Website’s performance is very important due to many reasons. Firstly it directly impacts the user experience as if the website loading speed is high the user gets satisfied and gets engaged. And also bounce rate reduces. Second reason is it effects the search engine rankings, as algorithms favors the website that have good loading speed and smooth browsing experience. Therefore, good performance is essential to survive in digital landscape.
In this digital and fast age every millisecond counts, the geographical location of the host server plays an important role in defining website’s performance. From loading speed to search engine rankings, server location is an important factor that can considerably affect the user experience (UX) and website growth. In this detailed guide, we will investigate from every aspect that how server’s geographical location affects the website and why it is more important than you might think.
Understanding Server Location:
Before discussing the effects of the server location, lets learn the basics first. When a website is launched it is stored on a server which is a powerful computer with huge storage. Our entire website files and content is saved on that computer and it is called server. The physical location of a server is referred as “server location”.
Server’s Impact on Loading Speeds:
One of the most noticeable effect of the server location is its impact on loading speed of the website. If a user/visitor is closer to the server geographically and the site visited by the user/visitor is host on that nearby server, the website loading speed will be faster. This is because the time required to travel the files from server to user’s device reduces. For example, if your server is located in Singapore and a user access your website from California USA, the data has to travel a long distance, that results in slower loading time as compare to the user located in Singapore or nearby.
Furthermore, slow loading speed can affect the user experience and engagement. So to engage the user on your website and give a good user experience it is very necessary to have good loading speed. So before selecting a server location you have to observe your audience, if most of your audience is located in USA, you should host your website on a server physically located in USA.
SEO and Search Engine Rankings:
Search engines like Google, Bing etc. consider loading speed as a ranking factor. In this server location is also important for Search Engine Optimization and search engine rankings. A website with fast loading speed is more likely to rank higher in search results. Therefore, having a server location closer to your targeted audience can impact your SEO and boost your website ranking.
Geotargeting and User Experience:
Many businesses target a specific geographical area, for such businesses server location for their website plays a vital role. It impacts on local SEO strategies and enhances the search visibility for the local visitors. The visitors get good performance and smooth browsing experience that result in higher search engine rankings and conversion rates.
Effective Geotargeting techniques:
Geotargeting techniques such as content localization and currency adjustments become more effective when server is in close vicinity to the targeted audience. For example, an e-commerce website targeting customers in Europe can take product prices in Euros and display content in local languages more effectively with a server located in Europe, instead of a server located in Singapore or Asia.
Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) and Mitigating Distance:
Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) are a popular methods used by websites to allocate content across multiple servers physically located in different regions. Whenever a visitor accesses the website, the CDN automatically deliver content and other data from the server closer to them. Content Delivery Networks also offer some additional benefits like improved scalability and improved security. By using CSNs, website owners can guarantee steady performance in different regions and provide the visitors with smooth browsing experience irrespective of their location.
Conclusion:
Concluding the topic we can say that the server location is an important factor that strongly influences your website’s speed, performance, user experience and search engine rankings. By choosing the right server location and implementing CDNs, you can optimize website for high loading speed, better SEO and smooth user experience. With the passage of time digital landscape continues to improve, so selecting server location for website will remain utmost for online success.