
The variance between the estimated and actual bandwidth usage highlights the dynamic and unpredictable nature of web traffic. Here's what we can deduce from this difference:
1. Average Page Views Per Visitor: The estimated calculation assumed an average of 5 pages viewed per visitor. However, with a total of 13808 page views from 6449 visitors, the actual average page views per visitor is approximately 2.14. This indicates that visitors are exploring fewer pages on average than initially assumed.
2. Efficient Content Delivery: The fact that this eCommerce-enabled website achieved its objectives with significantly lower bandwidth usage (14 GB instead of the estimated 47 GB) signifies efficient content delivery. Our website's optimization efforts, caching strategies, and data management are successfully delivering content to visitors with minimal data transfer.
3. Visitor Behavior: If it is a full e-commerce business website, the page views per visitor indicate a high bounce rate. But this is an organization website where many visitors visit to read their latest blog, news, etc. But the commerce part is also sound. The actual increase of supporters happening to the organization through that website also gives us the confidence to say that the visitors are finding relevant information or products more quickly, leading to shorter sessions but meaningful engagement.
In essence, the actual data provides a valuable lesson in the uniqueness of each website visitor's behavior. It reinforces the notion that estimating bandwidth usage involves various uncertainties, including visitor engagement patterns, content consumption, and the effectiveness of optimization strategies. This experience underscores the importance of continuously monitoring real-world usage and adjusting strategies accordingly. It's a reminder that data-driven/assumption-driven insights are invaluable to some extent for making informed decisions about hosting, optimization, and overall website performance.
Remember, these estimations provide a valuable starting point, but factors like user behavior and the specific content on your web pages can influence your actual bandwidth usage. For precise calculations tailored to your website's characteristics, our experts are here to assist you in selecting the most suitable hosting plan to accommodate your traffic effectively. If you are new to a website/webshop, start with a standard bandwidth plan. As you see your traffic and business evolve, we recommend considering scaling your resources accordingly. Just like your business expands and thrives, your website's performance should keep up with the increasing demands. Scaling your resources ensures that your website continues to deliver an exceptional user experience, even as your visitor numbers grow. Remember, your success is our priority, and we're here to support your every step."