How changing web hosts affects search engine rankings?
Time and again webmasters & SEO experts have been haunted by the thought of losing search rankings for their websites after changing web hosting company. After all, they spent several hours of research and development in positioning their website at the first page of Google and other popular search engines. Horror of losing that sweet spot can terrify any feeble heart because that means losing hundreds of visitors that come on their website without them costing a dime. So is it really risky business to think about moving your website to another host? Does it really affect your website rankings?
The answer is NO simply because no search engine crawler takes IP address or web hosting company or name servers as any of their factors to rank your website. But if crawlers find your website “unreachable“, you will be punished. So utmost care has to be taken while you move your website to different server. Below, we have tried to explain the transfer process in 4 VERY EASy steps for the static website.
(Please note that moving a static site is relatively much easier than moving a database driven website. Site that gets new content from it’s users every minute are more complicated to move and require help of professionals.)
Step 1. Copy all the files of your website from your current web host to the new server and test it. Every hosting company provides you a temporary URL or IP address to run a test site. Ask them for that URL and directory path so that you can upload all the files to that location.
Step 2. Test all the links and content of your website on the temporary URL of the new server. Make sure all URLs work because you don’t want search engine crawlers to follow a link that is broken.
IMP Tip – Make sure all images & graphics show up because several times coders give “absolute path” of the images which means the images on the new location will not be found. Always ask your coders to use “relative paths“. (Not familiar with the terms – absolute paths & relative paths? don’t worry. Your designers/coders should know that. God help you if they don’t! )
Step 3. Once you see your website runs smoothly on the new server, it’s time to tell your domain registrar (domain name booking company) to point your domain name to the name severs of the new web hosting company. These days, many registrars makes the change pretty immediately which means as soon as you change the name servers, your site is accessible from the new location.
Step 4. Though your website is now being rendered from the new server, yet it is advisable to keep the files of your site on old server for couple of days.
I really hope this serves as a helpful guide and checklist for the next time when you plan to move your website to a new host. Please feel free to ask us if you still have any questions. Our professional web development team at Galaxy Weblinks would be more than happy to assist you and provide a free consultancy.
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