UK Hosting for multiple sites

[donreeco]

I currently have hosting with 1and1, which allows me to host multiple minisites for about a fiver a month. I am currently looking to upgrade to hosting which includes SQL so that i can start to use Wordpress. I could do this with 1and1, but I am really wanting to change to a host where the servers are based in the UK, as I have heard this can have a significant impact in terms of SEO for the UK.

So, does anybody know of a solid, reliable (preferably large) UK based host, that will allow me to host several sites, include SQL at a reasonable price?

Cheers!!

 

[seanh]

Hi there

I agree that SEO can be affected by where servers are located, we use UK based hosts for this reason as we operate in the UK only.

We have a reseller account with Heart with unlimited sites which works well and we have around 90 sites hosted, some using wordpress. I know others are not so keen but I have not had any problems so far.

 

[joned]

I've been using Wesh - Web Hosting - PHP5 - UK Servers uk web hosting and dedicated servers

They've been very good so far (touch wood). They're not "large" as such, but have their own servers in Docklands (they're not resellers) and their smaller size means you can phone up and chat to someone who actually knows what they're talking about!

Cheers, Jon

 

[Alien]

Hi there,

I've recently changed to WebHostingUK with one of their dedicated servers and so far the support, price and service has all been excellent.

 

[newbie]

I've personally found SEO is not affected by server geo location - especially when using ccTLD domains. You can select preferred geo target in Google webmasters for your domains. When using a .UK domain for instance it does default to the UK geo target automatically.

I've moved sites from UK to US based datacentres (and vice versa) only to find no change in ranking or PR even after many months.

 

[donreeco]

Cheers for all your suggestions! - ill definitely be looking in to these!

That is really interesting info newbie! Has anyone else had a similar experience or indeed seen an improvement in ranking simply from moving to a UK host? Currently all my domains are co.uk.

 

[newbie]

Basically if you want a global presence (ranking) you should avoid a ccTLD as this automatically tells Google your geo target audience. The location of the server no longer matters since Google introduced this to the Google Webmasters tool (about 9 months ago?). Before then - server geo location DID effect your ranking if Google did not correctly determine your geo target. Hope this helps!

 

[donreeco]

Cheers newbie - interesting stuff! I did hear an argument that having the servers in the county that your were targeting would result in quicker response times and this can have an impact on seo too. i don't know whether it would realistically make any difference though.

 

[newbie]

The response time difference between a US hosted site and a UK hosted site (if you are based in the UK) is approximately 1/10s - if Google does use website download times as a ranking factor then it would be page size that would be more significant than the initial 1/10s delay.

To maximise ranking ensure your page load speed is higher than average, you can find out your page load speed relative to others in Alexa.

Also, use Google Analytics to keep an eye on average number of page visits and length of time on site. Google *might* use this data to determine your site relvance to the target keyword.

Finally, keep your bounce rates (number of time a vistor leaves from the initial page without looking further) as low as possible, this also confirms the quality of your content compared to what the visitor was expecting.

None of this is definite - it's what I use to rank as best as possible - backed up by decent backlinks of course!

 

[donreeco]

Thanks for that! I'd not come across those theories as to how Google might determine quality/relevance before... i will definitely bear them in mind in the future!! It keeps coming back to just having quality content and good backlinks - both of which i find hard to get! lol

 

[Skinner]

My bounce rates are crazy. 1 month like 50% the next month 12% the next money 36% its nuts, I think some of my keywords need altering as the wrong people are finding me

 

[newbie]

My bounce rates are crazy. 1 month like 50% the next month 12% the next money 36% its nuts, I think some of my keywords need altering as the wrong people are finding me

Look at the bounce rates per popular keyphrase - concentrate on a manageable number such as your top 10 traffic bringing keywords. Looks at the bounce rates per keyword and make sure the keywords are indeed relevant to your site content.

Overall bounce rates of below 50% are not *too* bad, 36% is quite good and 12% is amazing! An average of 20% or less is extremely difficult to achieve. I'm happy with 35% or less.

A low bounce rate is a great indicator to Google that your site content matches the keywords your site is ranked for - all good news for your site rankings.

 

[RSK3000]

I upgraded to 1&1's Business package with MY Sql etc about 4 years ago and never had a problem with them. However, I have only ever used one hosting company so I have nothing to compare with.

I really appreciate the 24 hour help desk - I don't know if all hosting companies have this. Their help desk has got me out of a LOT of trouble after 'tinkering' with databases at 4AM!

I also like the fact that that have a UK business address if I need to complain/ sue etc if things go wrong!.

I think everyone has their own favourite hosts.

Some people suggest hosting your sites and your domains with seperate companies, and I think thats worth considering because if you chose the wrong host for your site you can change relatively easily. Thats what I wish I'd done at the beginning.

For what its worth, Daily, WebFusion, 123Reg and Easily all look good, although I've not used them.