It is now estimated that there are over 330,000 hosting providers in the world, though not all of them are created equal. Some can provide much better levels of service than others at the same rates. But if you are setting up a website, do you know how important hosting is?
If not, then we can help you understand them. Read on as we discuss website hosting and how it impacts your SEO performance.
What Are Website Hosting Services?
When people access the files required to run your website, they type in your domain address. This sends them to the server where all your files, code, and images are stored. Your website hosting is the company that owns the server you place these on.
Hosting is vital as it can impact your SEO performance. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a set of principles that impact your ability to rank higher on search engines. This gives you access to organic traffic which you can convert into leads.
How Does Bad Hosting Impact My Website SEO?
If you want to know how to rank higher on Google, then SEO is key. It can be broken down into three broad areas which you need to address if you want to rise higher in the search engine rankings.
The three areas are on-page SEO, off-page and technical. Good hosting services can help in a lot of the technical SEO areas, which are concerned with the efficiency of your website, its security, and how it runs.
Slow Page Speed
Your page loading speed is a factor used by Google to calculate SEO rankings. If low bandwidth hosting is causing low page speed, you will suffer. When you have shared hosting, the provider may have too many websites on the same server.
A slow page speed also impacts another factor, known as your bounce rate. This is a measure of how long people stay on your website, telling search engines how relevant your content is. If the page takes too long to load and they leave, you lose SEO juice.
Security
Low-cost hosting providers will let anyone onto their shared servers. If scammers and spammers get on, they can use the server to steal data. Google will also deprioritize servers that house these spam websites, even if yours is not one of them.
Server Downtimes
Another factor that can increase your bounce rate is when your server goes down, which can happen frequently with bad hosting. This does not only increase your bounce rate further, but it can cost you lost business and revenue.
Server errors are an extension of this. They usually occur when too many people try to access your files and the server can’t handle them. In this case, you need to find a provider that can cater to your needs.
Choosing a Provider
Getting the right website hosting provider will all depend on your individual needs. Even if you are opening a small blog, plan for growth. You may need more resources in the future than you expect when you start.
Optic Marketing should be your first stop. From SEO services to the building of your site, all of your needs can be catered for with our company. Contact us here and let us help craft your digital presence.