The SEO upside of changing website hosting platforms
Want to know the SEO upside of changing website hosting platforms? We’ve got you. It IS possible to migrate to a cheaper host with better uptime and support without hurting your rankings. We’ll share how.
When to switch website hosting platforms
If you’re finding that your website is no longer hosted on a localised server, your website host doesn’t provide convenient customer support, your plan has been downgraded or the host is making significant structural changes; it’s time to switch. The first few are more intuitive. You’ll lose traffic if the host is taken overseas or your plan is worse. And not being able to access customer support is incredibly frustrating. But the last one is a scary, hidden disadvantage – structural changes. If your host is making big changes on their side, search bots might think your old website is a new one. Then you’ll lose domain authority. That’s a big concern that can set you back months, even years. So, if you’re impacted by any of these issues, then changing website hosting platforms is a clear benefit to SERP and perhaps, even, reduced costs.
How to change website hosting platforms
First, decide if you need a whole new domain name or if you’re just migrating. (Migrations are easier, but you might want to change the domain name if your current one is not memorable.) Regardless, there are a few things you need to do if you want to keep your SEO efforts intact while making the switch:
Foundational info
You need to make sure the search engines can access any new domain, site structure, hosting location, URLs and link sources. Also ensure the DNS changes are carefully handled so everything transfers properly. Remember that your email addresses and other basic company info may be impacted as well (especially if you’re changing your domain name). So have a plan in place to audit everything. Look at what might have those details on from letterhead to social media pages.
Migrating contents
Execute a page-to-page redirect instead of a blanket redirect (which can kill SEO). This includes making sure all your links work and your customers are informed so they can update their bookmarks. Start with migrating the subdomain’s contents then you can use a 301 redirect to redirect backlinks if you need to. Then verify your new website with Google’s Search Console, using their change of address tool.
Performance scans
Even if you’re not making domain-level changes, doing performance and speed scans of your new host and full website is recommended. You may want to install a caching plugin and clean your database to improve the page speed and enhance performance on WordPress websites. Don’t forget to check your internal links for multiple redirects. You’ll want to clean these up to prevent redirect chains that can harm your rankings.
If that sounds like (understandably) a lot of work we can help you realise the SEO upside of changing website hosting platforms by guiding you through the whole process. Just reach out to us today.
