Image source: freepik.com
Having a strong SEO strategy in place is commonplace nowadays. The role of SEO in determining your website’s visibility has been emphasized for a while now. When your pages are more likely to be displayed to searchers, it increases your chances of driving potential customers to your site.
So, getting the SEO right is a cost-effective way to promote your brand, especially if you run a small business.
There are more than 200 search ranking factors that help SERPs determine which sites to show in search results and how to rank them. Without a doubt, every website owner wants to rank on the first page of search engines, primarily Google.
To maximize your chances of success it’s best to implement as many ranking factors as possible, but it all starts with choosing the right domain name and host.
Let’s take a look at how web hosting and the domain name can affect your SEO rating.
Domain names do affect SEO
A study that examined the impact of new domains on SEO found that keyword-rich domain names can help websites get more backlinks on those keywords. New domain names like .tech, .space, .store, and .press make it easier for the users to guess what the website is about.
Picture 1: Benefits of a good domain name choice
They also allow the businesses to take advantage of a keyword-rich and relevant domain name within their industry. This makes them more memorable and trustworthy, so when your website shows up in organic search results, it is more likely to get clicks from internet users.
Note that a keyword-rich domain name alone won’t impress search engines. Having a keyword in your domain does act as a relevancy signal, but simply stuffing keywords won’t get you where you want to be.
Take user perception into account
A website that offers quality content and meets other factors that influence SEO can rank well in organic search results, even if its online address is something like www.skincare-25.html or similar. On the other hand, if you came upon that website in your search results, what would you do?
You’d most probably avoid clicking on it since it sounds spammy.
Now compare that domain name with www.skincare.store or something along those lines. It seems more credible and therefore it will motivate users to click on it.
So, opting for keyword-rich domain names can help your brand develop a positive connection with the user, but it also requires a commitment to producing quality content and keeping up with new trends and changes to stay on top of the fast-paced SEO industry.
Personalizing your website helps build a connection with your audience
Whether you run a blog or a business you will benefit from choosing a memorable and personal .me domain. This premium domain name naturally creates a call-to-action and appeals to your customers.
Standing out in an overcrowded market is much easier when you leverage the first point of contact with your audience to call them to action. Humanizing your business will help make it more memorable and easily recognizable in the online world, which is crucial in today’s competitive environment.
In addition to this, .me domain names are trustworthy, search-friendly, spam-free, and are ranked in the same way as traditional domains (.com, .org, .net) by Google.
The word “me” can be easily combined with other words in a catchy marketing message that will grab the attention of internet users. A catchy, memorable, and the personal domain is one of the best ways to differentiate your brand, especially in highly competitive industries.
Hosting can affect your SEO performance too
Moving to a new web host can impact your SEO performance. For starters, pay attention to the quality of the server. Avoid web hosts with crowded servers and a lot of downtime as they will negatively affect your SEO ranks and go for a host that provides top-quality hosting services.
Next, page loading speed is an incredibly important part of a website’s user experience. A staggering 40% of consumers abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load.
Picture 2: Drop in traffic
Internet users are getting more and more impatient, so when it comes to search rankings page loading time has become a more important factor.
Web hosting is one of the determiners of website load speed. Google will rank your website lower if your host slows down and the page load speed goes below what’s set as acceptable performance standards.
Choose your hosting type and hosting plan carefully
When you have enough resources, choosing a dedicated server is the best way to go. If you can’t afford it opt for a VPS hosting service provider. To avoid downtime and consequences from search engines, make sure to check whether your host is reliable.
Investigate the providers’ history of service and hosting packages it offers, and research the reviews from other clients.
Downgrading your hosting support plan and structural changes to your website done by the host can lower your performance and rankings as well. If you are moving to a new host, it will most likely implement a new structure for your site.
As a result, crawlers will mistake it for a new website and lower your rankings.
To avoid the negative impact of downgrading your hosting support plan to your SEO efforts, choose the best plan your budget allows from the start.
Ranking high in the SERPs is a slow process that takes a lot of well-thought-out effort. Utilizing new domain names can help you accelerate that process.
When you combine a relevant domain with the right SEO practices and tactics, you will see more organic traffic, an increase in click-through rates, and ultimately increased credibility and authority.
