Impact of host location on SEO?

Do you want to set up a brand new website or move your website to a new host? Choosing a web host can be hard because there are thousands of hosting companies out there. So it’s a tough decision to make, but a very important one too!

When you’re comparing various hosting aspects, should you consider the location of the web host too? Is the geographic location of their web server important for SEO? Hear what we have to say about this, in this Ask Yoast.

Gerardo Garcia emailed us, asking:

“Do you consider the location of the web server as something important for SEO?”

Check out the video or read the answer below!

Impact of server location on SEO

“Gerardo Garcia is from Spain and he has found web servers in Germany and England that are cheaper than the ones in Spain. He’s wondering if the location of a web server is important for SEO.

First of all, no, not really. But that’s not the entire truth. Because for your visitors you want the most speed, and you’ll get the most speed by hosting as close as possible to them. And you can achieve that by hosting your site in the country where your visitors are coming from.

We’re Dutch, but our main servers are in the US. Why? Well, because the majority of our visitors are from the US. We also have a server in Europe, because we get many visitors from Europe too. So think about that. Of course, we are on a slightly more expensive set up than you would probably be, and need to be. So focus on the country you think is the most valuable.

To be honest, if you’re looking at the price too much for your hosting, you probably not doing yourself any service anyway. Don’t go for the cheapest hosting, go for the best hosting. Paying a couple of bucks more per month really is worth it, When your site is down otherwise, stuff is just not working.

So, I would suggest going with a host that has servers in Spain or at the very least have people that can service you in Spanish in Spain. And then, whether these servers are located in Barcelona or in London, the technical existence of these servers doesn’t make too much of a difference.

Good luck!”

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