Many companies don’t realise how much their servers affect their site’s SEO efforts. So many aspects of your site’s servers have a big impact on your rankings that it’s a good idea to look at them before you SEO. Changing servers is a particularly tricky time for your rankings, and it needs to be done carefully.
The servers your site relies on can affect your rankings due to their speed, or lack of, their location and even the other sites they host. It’s a good idea to talk to your search engine optimization consultant about your web host, and you can discuss this with our experts at SEO Consult Australia. If you do decide to change servers, however, it’s important to get your consultant involved. Any major change to your site’s infrastructure can have a big impact on your rankings. The more you plan and prepare, the better off you will be.
1. Consider the reasons for the change. If you’re changing servers because you think it will help your site’s search engine optimization, that’s great. If you’re changing because users have complained about the speed of downloads and you’ve tracked down the problem to the server, that’s great. If you’re simply changing servers because it will save you a couple of bucks a year, it might not be worth it.
Another thing to consider is the extent of the change. If you have to alter your site along to suit a new server platform, this presents a bigger change than simply switching across.
2. Take the time to thoroughly plan. You may feel in a rush once you’ve made the decision to switch servers, but taking time to plan is not a luxury when it comes to this situation. Consider how it will affect your site’s users, and lay down contingency plans if things go wrong. Research any communications needed with the search engines to alert them to the move. Your SEO company can be a big help in this.
3. Take time when you finally move. Time for your move isn’t a luxury, either. The longer you can take in transferring files over, the more time you have to test and make repairs as you go. This is far better for your search engine optimisation plan than making the move in one lump and trying to fix up things afterward.
4. Backups. These are vital. Back up every stage of the move, and don’t throw anything away. It’s such a basic thing, but it’s something that all too many site owners forget in the heat of the moment. Having a record of every change might save your site if you find a bug later.
5. Don’t shut down the old page until the new one is live. This is a mistake many sites make, simply because they haven’t taken time-to-live in as a factor. Leaving the old site up long enough for browsers to register the IP switch means that your users won’t be inconvenienced by even a few hours.
