The great thing about the internet is that it can instantly connect people all over the world. You can be based in New York and chat with friends in London, shop at an online store based in Tokyo, and then do some research at a learning center based in Melbourne. The world has got instantly smaller in the digital age, and communicating, connecting and sharing with people wherever they are located, has never been easier.
However, there are some things that are simply better and easier when done in close proximity of where you are located. For example, if you want to grab a bite to eat, you are more likely to pop down to a local restaurant or food store rather than one on the other side of the city. If you are going to the cinema to watch the latest blockbuster, you are more likely to do so at a cinema that is located close to where you live, rather than 5 hours away.
The Web Hosting Industry
The same can also be applied to web hosting. Though you can find companies all over the world that offer web hosting services, there are some advantages to working with local based web hosts, rather than ones that may be located on the other side of the world.
You may wonder why you’d be better off using a local web host. After all, don’t all web hosts essentially provide the same service? In most cases, yes, web hosts all basically provide the same thing. However, it is important to note that there are a number of advantages in using a local host.
Benefits of Using a Local Host
When it comes to selecting a web host to work with, you’ll want one that offers high performance, great support and good pricing. In terms of performance, you’ll want a web host that not only guarantees at least a 99% uptime, but one that is fast.
What you don’t want to happen is that your website takes forever to load, simply because the server it is on is sharing resources with thousands of other users, which is causing your web pages to load very slowly. If you are interested in web hosting in different countries, you can read more about it here.
Web speed is an important Ranking Factor
There are lots of factors that can affect how well, or badly, your website ranks in Google, Bing and other search engines. One such factor is page speed. If your website has a slow loading speed, then you are going to lose visitors. It’s as simple as that. Your user experience will be a poor one, and Google will accordingly rank other websites above yours.
The average website visitor will wait no more than 2-3 seconds for a web page to load. Any longer than that, and it’s more than likely that the visitor will leave your site and visit another. If you are running a business website, then each time a visitor leaves your site, you are losing a potential client. Multiply that by a mere 10 times a day, and you’ll soon get an idea of just how much potential business you are losing simply because your website is slow. That’s an awful lot of potential clients, and an even greater amount of potential income.
Slow loading websites are simply a killer for any business. Making sure your website runs as smoothly and as quickly as possible is vital, and in most cases, the server you are hosted on plays a key role in your site speed.
Benefits of a local web host
There are a number of benefits to using a web host who are located in the same country as you, as well as also having their servers there.
Your Language
Many people’s first language is not English, and there are times when people may have problems communicating with their web host if the host is based in the UK, US or Australia, where English is the main language that is spoken.
Communicating in a language that is not your native tongue can be tricky enough, but if you are trying to speak to the support team about any technical issues that you might be experiencing, then it can become even more difficult to be understood, as well as understand what is being said back. Having a web host based in your country will be extremely helpful when it comes to communication, and will make any contact you have with the host a lot easier and without any language barriers.
Your Time zones
Another advantage to having a web host based in the same country as you will be that in most instances, you’ll be on the same time zone. This is particularly important when it comes to needing to contact the host for any problems you might be experiencing or if you have any questions.
With a local based web host, you should be able to have live support, and can have any problems you are facing resolved in a very short time. This won’t always be the case if your web host is on another continent and might be multiple time zones behind you. Though many web hosts do offer 24/7 support, many of them don’t and usually only offer client support during their working hours.
Better Speed Performance
One very important benefit of having your website hosted in a server that is located in the same country as you is that it will help your website load faster. Though the difference in loading times between a local server and one based around the world may only be a second, this can make a huge difference in how people interact with your site.
As previously mentioned, most people will only wait a couple of seconds for a web page to load, before clicking their back button and heading to another site. This can be extremely costly for your business. You want to provide all visitors to your site with a quick and professional experience, and having your webpages loading even just half a second faster can make a huge amount of difference.
If your audience is locally based, then a local web host will be the best option for you. However, if your audience is universal, then there shouldn’t be any problem using hosting based in another country. As long as you are aware that support might not always be as quick as you’d want, and you are comfortable communicating in a language that is not your main one, then there shouldn’t be much of a problem.
