How domain name and web hosting impact SEO

©Amy Walters via 123RF

Uniformity between a company’s official name and website URL

If you want to build trust between you and your consumers, it would be wise for both your official store and online store to have the same name. Unfortunately, getting the domain name you want can be difficult, and people usually compromise in this area. However, if you are starting a new company - especially if it’s an online-based business - you have an advantage; you can find a domain name you like first and then name your company after it.

Keyword detection

An important aspect of finding an adequate domain name is keyword search. If you want exceptional visibility, your domain name should contain a keyword that is related to either your products or services. Good examples include: Bookdepository (for selling books), Bustmold (mold removal services), Mangareader (a website with digital versions of manga comics). This way, when people google the product they want to buy, if the product is in the name, the site will be more visible.

When you are picking a name for your site, it should be easy to remember and easy to spell. The name should consist of either one or two words, and one of those words should be the name of the product or service.

Server uptime

It is imperative that your website is available for customers 24/7. If your site is frequently unavailable, then one of its essential purposes is defeated. The more people you drive away the less traffic you will generate. It is a major deal-breaker if a hosting service can’t guarantee that your site will be up and running 99,99% of the time.

For a website that simply displays content, this may not be too harmful, but for an e-commerce website server uptime is a major priority. A good web hosting service can provide desirable uptime, good page speed, and various other perks like a free domain. You need to be aware what defines a good hosting provider if you want to run a successful website with decent traffic. In the long run, websites that are unavailable too often fall in SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages) and this means that all your SEO efforts are wasted.

Loading speed

Kissmetrics has a wonderful infographic that explains how page loading speed can affect your traffic. Basically, a response that is delayed for one second can result in 7% of lost conversion, whereas a two second delay can spike that loss up to 40%. Of course, this responsiveness is also influenced by the server’s location. To be more precise it is influenced by distance of geolocation between the server and the user. A good web hosting service should provide you with distributive power, i.e. it should have a content delivery network that can ensure that your site is stored on more than one server.

Accessibility in form of payment systems

A mutually satisfactory transaction is something that can bring your customers back for another shopping tour. One way to ensure this positive experience is to have numerous payment gateways integrated into your website or online store. Furthermore, to make sure you build a solid bond of trust with your customers, you need to analyse the payment gateway server security of your online store which, once again, a good web host should be able to provide.

Your web host plays an important role in how satisfied your customers will be with your online store. As long as you meet their needs in terms of payment gateways, quick responsiveness, and if your customer support acts swiftly (your host should also make sure that your customer support chat is fully operational), you will have a good start. Remember to pay close attention to your name as well, because it will ensure that your site is more easily discovered.