How Web Hosting And Domain Name Can Affect SEO Ranking

As we slowly discover the novelties of 2021 and do our best to reshape our business to meet the changing needs of our customers, certain digital principles remain as relevant as ever, if not even more so. The relevance of SEO is undisputed, and more companies are competing for dominance in their target markets, especially the ones that have yet to establish themselves online, as more are switching to digital from brick-and-mortar sales due to the pandemic. In that climate of rapid change and adaptation, SEO is more vital than ever to help position your brand above your competition.

Leveraging the crucial elements of SEO is what can give you that competitive advantage. In addition to what you already understand as essential in your SEO strategy, did you also know that choosing the right hosting solution and the domain name can have a major impact on your ranking? Here, we’ll cover just how these two factors can affect your ranking and the value of your brand online so that you can focus on selecting the most trustworthy partners and solutions the industry has to offer to take your brand to the next level in 2021.

Loading speed and site downtimes

Although some industry names immediately pop up at the mention of hosting, you should know that there are around 330,000 hosting providers across the globe. Depending on your business model, the scope of your website, and the scale of your business, you’ll notice that different hosting models will provide different solutions for your brand. 

What’s key in any of those options: the page load speed and overall availability of your site to your target demographic when those high-traffic moments occur. Make sure that your hosting provider ensures fast reaction time in case the servers crash, and of course, make sure that the loading speed of your site on their servers, to begin with, is optimal to meet the criteria of search engines and your audience. 

Personal brand visibility

Unlike large-scale ecommerce stores, smaller business entities and entrepreneurs can leverage personalization to a whole new extent with the help of their domain name. For example, if you have built a business on your professional expertise, you can choose a personal domain that will contain your own name or nickname. It will immediately revoke your reputation and industry authority, and serve as a perfect way to build a personal brand in a sea of faceless corporations.

What’s more, personalization allows you greater brand visibility in the online world, which means that your SEO strategy will have that particular advantage over your competitors. Combining your name with a keyword that indicates your expertise can also help you with SEO as well as increased brand recognition. 

Building trust and brand stickiness

Personal domains combined with choosing speedy hosting providers can help you build industry trust. Search engines value brands that associate themselves with recognized industry experts, so letting your website live on the servers of a trusted hosting provider such as Bluehost or Dreamhost means that you send a trustworthy signal to the search engines. 

On the other hand, partnering with an unknown provider merely to avoid a fee or out of sheer haste can mean that your site might be flagged as spammy simply because of your chosen hosting solution. 

Location, location, location

As we’ve mentioned before, the loading speed of your website is one of those core ranking factors that will never lose relevance. Now, in order to choose the right hosting solution, in addition to looking at the partner’s track record, you also need to make sure that you choose servers located close to your target audience. Why? Because the location of your servers will allow the website to load more quickly and seamlessly when your visitors peruse your pages. 

Remember, 40% of customers will leave a site that takes over 3 seconds to load – meaning that every second is precious when it comes to your ranking and the satisfaction of your target audience. 

Creating the right user experience

If you look at the most recent algorithm updates for major search engines such as Google, you’ll notice a recurring trend: these algorithms reflect customer preferences and not just pure technical necessities. In a way, search engines, and thus your SEO, need to take UX into account in order to rank brands properly. 

If your domain name is too long, complicated, stuffed with keywords without purpose, or spammy, you’re effectively destroying user experience, and thus reducing your chances to rank properly. If your site is on an untrusted server, your customers might experience spammy pop-ups, and your site will be flagged. Even if the extension of your domain name is somewhat fishy, as opposed to the trusted .com, .net, .me, and similar, you risk alienating your audience. So, before you land on the most cost-effective solution, make sure that the partners you select will ensure the best possible user experience for your target demographic.

The security factor 

One of the most vital components of earning customer trust when you’re marketing your brand in 2021 is promising the highest possible security on your site. Choosing the right domain name paired with a strong hosting solution means that you’ll combine the built-in security features of both, in addition to your own security precautions to elevate data protection and customer privacy on your site.

Following the latest security trends means that your site uses the latest encryption methods, and you should make sure that your domain name registrar comes with monitoring and protection for your domain and that your hosting solution ensures compliance and protection, too. 

In 2021, SEO will remain the key pillar for the success of your business online. However, recognizing some of its often neglected elements, including hosting and your domain name choice can make all the difference in how well you rank in your industry. By taking the time to choose the most optimal options for your brand, you’ll secure your position in the SERPs and make the rest of your SEO strategy far easier to master.