Can Your Hosting Package Affect Your SEO Performance?

One of the most commonly asked questions these days is just how big of a role your hosting package plays in your overall SEO performance. There are some that would have you believe that Google likes some hosting companies more than others, some will tell you the search engines can smell a cheap subscription a mile away and others insist that hosting has got absolutely nothing to do with SEO and makes no difference in the slightest.        So with so many conflicting arguments floating around, just what’s the truth about hosting and SEO?Hosting MattersWell, just to clarify the matter as simply as possible, the answer is yes – hosting does play a role in SEO. Of course, what matters more are the questions of how and why, which for the most part are little more than simple common sense.For example, it’s pretty common knowledge by now that Google hates it when a site has a URL that’s part of a larger blogging site. Well, maybe they don’t hate them as such, but addresses like mysite.blogspot.com for example are never going to curry as much favour as mysite.com…at least not in SEO stakes. So, if you go for a free hosting deal that lumps you with a URL like this, you’re already facing an obstacle.Peak PerformanceOther than this, perhaps the most important SEO element to take into account of all is that of speed – as in the site’s general performance. The speed at which your pages load and the general fluidity of your site as a whole will depend to the tune of about 99% on the hosting package you choose. A simple site will work fine with a cheap hosting deal, while a super-complex and media-rich site will need a much more capable hosting service.The faster your site is and the more fluid Google finds it, the better your SEO strategy will perform on the whole. By contrast, if your site is found to be slow, dull and uninspiring, it’ll be marked down in an instant.ConsistencyAnd then of course there’s the consistency of the site – as in how long it stays up on average without facing any downtime. There’s perhaps nothing more damaging from a search engine spider’s perspective than a site that cannot be accessed at all due to technical difficulties. And what’s more, if your site goes down on a regular basis and spends a long time not functioning, you cannot hide this from Google – you’ll be found out and marked down.That’s why when looking into a hosting package it’s crucial to check for uptime guarantees not only for the sake of your visitors. A site that’s offline too frequently is never going to score the top points with the powers that be so it’s in your best interests to make sure this doesn’t happen – even if you find yourself having to pay out a little more for the package.