Effects of server downtime on SEO

danclarkie · 04-14-2011, 08:11 AM

Hey,

We all know that if your server is down a lot and frequently then google really doesn't like it.
Has anyone got first hand experience of this and or sources to that they could share to say how important server uptime is in terms of SEO

I have been doing SEO for a website and the server up/down time is pretty bad, I would like to be able to argue the case with some solid facts.

To give more context we are talking around 6 incidents (that I know of) in the last 2 months of between 1-5 hours each time.

My understanding is that google frowns upon this as its bad for user experience but also it drains google server resources as they try to crawl a site that doesnt exist and as a result you receive a penalty for this.

Could anyone provide any more input / links to sources etc ?
Thanks shall be given.
Cheers!

Harry Spencer · 04-14-2011, 08:30 AM

I just found some information on google support forums, I always thought server downtime would affect your rankings but people seem to disagree.

You might find other similar posts on google forums

Hope that helps

Harry

Harry Spencer · 04-14-2011, 08:30 AM

Sorry forgot the link

Ranking punishment for server down time - Webmaster Central Help

chessguy · 04-14-2011, 08:38 AM

I used to have a website that was down for a few weeks that still retained its ranking. I don't think a few hours downtime here and there will have a dramatic impact, if any at all.

John Romaine · 04-14-2011, 08:45 AM

YouTube - Can a site's downtime affect its...

nettech · 04-14-2011, 09:31 AM

I went aborad for two weeks recently and 2 of 3 hosting companies suspended my account for whatever reason! Most of my money sites were on these and as a result I lost rankings which equate to money. I didn't have any internet, email or anything so was unable to rectify the issue until I got back. Most of my first page sites returned after 3 weeks but even now I have sites that are on page 3-4.

My advice is to create mirrors of your site to another hosting account so if it goes down, you can change the nameservers and get it back up again ASAP. I have now started to roll this out as a result of what happened. I am also beginning to convert the Wordpress sites back into HTML which was the cause. Hosting providers do not like you using Wordpress sites as it can be quite heavy. I had very few plugins such as WP Cache but it seems like the hosting company didn't really care....they just wanted to sell me a dedicated otpion.....*rant over*.

All the best and hope that helped!

04-14-2011, 08:11 AM	#1
danclarkie Warrior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Berlin Posts: 10 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Social Networking	Effects of server downtime on SEO Hey, We all know that if your server is down a lot and frequently then google really doesn't like it. Has anyone got first hand experience of this and or sources to that they could share to say how important server uptime is in terms of SEO I have been doing SEO for a website and the server up/down time is pretty bad, I would like to be able to argue the case with some solid facts. To give more context we are talking around 6 incidents (that I know of) in the last 2 months of between 1-5 hours each time. My understanding is that google frowns upon this as its bad for user experience but also it drains google server resources as they try to crawl a site that doesnt exist and as a result you receive a penalty for this. Could anyone provide any more input / links to sources etc ? Thanks shall be given. Cheers!
	Dan Clarke

04-14-2011, 08:30 AM	#2
Harry Spencer HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: London, U.K. Posts: 171 Thanks: 4 Thanked 26 Times in 22 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Effects of server downtime on SEO I just found some information on google support forums, I always thought server downtime would affect your rankings but people seem to disagree. You might find other similar posts on google forums Hope that helps Harry
	Follow me on Twitter and My Blog 200 FREE Sources of Stock Photos, Images, Backgrounds and Textures Free PDF no opt-in Download My Training Call With Lee McIntyre Over 70 Minutes Of Juicy Internet Marketing Content FREE

04-14-2011, 08:30 AM	#3
Harry Spencer HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: London, U.K. Posts: 171 Thanks: 4 Thanked 26 Times in 22 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Effects of server downtime on SEO Sorry forgot the link Ranking punishment for server down time - Webmaster Central Help
	Follow me on Twitter and My Blog 200 FREE Sources of Stock Photos, Images, Backgrounds and Textures Free PDF no opt-in Download My Training Call With Lee McIntyre Over 70 Minutes Of Juicy Internet Marketing Content FREE

04-14-2011, 08:38 AM	#4
chessguy HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: NC Posts: 107 Thanks: 5 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Re: Effects of server downtime on SEO I used to have a website that was down for a few weeks that still retained its ranking. I don't think a few hours downtime here and there will have a dramatic impact, if any at all.
	Need custom articles written by an experienced writer? Look no further! - Darrin

04-14-2011, 09:31 AM	#6
nettech AdSense Crazy Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: London, United Kingdom & one day Dubai (UAE) Posts: 731 Thanks: 86 Thanked 81 Times in 71 Posts	Re: Effects of server downtime on SEO I went aborad for two weeks recently and 2 of 3 hosting companies suspended my account for whatever reason! Most of my money sites were on these and as a result I lost rankings which equate to money. I didn't have any internet, email or anything so was unable to rectify the issue until I got back. Most of my first page sites returned after 3 weeks but even now I have sites that are on page 3-4. My advice is to create mirrors of your site to another hosting account so if it goes down, you can change the nameservers and get it back up again ASAP. I have now started to roll this out as a result of what happened. I am also beginning to convert the Wordpress sites back into HTML which was the cause. Hosting providers do not like you using Wordpress sites as it can be quite heavy. I had very few plugins such as WP Cache but it seems like the hosting company didn't really care....they just wanted to sell me a dedicated otpion.....rant over. All the best and hope that helped!
	Thanks Zaheer