You scanned your website. Everything looks good, except: “No DNSSEC enabled” and “No CDN detected”.
What does that even mean? Is it bad? Your developer says “we don’t need those” but won’t explain why.
Let’s cut through the jargon. Here’s what DNSSEC and CDNs actually do, when you need them, when you don’t, and what they cost if you ignore them.
Want objective data first? Scan your website free – shows your actual DNS speed, DNSSEC status, and whether a CDN would help
What DNSSEC Actually Is (Without the Jargon)
DNSSEC stands for DNS Security Extensions. Here’s what that means in plain English:
Without DNSSEC: When someone types your website address, their computer asks “where is this website?” The answer comes back, and the computer trusts it. But bad actors can intercept and change that answer, sending your visitors to a fake website instead.
With DNSSEC: The answer to “where is this website?” comes with a cryptographic signature proving it’s legitimate. If someone tries to fake the answer, the signature won’t match, and browsers reject it.
The Real-World Analogy
Think of DNS like a phone book. DNSSEC is like putting a tamper-proof seal on every page. If someone tries to change a number, the seal breaks, and you know something’s wrong.
The Numbers
- Only 3% of .com domains use DNSSEC (it’s not widely adopted yet)
- DNS hijacking attacks happen but are relatively rare
- When they do happen, the damage is severe: customers sent to phishing sites, credentials stolen, reputation destroyed
Do You Actually Need DNSSEC?
Here’s the honest assessment.
You DON’T Need DNSSEC If:
- You’re a typical business website (marketing, portfolio, blog)
- You don’t handle sensitive data directly
- Your traffic is low to medium (under 100k monthly visitors)
- You’re not in a regulated industry
- Your DNS provider has good security already
Reality check: Most websites don’t have DNSSEC and are fine. It’s security insurance against a relatively rare attack.
You SHOULD Consider DNSSEC If:
1. You handle sensitive data directly
- Payment processing on your own servers (not Stripe/PayPal)
- Healthcare data (HIPAA requirements)
- Financial services
- Government services
2. You’re a high-value target
- Large ecommerce site (>€1M annual revenue)
- Known brand with reputation to lose
- Political organizations
- Media outlets
3. Regulations require it
- Some government contracts mandate DNSSEC
- Certain compliance frameworks recommend it
- Industry-specific security standards
4. You want to be proactive about security
- Willing to pay the setup cost for peace of mind
- Have IT resources to manage it properly
- Already following other security best practices
The Real Cost of NOT Having DNSSEC
If a DNS hijacking attack succeeds:
- Visitors redirected to phishing sites
- Customer credentials stolen
- Malware distributed under your brand
- Reputation damage that takes years to recover
- Potential regulatory fines if handling protected data
But: These attacks are uncommon. For every 1,000 websites without DNSSEC, maybe 1-2 will face DNS hijacking attempts. The question is: Are you willing to be that one?
What CDNs Actually Do
CDN stands for Content Delivery Network. Here’s what that means for your website:
Without CDN: Your website files live on one server in one location. Every visitor—whether they’re next door or across the world—requests files from that single server.
With CDN: Your website files are copied to dozens or hundreds of servers worldwide. Visitors automatically get files from the closest server to them.
The Business Impact
Speed benefits:
- Visitors in distant countries see your site load 60-80% faster
- Your server handles less traffic (CDN serves most files)
- Better Core Web Vitals = better Google rankings
Reliability benefits:
- Traffic spikes don’t crash your server (CDN absorbs the load)
- DDoS attack protection (most CDNs include this)
- If your origin server goes down, CDN can often serve cached pages
The numbers:
- Sites using CDNs load 50% faster on average globally
- Every 1-second improvement in load time = 7% increase in conversions
- For a site doing €100k/month, that’s potentially €7k-14k in extra revenue
Do You Need a CDN?
This one’s easier to answer with data.
You DON’T Need a CDN If:
- 90%+ of your traffic is local (same country/region as your server)
- You get under 1,000 monthly visitors
- Your site is already loading in under 2 seconds for all users
- You’re a simple blog or portfolio with no commercial goals
- Budget is extremely tight (under €20/month total)
You SHOULD Use a CDN If:
1. You have international traffic
Check your analytics. If more than 20% of visitors are outside your server’s country, a CDN will help significantly.
Quick test: Use a speed testing tool from different countries. If load times vary by more than 2 seconds, you need a CDN.
2. You want better mobile performance
Mobile users on cellular data benefit most from CDNs. If 50%+ of your traffic is mobile, a CDN often cuts mobile load times in half.
3. You run ecommerce or SaaS
Every second of load time costs you conversions. A CDN pays for itself immediately through better conversion rates.
Typical impact: Sites that reduce load time from 4 seconds to 2 seconds see 15-20% conversion increases. For a site doing €50k/month, that’s €7.5k-10k extra monthly revenue. A €50/month CDN is a no-brainer.
4. You experience traffic spikes
Marketing campaigns, product launches, or viral content can crash your server. CDNs absorb traffic spikes automatically.
5. You care about SEO
Google uses site speed as a ranking factor. Faster sites rank higher. CDNs make sites faster. The math is simple.
CDN Costs (Real Numbers)
Free tier options:
- Cloudflare Free: Covers most small sites, includes basic DDoS protection
- CloudFront Free Tier: 50GB/month free for first year
Budget options (€20-50/month):
- Bunny CDN: €0.01/GB (typically €10-30/month for small businesses)
- Cloudflare Pro: €20/month with better analytics and support
Mid-range (€50-200/month):
- AWS CloudFront: Pay per use, scales with traffic
- Fastly: Performance-focused, good for larger sites
Enterprise (€500+/month):
- Only needed for massive traffic (millions of monthly visitors)
- Includes dedicated support, custom configurations, SLA guarantees
Reality check: Start with Cloudflare Free or Bunny CDN. Only upgrade if you outgrow them. Most businesses under 100k monthly visitors pay €0-30/month for CDN.
Quick Decision Guide
Use this simple flowchart to decide:
DNSSEC Decision:
Do you handle sensitive data (payments, healthcare, financial) directly on your servers?
- Yes → Enable DNSSEC
- No → Continue to next question
Are you in a regulated industry or have compliance requirements mentioning DNS security?
- Yes → Enable DNSSEC
- No → DNSSEC is optional (nice to have, not critical)
CDN Decision:
Check Google Analytics: What percentage of traffic is international (outside your server’s country)?
30% international → Use CDN (high priority)
- 10-30% international → Test CDN (probably worth it)
- <10% international → Continue to next question
What’s your average page load time for mobile users?
3 seconds → Use CDN (will make immediate impact)
- 2-3 seconds → Test CDN (likely improvement)
- <2 seconds → CDN is optional
Do you run ecommerce or SaaS with revenue depending on conversions?
- Yes → Use CDN (ROI is obvious)
- No → CDN is optional
What to Do Next
Step 1: Get objective data (5 minutes)
Run a free website scan to see:
- Your current DNS speed
- DNSSEC status
- Whether CDN is detected
- Actual load times from different locations
Step 2: Check your traffic (10 minutes)
Open Google Analytics:
- Look at geographic distribution
- Check mobile vs desktop percentages
- Review average load times by country
Step 3: Have an informed conversation (30 minutes)
Ask your developer:
- “We have [X]% international traffic—would a CDN help?”
- “Our mobile load time is [X] seconds—is that good enough?”
- “Do we handle any data that makes DNSSEC important?”
Step 4: Test before committing (1-2 weeks)
For CDN: Start with Cloudflare Free (takes 15 minutes to set up). Test for a week. Compare load times and conversions before/after. If it helps, keep it. If it doesn’t, remove it.
For DNSSEC: Check if your DNS provider supports it. If setup is free/easy, enable it. If it’s complicated or expensive, evaluate whether you truly need it based on your risk profile.
The Honest Truth
DNSSEC: Security insurance most websites don’t have yet. You probably don’t need it urgently, but it’s smart if you’re in a sensitive industry or handle valuable data.
CDN: Speed boost that directly impacts revenue for sites with international traffic or high conversion value. If you run any kind of business online, test a CDN—the ROI usually justifies itself within days.
The bottom line: Your developer saying “we don’t need those” might be correct—or might be avoiding work they don’t want to do. Get data, ask specific questions, and make an informed decision.
Most common scenario: You probably don’t need DNSSEC (yet), but you probably should test a CDN (especially if you have international traffic or run ecommerce).
Start here: Test your website now – get objective data on DNS speed and whether DNSSEC/CDN would help
Still not sure what makes sense for your specific situation? Get a second opinion – I’ll review your traffic data and infrastructure, and give you honest recommendations.
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