You treat your website like a business, but you host it in a slum. Paying $2.99/mo for shared hosting is the equivalent of running a retail store out of a damp basement.
1. Time to First Byte (TTFB)
Before your site can even start loading images or text, the browser has to wait for the server to wake up and say "Hello." This is TTFB. On cheap shared hosting (like Bluehost or GoDaddy entry plans), your site is crammed onto a server with 500 other sites.
If your neighbor on the server gets a traffic spike, YOUR site slows down. You have no control. That "Cheap" hosting is costing you thousands in lost conversions.
The VPS Upgrade
Moving to a VPS (Virtual Private Server) or a managed Cloud platform like Cloudways or Netlify gives you dedicated resources. Your TTFB drops from 1.5s to 0.2s instantly.