Just when it seems that the entire online community understands the importance SEO, a new player was introduced. Servers. A word mostly used by the IT department has become a trending word in the SEO community.
But what is the connection between search engine optimization and servers as hosting companies? As always, servers should never be neglected when it comes to SEO. Basically, good hosting won’t do much for your ranking, but bad hosting can ruin them for life (or at least quite a long period of time). So are they really worth all that effort? Yes, they are!
Speed and Search
No matter what your SEO perspective, plans, and budgeting is, one thing is sure – responsive websites have better chances of ending up in the top search results. The time that takes to load your website can make or break the user-experience, especially on mobile. Slow loading websites are seen as users’ arch nemesis in Google’s eyes. This is something that should definitely be taken into consideration, especially as Google offers free tools that deliver this type of data.
If you are wondering what are the reasons that your website is slower than ever before, here are some of them. For example, maybe you or your team are uploading too big pictures that take forever to load. Also, your CSS and HTML may be poorly designed. And also, there is the hosting issue.
If the server is not optimal, the loading time will be longer than usual. Also, in case you are using a shared server, along with hundreds of other companies (which is usually a cheaper option), you can expect slower loading time. For most websites, the shared server won’t be an issue, but there is no guarantee, so maybe it is better to opt for a personal or as a dedicated server.
Here is what owner of binaryoptions.co.nz says about this issue:
“We prefer to have dedicated server and ccTLD for our New Zealand traffic because we believe we can get better search engine rankings and be closer to our New Zealand customers. Also, we don’t like to depend on others, so this was the perfect choice for us”
What When You Go Down?
Having a website that loads fast is amazing, but having one that is always crashing down is the worst. Just like with everything related the SEO, it is many little elements that make a great final picture. Search engines, unfortunately, penalize websites that are often crashing down and are unavailable to their users.
Of course, every website can go down every now and then, but if you notice a trend contact your hosting service. Their terms and conditions should also include an explanation of how they have to act in situations like this. Also, read all the notifications delivered by your webmaster tools.
International Traffic
Most websites operate on an international level. One of the main factors that influence the SEO results is the location of the server. The main goal is to connect a certain country with a certain website. For example, it is possible to set up a subdomain for the Spanish website and host that subdomain in Spain, or set up a .es website hosted there. Even though Google says that servers location might be completely irrelevant, as always with Google – only they know the truth.
These are only some of many examples on why hosting, servers and SEO are highly correlated, as one cannot exist without the other. Still, keep in mind that these suggestions are not a holy grail that will help you rank. Your effort in the field of SEO can hardly be ruined by servers, as long as your website is live and running. Before starting a hosting contract, make sure to understand all aspects of the contract and their crisis management, as it can be of crucial importance for you, your website, and your SEO efforts.