Online marketplace is ever-growing and organizations are eager to see their websites on top of Google search page. Modern world is all about SEO and if a website doesn’t rank on the first page of Google, it is expected to not get noticed at all.
As they say “ The best place to hide a website is second page of Google”.
Websites that operate smooth and swift are more likely to grab better Google search rankings and this is only possible when a website is hosted on a top-notch hosting server. It is a common question whether a web host affects SEO of a website and the answer is a big YES!
Here’s some light on how a poor web host affects a website’s SEO and why it is important to choose a reliable host for your website.
Server Downtime
This is basically the first test of a web host. If your website suffers from web server downtime frequently, it is the first sign of a non reliable web host.
Downtime not only affects a website’s overall performance but it also brings down its SERP and SEO. Let’s take a look at it in practical manner.
A website is down and not showing up on the search engine. The search engine gets a query of a relatable content of that website, what happens then? The search engine won’t find that website and the glitch will degrade the website’s SEO. Moreover, it also increases the bounce rate of that website that will directly impact a website’s authority.
Therefore, to avoid downtime and to get 99.9% uptime for your website, you should blindly opt for the best available web host for your website.
Page Load Time
The second factor to test a web host is the load time of a website. If a website is slow and takes much time to load, it is absolutely counted as a lack at the web host’s end. Head of Google’s Webspam Team, Matt Cutts, also highlighted the effect of page load time on website performance here.
It is a universally acclaimed fact that if a website takes more than two seconds to load, visitors are more likely to switch to the next possible option. Hence website’s page load time is a very sensitive factor for its reputation.
Moreover, a website with high load time will get a high bounce rate that affects directly on its search engine rankings. The slump in a website’s SEO results in lesser conversion rate.
A good web host decreases a website’s load time by using latest caching technologies that results in high volume of traffic. Remember, decreased load time means more web views.
Some of the best online tools to measure page load time are:
Say No To Shared Hosting
A shared hosting may seem cost effective but remember that cheap things are no good. A shared host lets you host multiple websites on a shared server because of the fact that you are compromising on the quality of hosting.
Google doesn’t prefer websites that are hosted on a shared server as it is against the ethics of SEO. In addition, the biggest disadvantage of shared hosting is spamming. These cheap hosting providers serve anyone even if it’s a spammer. Adding more, Cloudways is the best Bluehost alternative.
This unappropriate neighbourhood directly affects on website’s ranking and authority. Moreover, shared hosting doesn’t really provide you speed, reliability and scalability.
The biggest con of shared hosting is its lack of security that may result in data theft or your website being compromised.
Just as you weigh the trade-offs between cost and quality, our Web Hosting Pricing Calculator guides your hosting decisions. This tool personalizes recommendations for the optimal server size based on your traffic and simultaneously provides an insightful comparison between the top hosting providers.
Choose Local Host To Target Local Audience
Server location plays a vital part in providing your website visitors a swift browsing experience. Having server location close to target audience results in faster redirection of audience to your site. Hence, it is important that all website owners should know hosting location affects SEO?
Ecommerce stores target local audience as they are more likely to sell to local market. For instance, an Australia-based webstore hosted on a local host is more likely to fetch good SEO rankings and relevant traffic as compared to its server based outside of Australia.
The reason is simple, every website is assigned with an IP address that directly relates to the geographical location of your website. Choosing a local host will make it easy to target local audience and it will eventually improve your web store’s local search engine rankings.
For instance, Google prefers to link an Australian user with an Australian website, and this is the advantage that you can have by using a local host for your website.
A server’s IP address or its location has a role in placing your website on Google search results and native server location means relevant website traffic.
Server location has a small role in web page load time too. If the server location is near to the web audience, it will fetch data quickly as the download speed will be relatively faster compared with a distant server location.
Set Up Geo-Targeting in Search Console Tool
Geo targeting is an excellent feature of Google Search Console Tool. The tool helps targeting the right audience globally regardless of your server location.
If your website has a local domain such as (.au, .co, .uk) you shouldn’t worry about targeting the relevant audience as it is likely to grab it automatically. However, if your domain is global such as (.com), you have to identify the country you are aiming at in the search console.
If you don’t set the target country in the search console, Google will track IP address to identify website’s country that can become a hassle afterwards. Using search console eventually helps a global domain target a specific country.
Final Words
A website that is hosted on a bad host is destined to become a disaster and all the aforementioned reasons are enough to make the statement a bitter truth.
If your website is hosted on a shared host, pick a better hosting option or else be prepared for poor SEO rankings, sudden website crash, downtime, and greater load time.
To experience what a good hosting for SEO offers, try Cloudways that is a managed cloud hosting platform. It optimizes your website with decreased loadtime, 99.9% uptime ,and better SEO rankings as your website is likely to be online throughout the year.
Jamil Ali Ahmed
Jamil is an Organic Search Manager at Cloudways - A SEO friendly hosting Platform. He has 14 years experience in SEO, and is passionate about Digital Marketing and Growth Optimization. Jamil is a Minimalist, Observer, Loves Nature, Animals, Food, Cricket & Mimicking :)
