Did you know that your chosen web hosting provider can have a huge impact on your search engine rankings? The majority of the most SEO friendly websites on the Internet load quickly and therefore it is important that your website is able to respond quickly to any visitors.
However, not everyone understands just how beneficial choosing the right web hosting provider can be where optimizing your website for search engines is concerned. So, let us discover 3 web hosting factors that can influence where your website ranks in search engine results.
Server Location
In order to display the most relevant search results, search engines often assess the location of a website when compiling their rankings. For instance, if someone from Canada is carrying out an online search, then the search engine will typically display websites that are based in Canada higher up in the search results. In terms of assessing where a website is based, search engines take several indicators into account including the IP address of the website. Consequently, you can find more information about some of the most widely used canadian web hosting options over on the HostPapa website.
In case you were not already aware, IP addresses are assigned to websites based on the location of the server that it is hosting the website. With this in mind, if your business is based in Canada, then hosting your website with a hosting provider that has servers in Canada might help your website to rank more highly in search results when people from Canada search for your chosen keywords. Of course, your website can still rank highly in other countries if other measures are in place, but there is no denying that choosing a server that is local to your intended audience can help to improve your website SEO
Increased Uptime and Reduced Downtime
Put simply, uptime refers to the amount of time that your website is active for people to view and visit it. Similarly, downtime is the amount of time that your website is inaccessible due to issues with the server that it is hosted on. It is not uncommon for search engine spiders to make attempts to visit your website a few times a day. If the spiders visit your website during downtime, a record is taken that your website was inaccessible, and the spiders move on to another site. If the spiders notice a pattern in downtime your website is at risk of being flagged as unreliable and your search rankings can be downgraded.
Search engines simply do not want to display unreliable websites in their search results as this reflects badly on them. Besides, being unable to access a website after looking through search results can be incredibly frustrating. Although it is impossible for hosting providers to offer 100% accessibility, there are some hosts that claim to provide 99.9% uptime. You can even put these claims to the test using online data sources and third-party monitors. For these reasons, as a general rule, web hosts with poor uptime performance should be avoided, especially if you are working on a website with SEO at the forefront.
Loading Speed
Although search engines are notoriously secretive about the algorithms that they use to compile their search result rankings, it is safe to assume that page loading speed is a vital factor. Sometimes matters that are out of the control of your web hosting provider can be responsible for a page that is slow to load. However, if the technical set up of your website has been optimized and the issue persists, it might be worth moving to a different server.
If your website is stored on a shared server with hundreds of other websites that are using server resources on a heavy basis, this might be having an impact on the loading speed of your website. Correspondingly, moving to a less busy server, or switching to a private or dedicated server can also improve your page loading speeds. Essentially, this means that the network your website is being broadcasted from can play a significant role in improving your search engine rankings. Moreover, finding the right server for your website can ensure that your pages respond quickly.
Ultimately, finding the right web hosting provider for your website can significantly boost your website in a number ofways. Above all, almost everyone searches for things online nowadays and if you want your website to come up first, then you absolutely need to make sure that your website has been optimized for search engines. Fast loading speeds, consistent uptime, and well-located servers can all positively impact the SEO performance of your website.
Are you currently focusing on improving the online presence of your business or brand? For more useful tips, take a look at this article for blogging business: essential checklist for a successful website.
