Is there truly a mystery surrounding SEO and rankings? Is it an enigma, clandestine in its movements and secretive in its ways?
If SEO were a person, would she be wearing a trench coat, sporting dark sunglasses at midnight, and walking with intent and purpose through the alleyways?
Maybe. But that all seems to be a romanticized notion of something which should be much simpler, don’t you think?
Sometimes all it takes is bringing into focus a few blurred lines so we can come out the other side with renewed understanding. So, what really affects your rankings and what other things have been on the receiving end of some bad press? Let’s talk about one issue in particular: Shared Hosting.
Will shared web hosting be detrimental to my SEO?
Gasp!
Let’s look at what factors should be of concern and worthy of your attention and what myths can be put to rest once and for all. Ready? Here we go…
Much Ado About Nothing?
Anything that concerns business owners and the success of their website and online business is always important, but is there a such thing as too much concern?
Shared hosting has received a bit of attention, especially when the same discussion marries it with SEO and rankings. But not all shared hosting is created equal.
Let’s dispel some common concerns about shared hosting so you can find the best way forward.
Q. Does all shared hosting affect credibility?
No. Not all shared hosting is created equal. And other types of hosting can present the same issues shared hosting is usually scapegoated for. If you have a healthy server, a competent host, and a well-built website, it does not matter if the hosting is shared or not. Your site will be favored just the same.
Q. Faster equals better performance and rankings?
Absolutely. ANY slow host (shared or not) will affect your SEO. Every time. A faster host allows for quicker page loading, which equals a better user experience. Google always favours a site that is fast and user-friendly.
Q. Does it affect my SEO if my site is on a server with tons of other websites?
Yes and no. If your site is unaffected by the operation and demand of the other websites, your site will be just as favorable with Google as it would be if it were on a private or dedicated server. Google doesn’t care about where you host your site. It cares about how your site performs and how relevant it is to the search results of the user.
Q. Does a host that doesn’t have good security practices affect my SEO?
Yes. If a hosting server has issues with malicious traffic or spam bots and slows your site down or your site gets infected due to the host’s carelessness despite all you do to prevent vulnerabilities, your site could get a penalty from Google or a warning in search results. It can also cause the site to experience issues that would cause high bounce rates from pages not loading or from visitors being maliciously redirected to other sites.
We may not have all the answers, but there will always be healthy debate as to what ruins your SEO and what has inherent properties that will shoot you to the top of the rankings.
If you ask us, it’s worth keeping the conversations flowing.
Time and Effort
Regardless of who hosts your website, the fact remains it takes effort to rank. Your SEO needs to be strong and your content updated and purposeful.
Page loading issues, links to nowhere, and massive image sizes all contribute to how your site performs and ultimately is viewed and ranked. These things aren’t normally the hosts’ fault, either. Most often, it’s all based on how your site was built.
Relevance to the user’s query, overall credibility and authority will also highlight all your efforts when taken seriously; otherwise, you risk being lower in results.
Google wants your time and effort. All search engines want a clearer idea of your content. Give them that and you will see a steady incline. It used to be you could stuff tons of keywords into a page to get ranking. Those days are long past.
The Host with the Most
These days we are all bathing in the importance of SEO but there are still questions that hover over business owners, both new and experienced.
Choosing the right web hosting company is imperative to releasing some of the worries about slowing website speeds and other symptoms that affect overall rankings.
It really comes down to educating yourself and asking the right questions of your host.
You do you. Your host will offer the solution So, start the conversation.
Want the best out of your SEO efforts?
Let us show you the way to enhance your rankings with the right hosting so you can make it to the top. Contact us today.