11 Ways Your Site's Server Can Kill Your Rankings

According to John Heard and Kristi Hagen (searchenginenews.com), servers are often the last thing that marketers think about when it comes to attaining a number one spot on Google. However, at SEN, one of the first questions that will ask a client is "who is hosting your site and what type of server is it on?'. According to SEN, a server is like an engine of a race car, meaning that you want power, speed, and reliability. When visitors are on a website, they expect "a fast ride" that will take them exactly where they want to go. So, if you are looking to help visitors have a great experience on a website, I recommend you take a look at the topics discussed below.

 Below are the 11 essential topics to consider when focusing on a server:

1. Platform
 The two choices for a web host server are Linux based or Windows based. Unix based is the the system of choice for small to medium business websites because of the lower cost. The Windows based platform is used by larger businesses because it takes more tech knowledge and also makes it almost impossible to run a WordPress site.

2. Hosting Package
 Examining the hosting package will be very important because you will be charged fees if you run over your allotted disk space, or limitations. The cost for a hosting package will very depending on how much disc space and bandwith you need.  The lowest cost per month for a hosting package will start at $.95/month.


3. Secure Certificate
A secure site will get definitely get more favoritism from Google when it comes to ranking boosts. The amount of support surrounding a secure certificate will vary dramatically. So, it is important to do research on what the costs and services are available to upgrade to a secure server with the host you choose.

 

4. Shared or Dedicated
 In most cases, you will want to use a shared server space that will run multiple domains in the same box. Dedicated servers cost a lot and are often overkill unless you have a high traffic website. However, dedicated servers do allow some more room for control and customization.


5. Security 
 Security should be one of the most important aspects of choosing a host. You will want to find a host that does a great job with security, but you also do not want one that will make your site a nightmare when trying to install new software. The best way to find a host with good security will be by talking to people who have used hosts with good security.

6. Support
You will want to find a support team that is staffed 24/7 and offers both email and phone support. It is also suggested that you call their tech line to see how long you have to wait on hold before you sign up with them.

7. Subdomains
 You can have your subdomain be hosted on the same server as your root domain or SEN also suggests that you can use an "A" record DNS entry to point the subdomain to another IP, which could be on another server. It would also be helpful to do some research on costs and what is required to add a subdomain.


8. Speed
Speed will always be near the top of a priority lists when selecting a server because speed effects conversion rates, bounce rates, and your search rankings. Google has even mentioned that speed of a website is part of their algorithm. Therefore, it should be at the top of the list for your site's SEO as well.


9. Canonical
If the www and the non www versions both serve your site's page you may be in trouble because that means you are serving two different sites to customers and search engines. To correct this, you can visit 301 permanent redirect when setting up your website and domain. If you plan on using a Windows Host you should make sure that they can address this issue for you.


10. Location
The actual physical location for your server is important. If you have a multi-national site you need to give the search engines as many possible indications tying your site to the correct country. For example, if you have an American site you will want a server hosted in the U.S. or as close as possible to the U.S. Having a closer physical location will help improve your load times and it may also avoid having to resort to Content Delivery Networks.

11. Uptime
 Last, but not least, is uptime, the measure of the time your site has been working. Uptime is perhaps the most important metric that you will want to measure. If your website is down, customers won't be able to gain access to it, and search indexes will not be able to index it. Many of the top web hosts that show their servers status at all times.  If they do not, be careful with working with them. If you visit www.pingdom.com you can find a package for $9.95/month, that will monitor your site's performance and uptime.


If you want more information on this topic please visit the following link: https://www.searchenginenews.com/se-news/content/11-ways-your-sites-server-can-kill-your-rankings