UK Based servers

[AWA Training]

I realise this is going to open up a can of worms.

I am currently with a hosting company who uses UK servers. As is recommended for SEO.

Looking to change, i have a company in mind, but their nearest server is in Holland. Is it going to cause much havoc to my SEO if i defect to them?
Not volunteering neither who my current host is or who the new one is potentially going to be (not here to air dirty laundry) just interested in the above.

Many thanks in advance fellow UKBF'ers

 

[Darren_Ssc]

The difference is going to be negligible, [all things being equal].

 

[inventive]

For SEO, as Darren said, nowadays it doesn't make as much difference as it did a few years ago.

Again as Darren said that is if everything else is equal - Clean IP's, Website Loading speed etc.

Speed wise between the UK and Netherlands, there isn't much difference either, we have servers in both locations and there is around 2ms difference. Not noticeable to the average user.

 

[justinaldridge]

Server location isn't really a factor these days. It's much more important to have a .co.uk domain if you are targeting the UK.

 

[AWA Training]

Thanks guys

 

[AWA Training]

Sorry, one more question please if i may. what is a "clean" IP?

 

[Darren_Ssc]

Sorry, one more question please if i may. what is a "clean" IP?

It is an ip address that hasn't either never been used before or is 'clean' in the sense that it doesn't appear on any blacklists.

 

[GURUCLOUD]

The general consensus is that google want your visitors to have a good user experience on your site. If your site visitors are from USA and you're hosting in the UK, it's not going to give a as good as experience as hosting in the USA mainly due to the actual distances (time for the data to travel between the two locations) between user and server of course this is much less in the UK/Europe but its always been a general rule of thumb to be as close to your users as possible.
This is of course using the theory that each hosting location/service is exactly the way. There are so many factors that go towards site speed other than simply server location. A super-fast hosting server in Holland is going to be better than a slow hosting server in the UK. If your site runs 2 seconds quicker with your host in Holland than the one in the UK, you're probably better off in Holland!

 

[Darren_Ssc]

It is an ip address that hasn't either never been used before or is 'clean' in the sense that it doesn't appear on any blacklists.

*has either

 

[AWA Training]

Ah that makes sense, thanks! (i see the thank you button has gone walkies!)