CDN stands for Content Delivery Network, which are networks for content distribution that will help you improve the user experience of your website.
Thanks to a network of servers located around the world, they make page loading faster, thus also improving the ranking of your site in search engines.
Want to find out how they work and if they’re right for you? Keep reading.
What is a CDN
In practice, a CDN Content Delivery Network is a real network of servers spread across the globe, which have the task of distributing and bringing multimedia content closer to website users.
This reduction in server-user distance makes the loading of heavier resources (such as image files, videos, audio, JavaScript, HTML, CSS) faster, consequently the loading of the pages themselves will be faster too.
If a user can view these multimedia contents in high quality and without delays, the UX, that is, their browsing and purchasing experience, in the case of an ecommerce, will improve and your business will benefit.
Remember, a good user experience increases the conversion rate but also helps SEO, with an improvement in ranking in SERP.
Search engines, like Google, reward websites that don’t have slowdowns, precisely because they manage to offer the user a good browsing experience.
What are the Most Used CDNs?
Some of the most popular CDNs are those provided by companies like Akamai, Cloudflare, and Amazon CloudFront.
Here’s why these CDNs are very popular:
Akamai is one of the largest and oldest CDNs, with a massive global presence. Akamai has a vast network of servers spread around the world and is known for its ability to handle DDoS attacks, ensuring security and performance.
It also boasts a robust infrastructure for optimizing media content and web applications.
Cloudflare is extremely popular due to its ease of use, feature set, and competitive pricing policy.
Cloudflare offers a free plan that is sufficient for many small websites. This is why it’s the first choice for startups and small websites.
In addition to CDN features, Cloudflare offers a suite of security services that help protect websites from cyber attacks.
Amazon CloudFront is part of the “Amazon Web Services (AWS) ecosystem. It integrates seamlessly with other AWS services, making it a popular choice for companies that already use AWS for” web hosting or other services.
This CDN is known for its high reliability, low latency, and fast data transfer speed, as well as its wide global presence.
The choice of CDN depends on several factors such as performance, security, integration with other services, customer support, cost, and geographic specifics.
A CDN’s ability to withstand various forms of cyber attacks, particularly DDoS attacks, is one of the main elements that determine its popularity or not.
Moreover, with the “increase in the” use of video, games, and other high-bandwidth content, CDNs that can effectively handle large amounts of data are preferred.
How Much Does a CDN Cost
The cost of a CDN can vary greatly depending on the volume of data transmitted, global presence, additional features needed (such as advanced security or mobile optimizations).
Here are some concrete examples of the costs of the most popular CDNs:
Cloudflare offers a Free plan at no cost, suitable for small websites with limited content. The plan is very popular because it provides basic CDN functions and DDoS protection.
Paid plans start at around $20 per month for the Pro plan, which includes advanced web analytics and additional security features.
Enterprise and custom plans, which offer even greater performance and security, can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars per month, depending on specific needs.
Amazon CloudFront uses a pay-as-you-go pricing model, which means you only pay for what you use without a long-term commitment.
Costs are calculated based on the amount of data transferred (e.g., $0.085 per GB for the first 10 TB / month in North America and Europe as of the last update) and the number of HTTP/HTTPS requests.
Amazon sometimes offers a free tier for new customers for 12 months, which includes 50 GB of data transfer and 2,000,000 requests per month.
Akamai offers customized solutions, particularly for larger companies, and prices can vary widely depending on customer needs.
They don’t have standardized published prices like Cloudflare or Amazon CloudFront, due to the highly customizable nature of their solutions.
In general, the cost of a CDN will be influenced by various factors including traffic volumes, geographic presence (regions where you want to distribute content), storage requirements, security features, and any additional specific services necessary for business needs.
To get the most accurate costs, you need to contact the provider directly for a quote, or rely on us, and we’ll take care of everything professionally.
Discover how a CDN works
The CDN stores a cache copy of the contents of each web page of a website at multiple points of presence (PoPs) located in different places, thus reducing the physical distance between the user and the server, and improving online content loading times.
Here’s how it works, with an example to further clarify:
Content Distribution
When you decide to use a CDN, the site’s contents (which can include HTML files, videos, images, CSS stylesheets, JavaScript, etc.) are copied to various servers in the CDN network.
These servers are located in various locations, strategically chosen to geographically cover a wide range of users.
Content Request
Suppose a user in Italy wants to access a video hosted on an American website. Without a CDN, the user’s request would travel through various network nodes until it reaches the main server in the United States, and then make the reverse journey with the requested data (the video).
This path can cause latency, i.e., waiting times, due to the long distance to travel and possible server overload or network congestion.
Delivery via CDN
With a CDN, when the user sends a request for that video, the DNS will redirect this request to the nearest CDN server, for example, a server in Europe, much closer to the Italian user than the original server in the USA.
This server, having a copy of the video in its cache memory, will respond to the request much more quickly than if the request had to travel to the original server.
Moreover, if for some reason the nearest CDN server doesn’t have the requested content, it could obtain it from another nearby CDN server that has that particular content, instead of requesting it from the original server, further optimizing the response speed.
Performance Optimization and Security
CDNs are not only designed to reduce latency. They also offer other features, such as bandwidth optimization, load balancing, and protection against DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks by distributing traffic so that it doesn’t overload any point in the network.
In summary, CDNs are important for improving the accessibility, efficiency, and security of online content, providing end users with a faster and smoother experience while reducing the load on original servers.
Why should you use a CDN?
The Content Delivery Network is able to store all the information from the original server and replicate it to users. Without this technology, the Internet would be extremely slow.
But why can’t most online businesses do without it? Let’s look at the real advantages.
1 Website security
A website that uses a CDN is a reliable and secure site. Thanks to integrated information security, it can maintain the TLS/SSL protocol and encryption.
Furthermore, a content delivery network uses tools capable of detecting DDoS attacks, man-in-the-middle attacks, and analyzing other issues that could compromise network security and user data.
2 Content loading speed
Thanks to the distribution of content across multiple servers, not only is the server-user distance reduced, but traffic is distributed, avoiding overloads.
This allows users to view pages and multimedia content on a website much faster. The time spent on site (bounce rates) also benefits, increasing and also enhancing the chances of conversion and loyalty.
A user who finds themselves navigating a slow website tends to leave and look for your competitor. They will hardly return to browse your site.
3 Better user experience
A website with good loading speed not only results in less site abandonment and longer time spent on site, but also offers a better browsing experience.
A good user experience is fundamental for “optimizing your business. When a customer doesn’t encounter loading and navigation problems, but rather appreciates the” usability of your website, they are more likely to convert, whether it’s a “purchase or” signing up for a mailing list.
4 SEO advantages
The loading speed of pages, both on desktop and mobile, is part of the ranking factors for a website.
The reason is always user experience. Google and other search engines care that “the user has a” positive experience browsing websites that it has included in search results.
Moreover, among the parameters that positively affect SEO, we also find website security, as a secure site will increase user trust.
Another extremely important factor is the possibility, for those who have premium CDN packages, to have reports and analyses on website criticalities and user searches.
5 Reduction of hosting costs
If there were no CDNs to optimize and offer a cache, the management costs of hosting plans would be higher.
This is because a standard server has higher hosting management costs, but thanks to the distribution network, the volume of their work is decreased, and consequently the cost.
Who should use a CDN?
“The use of a Content Delivery Network (CDN) is highly recommended for those who manage websites or online services and want to optimize the performance,” reliability and security of content distribution.
Here are some specific categories and examples of who should consider using a CDN:
Websites with wide geographical distribution:
- An e-commerce platform that receives traffic from different countries should use a CDN. By using a CDN, the online store can quickly serve its customers from local servers, reducing page loading times and improving user experience, which could also translate into higher sales and more satisfied customers.
Entertainment platforms:
- A news website or video streaming service that requires fast and real-time content distribution. A CDN can handle heavy traffic and streaming requests, reducing buffering and ensuring that content reaches users efficiently, regardless of their geographical location.
Companies with interactive content:
- A financial service or online banking portal that requires secure and real-time communication. CDNs can offer optimizations for dynamic and personalized content, ensuring that user transactions and interactions are fast and secure.
Application developers:
- Developers managing globally used applications can leverage CDNs to distribute and manage application traffic. This is particularly useful for applications that rely on a fast and responsive user experience, such as online games.
Sites that require reliability:
- Educational or governmental platforms that need to be accessible at all times. A CDN can help mitigate DDoS attacks by distributing traffic and reducing the load on a single server, thus ensuring that the website remains available even during traffic spikes or attack attempts.
Companies that want to optimize SEO:
- A blog, or content website, that aims for better visibility on search engines. Site speed and user experience are critical factors in search engine ranking. By using a CDN, websites can significantly improve their loading times, which can have a positive impact on search result rankings.
In general, the use of a CDN is beneficial for almost all types of online sites, especially those that anticipate a global audience, large volumes of traffic, multimedia content, or have high security and stability requirements.
Through the distribution of content on a network of servers, CDNs ensure that users receive data efficiently and reliably, improving the “overall experience and resilience of the website or” application.
In 2023, thinking of publishing a slow and insecure website makes little sense, especially if your goal is to achieve good and important economic results.
This is why it’s often necessary to invest and turn to specialized professionals.
How can we help you? Contact us.
