Case Study: Solving Critical Bandwidth Issues for Long-Term Client

Case Study: Solving Critical Bandwidth Issues for Long-Term Client

When a long-term client faced mysterious bandwidth overages that threatened their website's performance, our team tackled the challenge that had stumped multiple experts. This case study demonstrates how systematic technical troubleshooting can solve persistent website performance issues when standard approaches fail.

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Table of Contents

A long-term client who operates a small neighborhood-based website was experiencing critical bandwidth issues after transitioning from GoDaddy to our hosting and maintenance service. Despite limited site activity, the website was consistently consuming over 90% of its alloted monthly bandwidth allocation. Previous attempts to optimize the site had failed to resolve the issue.

Case Study: Solving Critical Bandwidth Issues for Long-Term Client: Before Work from CSI

Key Challenges

  • Excessive bandwidth usage (95+ GB monthly) for a low-traffic site
  • Risk of service disruption and additional hosting costs
  • Mysterious traffic patterns showing consistent high bandwidth consumption
  • Previous optimization attempts by hosting provider and other technical resources had failed
  • Needed to maintain site functionality while resolving backend issues

CSI’s Investigation

Our Tech team conducted a comprehensive site audit that revealed several underlying issues:

  1. Evidence of Systematic Traffic: Bandwidth metrics showed consistent HTTP traffic at 4-8 MB/minute over extended periods
  2. Outdated Infrastructure: Analysis of server logs revealed an unused staging environment still consuming resources
  3. Media Optimization Issues: Over 70 high-resolution images without proper optimization
  4. Technical Configuration Gaps: Missing caching, compression, and crawler control systems
  5. Security Vulnerabilities: The site was experiencing bot traffic and lacked protective measures

Strategic Solution

We developed and implemented a multi-faceted solution targeting each identified issue:

Infrastructure Optimization

  • Removed unnecessary staging environment
  • Cleaned database structure
  • Updated server configurations

Performance Enhancement

  • Implemented comprehensive caching system (page, browser, and object caching)
  • Added GZIP compression
  • Optimized all media files (70+ large images)
  • Enabled automatic image compression for future uploads

Traffic Control

  • Implemented robots.txt with crawl-delay directives to manage bot traffic
  • Updated hotlinking protection
  • Added security measures to reduce automated traffic

Security Reinforcement

  • Implemented CAPTCHA systems for comments and logins
  • Added login URL protection
  • Secured admin editing capabilities

Measurable Results

The implemented solution delivered immediate and significant improvements:

  • 93% Reduction in Bandwidth Usage: Traffic dropped from 8-10 MB/min to under 2 MB/min
  • Enhanced Site Performance: Significantly faster page loading times
  • Improved Security Posture: Reduced vulnerability to automated attacks
  • Sustainable Solution: Ongoing monitoring confirms continued optimization
  • Client Satisfaction: Preserved an 8+ year client relationship with transparent communication

Our website has operated smoothly for years, but recent bandwidth issues had me concerned. The technical team not only solved the problem when no one else could, but also took the time to explain the issues and implement a comprehensive solution. The site is now faster than ever, and I finally understand what was happening behind the scenes.

Key Takeaways

This case study demonstrates our approach to technical problem-solving:

  1. Systematic Investigation: We dig deeper than surface-level symptoms
  2. Comprehensive Solutions: We address root causes, not just symptoms
  3. Transparent Communication: We educate clients throughout the process
  4. Long-Term Thinking: We implement sustainable solutions that prevent future issues
  5. Client Partnership: We build lasting relationships through technical excellence

CSI’s Web Maintenance & Security Plan provides this level of technical expertise and personalized problem-solving for all clients. We don’t just fix what breaks – we proactively optimize your digital presence for performance, security, and sustainability.

Now that you know WHY you need our Website Maintenance Services, it’s time for you to see How we work to keep your site, safe, running smooth and FAST and Hacker-FREE! Click this link to visit CSI’s Web Maintenance & Security Plan page.

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Carol J. Dunlop

Carol, the Online WOW! Strategist, teaches Purpose Driven Entrepreneurs how to convert marketing into money using their WOW! Website to attract the clients they need to live the life they want.