Error 509 & Its Implication On Websites

Server errors in any form can result in the disruption of web users without fail. However, an Error 509, i.e., Bandwidth Limit Exceeded, can agitate users as it hampers the display of the website. Website owners usually encounter this message when they have a limited hosting plan (in terms of limited bandwidth).

With the restricted number of hosting accounts, bandwidth is allotted every month. So, whenever the allotted bandwidth gets completed, the website doesn’t load anymore. With the change of month, the bandwidth quota gets reset with website visitors can again view the website.

Understanding Error 509

Error Code 509 is a web server status code that flashes on the website when it reaches the upper cap of the allotted bandwidth limit.

How Bandwidth Works

In the web hosting domain, bandwidth is usually used interchangeably with data transfer. From a web hosting user perspective, there needs to be a clear understanding of these two terms-

• Bandwidth- Bandwidth is used to define the maximum amount of data that can get transferred within a duration, i.e., the rate at which data is getting transferred. Bandwidth is usually measured in KB/sec and MB/sec units. Regarding fiber optics, bandwidth gets measured in higher units like GB/sec.
• Data Transfer- Data transfer is the data volume transferred every time the website gets loaded and is usually measured in units such as megabytes, gigabytes, and terabytes.

How to Fix/Resolve Error 509?

As per the website type, Error 509 can become a critical concern that must be addressed immediately. Whether the website serves as a revenue source or not doesn’t matter, the website owner needs to fix Error 509 from the SEO visibility standpoint. Search engines like Google mark the websites having Error 509 as inactive. If the error persists for longer, search engines can temporarily remove such websites from the search results. As a website owner, no one would want this kind of low and suspended visibility on the digital frontiers. Hence, website owners need to resolve this issue soon so they don’t lose their digital reputation, customers, and revenue.

Website owners can remove Error 509 using two approaches and get their websites running back again. The first approach includes adding to the pre-allotted bandwidth by asking the web hosting provider to upgrade the existing plan. In the second method, the website owner can shift to a plan that offers unlimited hosting, similar to shared hosting.

Web hosting providers offer unlimited bandwidth across their shared hosting plans. As a website owner, it is worth noting that unlimited web hosting may not imply having infinite resources or not being charged as per bandwidth or disk space utilized. Instead, users are asked to pay a minimal fee plan price for using the bandwidth and disk space that matches the hosting provider’s expected usage. A small-sized website having relatively lower traffic volume may not reach the allotted threshold value of what qualifies the hosting provider as unlimited.

How to Calculate Bandwidth?

For any website owner, it is a real challenge to forecast his bandwidth consumption from the beginning, as he has little clue about the visitors hitting his website. It is usually advised to stretch the hosting when it comes to running an online business, and Under-sizing, the web hosting plan might lead to Error 509.

For getting the bandwidth estimate, considering the following factors can be a handy option-

• Website’s average page size (APS)
• The average number of daily visitors (ANDV)
• The average number of page views per visitor (ANPV)
• Additional bandwidth requirements for traffic peaks or surges

Once the website owner gets familiar with the estimate of the first-3 factors, bandwidth requirements can be determined using the formulae below-

Bandwidth = ANPV x APS x ANDV x Days in a Month

This formula gives a rough estimate of a user’s needs. Site owners must be prepared to face traffic surges and peaks, which demand an extra 50% space. This extra space can become handy during such surges and peaks, which doesn’t hamper the website performance, thus providing website visitors with a seamless browsing experience.

Conclusion

For any website owner, his website is the first line of interaction for performing online business. However, for him, it might be challenging to estimate his website, and visitors. Hence, he should opt for a web hosting plan that offers unlimited bandwidth hosting, which works well even when a traffic surge occurs. Any website owner would not be in a good position to see his website removed from the search engine results just because of a small error, Error 509. These errors can cause a dent in the digital reputation and presence of a website.