To simply explain, Web hosting is like renting a space on the internet where your website lives, making it accessible to anyone online.
But is it important for SEO?
Yes, it absolutely is!
It is one of the most important aspects that is many times overlooked by web design & SEO experts. It could be the difference between having someone contact you or just leave your website and go to a competitor.
Confused? Let me explain the 3 important factors.
Key Takeaways:
- Fast and reliable web hosting improves website performance, reducing bounce rates and enhancing user experience.
- Consistent uptime is crucial for maintaining user trust and ensuring your site is accessible for search engine indexing.
- A secure website with HTTPS boosts user confidence and is favored by Google for higher search engine rankings.
1. Website Speed & Performance
As per Google, the probability of bounce (users leaving your website) drastically increases by 33.3% as the page load time increases from 1 second to 3 seconds.
Simply put, if your website takes 3 seconds to load, then 3 out of 10 users will close the site even before it loads completely.
How does it impact SEO?
As per the alleged Google Algorithm leak, User Engagement is an important factor for SEO.
Google uses the data from user interaction with the website to determine if it should rank the website higher or demote it to a lower position in the SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages).
Google primarily is aiming for helping its users get solutions to their queries in the shortest time possible and if it sees that the user’s search did not end on your website, it feels that your website is not right for the users query and next time when other users search the same thing, it will not show your website higher as it now feels that your website will not satisfy user’s search intent.
How to Check Website Speed?
Google’s Free Page Speed tool
2. Uptime
Let’s consider this scenario: you try to access a website, but it’s down. Frustrating, right?
This irritation is a common experience among users when they encounter a website that isn’t accessible. The immediate reaction is not just annoyance but also a swift decline in trust.
When users repeatedly find your website down, their trust in your brand diminishes. Consistent uptime is critical for maintaining a reliable and professional image.
Users expect your website to be available whenever they need it, and any disruption can lead them to question the reliability of your services or products.
How does it impact SEO?
SEO is significantly impacted by downtime.
If users can’t view your website, they’ll likely turn to a competitor’s site, increasing your bounce rate and signalling to Google that your site may not be the best result for relevant queries.
Moreover, if Google’s crawlers encounter downtime, they can’t access or index your site, leading to a drop in SERP rankings.
Consistent downtime can result in your site being overlooked for future indexing, compounding the negative effects on your search engine visibility.
Use this tool to keep track of your website’s downtime.
UptimeRobot
3. Security
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a server and a client—typically a web server (website) and a browser.
This encryption ensures that all data passed between the web server and browsers remain private and integral.
Websites with SSL certificates display HTTPS in their URL, signaling to users and search engines that the connection is secure.
When a website lacks SSL, users are usually shown with a warning message, often stating “Not Secure” or presenting an alarming error page that can deter them from proceeding.
This can cause users to abandon the site immediately, damaging their trust and perception of your brand to Google as well.
A good hosting service also plays a vital role in protecting your site against hacks, malware, and other security threats.
Quality hosts provide robust security measures such as regular backups, firewalls, and monitoring services to detect and mitigate potential vulnerabilities, ensuring your website remains safe and secure.
How does it impact SEO?
HTTPS is a ranking factor for Google.
If your website does not display a trust seal (indicated by HTTPS), Google finds it hard to trust your site and is less likely to show it to users.
This lack of trust can lead to lower rankings in SERPs, reducing your visibility and potential traffic.
Conversely, a secure website with HTTPS not only boosts user confidence but also signals to Google that your site is trustworthy, potentially improving your rankings.
Let’s wrap this up with a key insight!
While indexing and ranking your website may be free for you, it costs Google time, effort, and money.
Google doesn’t want to spend resources on a website that can’t effectively solve its users’ queries.
This means that if your website isn’t up to par in terms of performance, uptime, or security, Google is less likely to prioritize it in search results.
By simply investing in a good hosting provider, you can significantly reduce these risks.
A quality host ensures that your website runs smoothly, remains accessible, and is secure, minimizing the chances of losing potential customers and maintaining your ranking on Google.
If you are looking for recommendations, then here are my top 2 picks.
Click on the logos above to see special offers from both hosting providers.
Both are great. I have been using both providers for the last 5 years.
Choosing between the 2 is like choosing between one’s children, but to be honest, if I really had to pick one, then it would be Cloudways by the slightest of margins.