Importance of server location

Wed, 05/23/2007 - 19:39 — Steve

How does the location of your server affect your search engine rankings?

If you have a .com domain name but your server is not located in the geographic location of your target or primary market, you search engine rankings will suffer.

If you have a country specific domain name but your server is not hosted in that country, in general your search engine ranking will not suffer (in that geographic region).

What can you do to remedy this?

First you need to get a web host in the particular geographic region you are targetting
Then you need to:
1. Move your website to your new web host OR
2. You need to set up your new web host as a proxy server to route all traffic through to your real server
Then you need to change your DNS to point at your new web host

Update (November 12, 2007):
Google now allows webmasters to set set site geographic target audience.

For help with determining if server location is a problem with your website and to design and implement solutions, contact Usable Layout

Comments

Fri, 09/11/2009 - 21:58 — piter (not verified)

Hi

Just want to thank you for very informative post, regards Ed

Sat, 05/26/2007 - 01:26 — Lauren (not verified)

Options if locked in with current host

And if you're locked in for the rest of the year to your web host that isn't in your geographic region?
Then what do you do?

Sat, 06/09/2007 - 01:14 — Steve

Three options:

You can just put up with it until your hosting expires and then set up a new host
Purchase a new host and set it up as a proxy to your current host
Purchase a new host and discard the old one

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