When it comes to SEO , businesses often wonder whether switching hosting can have a negative effect on search engine rankings.
For anyone who relies on online visibility to attract customers, this is a legitimate concern. Recently, Google’s Gary Illyes shed some light on this issue and provided some recommendations to avoid problems when switching hosts.
Understanding the Hosting Change
Switching hosting providers involves transferring all of your website’s files and databases to a new platform. Although it may seem complicated, for WordPress -based websites , for example, there are plugins that make the process easier . However, even with these tools, there are technical factors that must be taken into account to avoid SEO issues.
If you are not familiar with database administration or file transfer using SFTP software, it is recommended to hire an agency to ensure everything is done correctly. Performing a manual migration requires technical knowledge and can be challenging for those who do not have experience in this area.
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How Change Can Affect SEO
Illyes responded to a question about whether switching hosts linkedin data could have a lasting negative impact on SEO. He stated that if the migration is done “by the book,” i.e. according to best practices, and the disruption to the site is minimal, there should be no negative effects on Google rankings.
Two main points must be considered to avoid problems:
Domain resolution : This refers to how the domain name is translated into an IP address that points to the new host. It is important to obtain the correct information from the new hosting provider, such as name servers (NS), and update it in the domain registry. Additionally, the A record (Address Record) needs to reflect the correct IP of the new provider.
Minimal downtime : While a short period of downtime shouldn’t cause permanent problems, it’s important to minimize downtime. If your site is down for a long period of time, it can temporarily affect your rankings, but it usually recovers when everything returns to normal.
Rankings recovery after outages
Gary mentioned that even if a site is offline for several weeks, it is possible to recover rankings as long as there are no significant changes to the content or structure of the site. In his experience, it can take a few weeks for Google to recrawl and reindex all pages, but it is unlikely to have a lasting impact if the site is restored correctly.