Is your website struggling to rank higher in search results? You've probably been creating good content, optimizing it, sharing it on social media, and building quality backlinks. But despite your best efforts, your website still lags behind the competition.
So what could be wrong? The culprit might be hiding in plain sight: your web hosting.
Poor hosting can be the silent killer of your SEO efforts. Slow loading times, frequent downtimes, and security breaches are just a few issues that can arise from a subpar provider. Should you ignore them, they can tank your search engine rankings, frustrate visitors, and hurt your bottom line.
But why let poor hosting hold your website back? Equipped with the necessary information, you can choose the right web hosting for SEO success.
In this article, we'll start with what's probably one of the biggest questions on the minds of all website owners: 'How does web hosting affect SEO?' After that, you'll learn how to spot SEO-friendly web hosting features and some common pitfalls to avoid.
Let's dive in!
Does Web Hosting Affect SEO?
You may be wondering, how does web hosting affect SEO? Well, it's a good question because it's crucial to understand why web hosting for SEO matters.
One mistake many webmasters make is only focusing on content and backlinks when it comes to SEO. However, the server your website calls home significantly affects how search engines view and rank it. It influences factors like how quickly your site loads, how often it's available, and even how secure it is.
So, what does all of this have to do with SEO? Here's why it matters.
Site Speed and Page Load Times
Firstly, server response time is essential in how quickly your site loads. If your site is on a slow server, this will lead to longer page load times, which frustrate users, increases bounce rates, and sends negative signals to search engines. As a result, your site ends up getting ranked lower.
It's no secret that sites offering the best user experience rank higher in search results. In fact, Google officially announced page speed as a ranking factor for desktop searches in 2010. By 2018, this metric also applied to mobile search results.
So, if you've addressed other aspects, like using a page cache plug-in for your website and compressing images, the next best step for improved SEO hosting is to choose a fast server.
But the benefits of a fast-loading website go beyond better search engine rankings. It also directly boosts your bottom line.
According to a study by Portent, a site that loads in 1 second has a conversion rate three times higher than a site that takes 5 seconds. So, every millisecond matters.
Remember, a fast-loading site is essential for better SEO rankings, and your hosting company can either help or prevent that from happening.
Website Availability & Reliability
The second issue you need to understand about the connection between SEO and hosting has to do with site availability.
Ideally, you want to ensure that your site is on a server that makes it's accessible at all times. That's because a website that's consistently offline can be a nightmare for both users and search engines. Here's why:
When visitors find your website is constantly offline, they will likely deem it unreliable and not come back.
But server downtime won't just upset your customers and lead to missed sales.
Frequent downtime due to repeated server errors can also cause search engines like Google to crawl your website less often. Once this happens, it can prevent your content from getting indexed quickly. And that will hurt your search rankings, making it harder for visitors to find you.
That's why getting reliable web hosting for SEO will only be possible if you choose a host that ensures minimal downtime.
Hosting Security and SEO
The third connection between web hosting and SEO relates to site security, a signal that search engines monitor closely.
Search engines penalize sites with security issues because they pose risks to users. In fact, Google started prioritizing website security in 2014, making HTTPS a ranking factor for desktop and mobile searches.
With that in mind, you want to host your site with a provider that ensures secure web hosting for SEO growth.
What to Look for in an SEO-Friendly Web Hosting Company?
Since we've established the critical role of web hosting for SEO success, let's explore the specific features you should look for in an SEO-friendly host.
1 Fast Hosting Infrastructure
So, we now know that fast web hosting for SEO is essential if you want your site to rank higher in search results. But how can you tell if a hosting provider offers the high speed you need to boost your SEO? Look for these essential features that ensure fast page load times.
SSD or NVMe storage: These drives use cutting-edge technologies to read and write data much faster than traditional HDDs, thus boosting how fast your site loads.
Powerful Servers: Look for hosts that use high-performance servers equipped with the latest processors and ample RAM. These machines can handle heavy traffic and deliver lightning-fast page load times.
Scalable web hosting for SEO benefits: Go for a host that can help you quickly upgrade resources like RAM and CPU power so your site stays fast even as traffic grows.
2 CDN or Cloud Integration
Fast hosting infrastructure is crucial to improve your website's SEO, but it's not enough. To truly optimize site speed, you should also opt for a host with a content delivery network (CDN) or cloud-based hosting.
CDNs distribute your website's content across multiple servers worldwide. That means your visitors load content from a server closest to them, significantly reducing load times.
On the other hand, cloud hosting offers scalability and reliability. Simply put, it means your website will handle traffic spikes without crashing.
3 Optimal Data Center Location
Where your website's data is stored matters as well. So, choose a host with data centers strategically located to maximize speed and performance.
A data center close to your target audience reduces page load times, a factor that's crucial for SEO and user experience.
For maximum impact, choose a host with multiple data centers worldwide. That way, your website loads quickly for visitors from different regions, improving overall user experience and SEO.
Pro Tip: Consider getting a country-level domain (ccTLD) to support your SEO efforts. It will signal search engines that your content is relevant to a specific location, thus boosting your local SEO rankings. For instance, if your target market is in Canada, a .ca domain may rank higher from searches in that country than others.
4 High Uptime
Remember how we mentioned earlier that search engines crawl websites less frequently if they experience frequent downtime? That's why reliable web hosting for SEO success requires a host that guarantees a high uptime.
On the face of it, an uptime guarantee of 99% may sound impressive. But if you do the math, that translates to 87 hours of downtime in one year. That's a significant amount of time your website is offline. So, every extra decimal on the uptime guarantee counts.
DTS-Net offers a remarkable 99.99% uptime guarantee, minimizing your website's downtime to ensure your site is consistently available to both users and search engines.
5 Reliable Customer Support
Another crucial aspect of SEO-friendly web hosting is reliable customer support.
When issues arise, whether it's a technical glitch or server problem, having prompt and knowledgeable support can make all the difference. A responsive support team helps quickly resolve issues that could affect your site's performance, ensuring minimal disruption and maintaining your SEO rankings.
Look for a hosting provider that offers 24/7 support to address any potential problems swiftly.
6 Free SSL Certificate
Finally, an SEO-friendly web hosting provider will offer you a free SSL certificate to secure your site. This feature isn't just for e-commerce stores seeking to provide secure transactions. As mentioned earlier, Google favors secure websites and even uses HTTPS as a ranking factor. An SSL certificate not only protects your visitors' data but also gives your website a competitive edge in search results.
Wrapping Up: Web Hosting for SEO
It's true there are many factors that contribute to your site's SEO performance. Some of them fall squarely on you but others depend on your hosting provider's capabilities. That's why it is essential to choose SEO-friendly web hosting that provides the critical support your site needs to perform well in search rankings..
Remember, securing top-notch web hosting for SEO can lead to higher traffic and sales right from the moment you launch your website.
With that in mind, prioritize a host that offers:
Do you need web hosting for SEO that can enhance your site's performance and visibility with less hassle?
On top of enjoying free SSL, high uptime, and fast servers, boost your online visibility with DTS-NET Managed SEO. Our experts handle everything from local SEO to reputation management so that you can focus on growing your business. Just choose Managed SEO when signing up (see screenshot below) or add it to your existing plan from the
customer portal.
