You’ve poured over all of the latest search engine optimization methods, you’ve put tons of work into your content, quality links, building authority within your niche and everything else that you’re supposed to do to make your way to the top of the rankings. For some reason, though, you aren’t getting the results that you expected. When you’re doing everything else right, chances are you’re getting held back by the web host of your site.
Site Speed Matters
Google and other search engine ranking algorithms put a heavy emphasis on how fast your site loads, according to WBS online. If you have a web host that simply doesn’t have the bandwidth to deliver sites to visitors as quickly as possible, you get a penalty in the search rankings. In addition, the bounce rate of your visitors increases, since many visitors are not going to wait long for your website to load when they have the entire Internet to explore. When you select your web host, look at their site uptime guarantees, as extended downtime does your search engine ranking no favors.
Your server location plays another factor in search engine optimization, primarily if you’re targeting your site at a completely different country than your server is located in, said blogger and entrepreneur John Chow. While putting your website on an overseas server may be appealing for legality reasons, it may cost you in search engine rankings if you’re trying to target customers in your domestic market. Look into the physical locations of any data center before you make a hosting decision.
A related problem with site uptime comes from how loaded down your server is. Virtual server hosting is an excellent optimal choice for many businesses, especially those starting out with smaller sites. But, if you load down your website with every script that looks interesting you’re going to take a performance hit. This may not make your site completely inaccessible, but it may stop key elements of your site from loading correctly.
Connecting via Content Delivery Networks
If you have an issue with large media files loading quickly, consider a content delivery network. A CDN is a system of distributed network servers that deliver webpages and content to a user. This is based on the geographical location of the user, the webpage’s origin and what the content delivery server is. Content delivery network providers focus on hosting large images, videos and other media that may overload a typical web hosting package. Instead of hoping that your web server has the bandwidth to handle your massive video trailers, use a content delivery network service to reduce your load times and increase the speed and delivery of your content.
The Value of Website Redirects
When you change a server script or otherwise alter the flow of your website, you may have URLs that no longer work within your linking structure. If these are older pages, it’s possible that they have good page rank and you don’t want to get rid of them completely. You want to use a 301 redirect to properly inform Google that the content has moved and the address that it has moved to.
Backup Everything
Once you have all of these effects in place, do not forget to back up all your hard work. A personal cloud storage base can keep your information secure. Online backup services like Sugarsync or JustCloud.com can sync all of your files and create automatic backups. According to a Sugarsync review, it’s compatible with PC, Mac, Linux and has mobile access. Assess your needs before choosing a cloud storage system. Reading reviews of different cloud providers can give you a better idea of what you might need.
About the author:
Richard Johnson is a veteran with over 8 years of service and multiple combat tours. He has multiple degrees in business and marketing from Arizona State University. Currently he is taking some time away from work to raise his kids and enjoy the outdoors.
Thanks a lot for sharing such a detailed post that is an ample proof how wholeheartedly you want to serve your customers in their best interest.