Keywords, length of content, regular site updates, up to date information… there are all kinds of elements that go towards determining how well optimised your site can become. SEO is a mix of many different factors, yet many site owners would probably never think web hosting would have an influence.
However, if you are going to cover all the areas of SEO as best you can to help your site rank better, you absolutely should pay attention to your web hosting as well. There are two main reasons why this is the case.
How fast is your website?
The amount of time it takes your site to load has an influence on whether a visitor is likely to stay on your site once they arrive there. Have you have ever clicked on a link to visit a site and been left hanging for what feels like ages for the site to load? If so, you’ll know the frustration that ensues. Few people have the patience to hang around.
This can affect positioning in search engine results. Aside from that, no one is going to hang around to view your site if it takes ages to load anyway.
Contact us for a free performance report of your website.
How much time is your website down for?
It is unlikely any web hosting company will give you 100% uptime, but it should be pretty close, i.e. 99.9%. If your website is regularly down, even if only for short periods, the spiders are likely to notice this. It could well mean your site is not viewed as reliable and is pushed below competing sites when Google is assessing which sites to show in the results.
Find out whether either of the issues mentioned above are affecting your website. If they are, you should resolve them by switching hosts. It could lead to a boost for your SEO efforts.