The internet makes many things possible. It has the ability to market your product or services to everyone across the globe. All you need is a website hosted on a server that runs 24/7. But while web hosting is vital, does it really matter where your hosting provider is located? The internet makes it possible for you to have a local business and host your website on a different continent. There are a number of benefits to choosing a local hosting provider.
Here’s a guide to the benefits of local web hosting
- Site speed
The closer the hosting server is to your main audience, the faster their browsing experience will be. It’s a simple matter of distance. If your customers are based in Africa, and your hosting provider is in Europe, it’s quite a long way for information to be sent back and forth. Having your web hosting in South Africa will mean that your website information reaches your customers much faster.
- Support
Hosting in South Africa also means that your server support team is easier to reach in the event of an emergency. Servers can crash or experience technical issues, and having a support team on hand, in the same time zone as you, is vital to get the problem sorted to minimize downtime. Before you select a hosting plan, determine all the various technical support channels available to you. Is your support team available via phone, email and live chat?
- SEO
Site speed, and in turn, page speed, is a ranking factor that Google takes into account when crawling websites. Google gives preference to websites that load quickly and offer a pleasant browsing experience. Local web hosting gives you a quick win in upping your chances of ranking well when customers search for your product or service online.
- Economy
Choosing a local web hosting provider means you are contributing to your local economy. Any hosting company can get your website up and running, but a local provider hosts your website while having local employment in mind.
By choosing a local web hosting provider, you’re choosing to prioritize speed, after-sales support and local search visibility. These factors are vital for the long-term success of your website’s performance.
