How Important Is Server Location For Local SEO?

[noxskuses]

Anyone done any real testing on this?

Does having your website on a server in your target city help with SEO?

Does everyone agree that you must have your server in your home country for optimum local SEO results?

Thanks

[DMN Webmaster]

Anyone done any real testing on this?

Does having your website on a server in your target city help with SEO?

Does everyone agree that you must have your server in your home country for optimum local SEO results?

Thanks

I am just curious, how did you come up with this queston?

But the answer is no.

and no again.

Did someone tell you this? Everything you hear is not true....

[noxskuses]

I've read stats from a UK SEO company on another popular SEO Forum that showed that by only moving a UK clients website server location from the USA to a server located in the businesses home city (London), their ranking went from 39 to 12 within a few weeks. No other SEO was done. That was the only change made.

What evidence do you have to back up your opinion that it makes no difference?

[abilitydesigns]

Google engineer has been on record confirming that location of your server is one of the several factors in relevancy score.

Exactly how much? Only Google knows. Everything else including me is just guessing !

If you can get it well & good. But if you can’t, you do not need to lose sleep over it provided you work smart to build on other geolocation relevancy factors.

[noxskuses]

DMN Webmaster - Do a search on YouTube for 'What impact does server location have on rankings?' and listen to Matt Cutts tell you it does have an impact on rankings.

[noxskuses]

Which 'other geolocation relevancy factors' are you referring to?

[DMN Webmaster]

DMN Webmaster - Do a search on YouTube for 'What impact does server location have on rankings?' and listen to Matt Cutts tell you it does have an impact on rankings.

It appears I have spoken and inserted foot into mouth.... Not the first time. (probably won't be the last either )

Ok, so your location does make a differenct. I have never considered this in my ranking efforts before. Meaning I have never advised a client to have servers based on their audience. Consideing my experiences I probably never will either.

I agree with....

Exactly how much? Only Google knows. Everything else including me is just guessing !

If you can get it well & good. But if you can’t, you do not need to lose sleep over it provided you work smart to build on other geolocation relevancy factors.

So I stand corrected. I spoke to soon. Thanks for the update. So taking advice by abilitydesigns, I am gonna go take a nap... When I wake up I am gonna go build some good links.

[bruce99]

most forum experts seem to agree, that server location has some effect, as does whether you have a generic dot com or a dot uk etc.

Same as having an aged site etc.

the thing is, that these things only come into play if you are on level pegging with how your page is optimised, and the quality of the links coming into it.

So most people dont worry about location of the server so much anymore. To improve massively for a given keyword, just because of server location suggests that the keyword must have been very long tail!

[Lb1878]

Nox, I did not watch the video but your example of what you read on another forum does not necessarily support your findings. I'm not saying it is false but the server was moved from one country to another. I do think that can make a difference when ranking for local terms as does the .uk, etc.

Personally, I am not so sure that it has as much to do with the "city" as it does the country. I have no way of testing this as I do not deal with anyone outside of the US but it would certainly be interesting to see if drilling down as much as a server located in a city would help. I still don't think it's worth jumping through hoops to do this as the impact does not seem like it would create that big of a boost. I just cannot wrap my head around it making that much of a difference. That would imply that each and every business in every city should have their own server in their office. I'm pretty sure the percentage is pretty low that this is is/would actually take place.

My .02 cents

[guptaabhijit318]

Register your business with Google , Yahoo and Bing local business registry. Registering and verifying your business information with the chief Search Engines indicates the genuineness of your Local Business Listing and region to the Search Engines.

[guptaabhijit318]

Register your business with Google, Yahoo and Bing local business registry. Registering and verifying your business information with the chief Search Engines indicates the genuineness of your Local Business Listing and region to the Search Engines.