Does the location of the server matter?

by 21 replies
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Hi I have a job search engine website. You can access it from my signature.

Its language is English, so the customers are mostly from English-speaking countries. For example: USA, Canada, UK, etc.

But the server is based in the main land of China. Does it matter?

I have noticed the following things:
1. Google has indexed 60,000 of my pages. But it ONLY brings me 100 - 300 visitors daily.
2. Both Yahoo and Live indexed ONLY a few of my pages. And they bring me no visitors

Is it because my server is located in China and not USA? I want to buy a server located in USA and it will cost me at least $ 600 a year, it is hard for me to earn this money back. So does it deserve a new server?

And those who come from English speaking countries, please help me to test my website's speed. I want to make sure that it is not slow when accessed from a foreign country.

Best Regards,
#search engine optimization #location #matter #server
  • it has nothing to do with that, it has to do with how good the content is, and if the content is actually what people are looking for. provide enough GOOD content and you'll get the traffic.
    • [1] reply
    • But I have read a lot about it. Many say that It does has something to do with the location of the server.
      Especially China is not an English speaking country.

      Maybe you never face similar problems. I will make sure of it finally.
  • Don't think so. What matters when indexing is your domain and not your IP..
    • [1] reply
    • Hi Peter,

      I have heard a lot of complaints about slow access to servers inside China. Apparently the military in China sensors all data coming in and out of the country. This creates a tremendous bottleneck that slows traffic to a complete stop at times.

      So, if your target audience is in China, that's where your server needs to be located. If you target audience is outside of China then you really need to have your server located outside of China to avoid these issues.

      If cost is a factor you should see if your web application can run on a shared server. Your cost could be as low as $5 per month on shared hosting.
  • Nah, the only thing that could prevent bad indexing could be the nature in which you're getting links from, or server loading speeds.
    • [1] reply
    • Hi Loz,

      Google has been using page load times as a factor for some time now. Servers located inside China have a notorious reputation for slow load times due to the bottleneck created by the military censoring all information entering or leaving the country.
      • [2] replies
  • Place server close to your the majority of your audience. That's the best practice. You may check the server from various sites to measure the speed. Although common consensus among seo is location doesn't matter, but if it causes time out and other things because of the slow speed, it makes sense if that impacts rankings.

    Clearly speed of load and availability have something to do with user experience, which is the only thing Google cares about and try to improve for its users.

    Btw, page amount doesn't always translate into traffic from natural search.
    • [1] reply
    • Totally WRONG!

      Location does matter!
      I have servers spread across 6 countries WORLD WIDE! GEO IP Allocated to visitor base!

      However it just pays a "small" amount of an seo factor. But that small factor can be a difference between 1,000 - 50,000 visitors per month, or more

      then that contradicts your previous statement.

      you said:
      "Although common consensus among seo is location doesn't matter"

      faster the site loading times, IMPROVES user experience... enuff said!


      Really? hmm, interesting that you left this particular point out without any explanations!
  • solution, simply move it to another server... problem solved.
  • My point is instead focusing on your SE, switch your view to the user. Even if Google doesn't penalize it, your users will stop waiting and just do something else. That's what you should care about.

    So yes, move to another server if it is closer to your audience.
  • I have moved a site from the US to Hong Kong and back to the US without affecting the SERPS. It stayed in Hong Kong for one year, but eventually I moved it back to the US because it was closer to our customers.

    However, it was only a small e-commerce site and that was 5 years ago. I cannot guarrantee whether Google has changed its algorihtm since then regarding this issue.
    • [1] reply
    • Hong Kong is not the same as the rest of China！

      If your server is in Hong Kong, there will be little problem. Because Hong Kong is very open and international! But the main land of China sucks!
      • [1] reply
  • i don't think the location of the server matter.. the traffic depends on how you deliver your site..
    • [1] reply
    • Hi, all, I have bought a server located in America.

      The location does matter a lot! If you don't believe me, try put your server in China.

      The speed is important, and there is many more problems besides speed.
  • My advice is get a hosting provider in a "deregulated" zone where you won't have filters scanning every transmission. You'll get much more traffic faster.
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