Will moving hosts affect my search engine position?

[Angel69]

Hello,

I’m moving two of my websites to another hosting service, just wondered if this will affect my standing in the SE results (sorry if that’s not the right terminology) . Should there be any negative effect, is there anything I can do about it ?

[Xnontas]

If you own a domain, and you set it correct in your new host, i think it doesn't affect your search engine position or pr or anything.

[vistadivine.com]

No it wont.

Akash

[Marketing Guy]

From the horses mouth: http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/moving-to-a-new-web-host/

Nice step by step guide to changing host (server) from Google engineer, Matt Cutts.

MG

[stock_post]

as long as you keep the same directory structure and if you make sure all the old urls resolve you should be OK.

If some of the urls can not resolve you are in trouble.

(This happend to me)

http://www.OneBigTravel.com

if you look in Google there are lot of searh results, but my site do not resolve lot of those search results.

And I lost lot of traffic and PR.

Thanks

[Web Gazelle]

I asked the same question and I have had many people tell me it wont effect rankings.

[RedCardinal]

Originally Posted by stock_post

as long as you keep the same directory structure and if you make sure all the old urls resolve you should be OK.

If some of the urls can not resolve you are in trouble.

If you change URLs then make sure to redirect the old URL to the new URL with a proper 301.

Then you'll be fine.

WRT moving host, I would just make sure that everything is set up ok on the new server, change your name server/dns records and Bob's your uncle.

One more tip: don't tell the old host your leaving before you have transferred all your files/settings to the new host. Some less scrupulous hosts have been known to make life difficult if they know you are leaving.

[Bernard]

I have heard, but not tested to verify, that changing hosts where the servers (and IP address) are located in another country can affect your position in country specific flavors of the search engines and/or geo-targeted search results.

[Webfu]

Beware, sometimes when you switch to a new server - the server might drop the www in your urls and then Google will start caching your links both with the www and w/out.

[webzenstar]

Since your new server might also mean little changes in your "directory structure" or "file suffixing" (going from .html to .php, for instance), you may want to check how your "errors" resolve, especially when search engine bots visit your "new" web site.

With rather simple scripts, especially in PHP, you can grab the exact URL the visitor (or bot) was trying to view and (in case it's been changed) show the new "corresponding page"... most people won't see the difference.

I'm not sure how bots react when you instantly swing them to a new URL, even though it's the "right" one, in the new "updated" structure.

Does anyone have more insight on this?

[Bernard]

301 redirects work just fine for that purpose.

[A.N.Onym]

As mentioned, if your site is geo-specific (provides services or products in an area, mostly), you'll need either a country-specific TLD or a local hosting. If your local business website is .com and you move your site outside your country, you'll be out of the local search.

[vistadivine.com]

But moving your site to another server of a country can improve your rankings in the local search of their specific country.

Akash