Does it matter where is the hosting company from ?

[Derpinard]

Hey, I'm in the process of searching for hosting services for my first ever 'paid website'. I have a noobish question in relation to that: Does it matter where is the hosting company located ? My site will be in English and generally target US visitors.

The reason I'm asking is, I can get the same specs for a much cheaper price outside of the US and I wonder if there's a catch to it.

Thanks for your help.

 

[netmatrix]

Yes, location does factor in. If you're targeting the U.S., get a server in the U.S.

 

[termi]

As abut SEO I don't think there are any difference and the catch maybe simple if most off your customers are from US then hosting base in US will be a little faster for them but in generally it doesn't make so big difference. Maybe if you have site that have 100k+ month visits this will make difference.

 

[Derpinard]

Yes, location does factor in. If you're targeting the U.S., get a server in the U.S.

Could you briefly explain why and how does it factor in ?

 

[mqs1000]

Could you briefly explain why and how does it factor in ?

The farther the server is from the clients (people who visit your site) the longer it takes for your site to load for them. What's wrong with GoDaddy? It's like 5 bucks a month.

 

[Blakester]

Could you briefly explain why and how does it factor in ?

It's usually better to get a server to be near to your customers/viewers/readers cause your site will load quicker for them.

 

[papa_ji]

there is no big difference if you are hosting outside of the US and you are targeting US visitors, site loading speed depends on the server specification where you are hosting if the server is well optimized + if there is good internet connection in at the Data center then there is no big deal if you host in what country.
but yes location does matter if you are hosting content like warez, and other copyright content without permission.
I will suggest you don't ever go to hostgator and godaddy.

if you want to still want to host in USA then I will suggest you
hostwinds.com
you can get good hosting deals in BST section
or you can click on the banner in my signature for the hosting I am providing.

 

[SPQR]

The location of the server is a small part in the entire online equation. However, every bit helps to build something successful. If the servers are in the US, different laws apply -- etc, etc. Also, it is closer to your target audience, enhancing speed.

 

[Derpinard]

Thanks guys for all the answers, they were all vastly helpful. I will probably choose some European host then. I'll probably start with some basic plan - I want to keep my IM upkeep pretty low since I'm just starting and need to gain some experience first.

 

[kvchosting]

We suggest opt for a US based host as speed will be good since it would be US traffic

As the location of host would matter for speed

 

[nshunz]

If my target audience is in the US I'd go for a server located there. The location of your hosting does play a tiny role in how the site is ranked for local searches, and then there's the speed advantage too.

 

[SerpEvil]

probably yes,i had sites hosted on NL ip,and it was ranked on all google extensions,or i had it on USA ip and also ranked first on google.es/ro/nl etc

 

[wuquater]

Location plays a minor role, most important is how fast the host is, how many clients per server, server specs, connection speed, direct connection to the backbones etc. Do not take a host in the USA just for the sake hosting in the USA, take the hosting which gives you the best value.

apart of this you can always use a cdn to serve your files/page from the nearest location to your visitors.