Changing web hosting can be a necessary step for improving website performance, increasing uptime, or upgrading to a more scalable solution. However, making a switch can come with its own set of challenges, especially when it comes to SEO. SEO issues after changing web hosting are common, and these issues can impact your search engine rankings, visibility, and overall website performance.
When you change your web hosting provider, it’s important to ensure that you are not only migrating your site’s data but also taking steps to preserve your SEO efforts. This article explores common SEO issues that arise after changing web hosting, including drops in search rankings, indexing problems, slow load times, 404 errors, and SSL certificate issues. We’ll provide practical tips to help you avoid these pitfalls and maintain your SEO health during the transition.
Drop in Search Rankings After Hosting Change
One of the most concerning SEO issues after changing web hosting is a sudden drop in search rankings. It can be frustrating to see your site’s performance take a hit after switching to a new hosting provider. While this drop may be temporary, it can still affect your traffic and online visibility.
Why Does This Happen?
A drop in rankings can occur for a variety of reasons, such as changes in server speed, downtime, or disruptions during the transfer. If the new hosting provider has slower servers or more frequent downtime, your website may not be able to perform as well in search results. Search engines like Google prioritize fast-loading, reliable websites, so performance issues can directly impact your rankings.
How to Address It
To mitigate this risk, ensure that your new hosting provider offers high performance and uptime. Before making the switch, research the hosting provider’s reputation and performance benchmarks. Additionally, monitor your website’s performance during and after the migration. Using tools like Google Search Console can help you track any changes in traffic or rankings and pinpoint when the drop occurred.
Indexing Problems with New Hosting
Another common SEO issue after changing web hosting is indexing problems. When you switch hosts, search engines may temporarily have difficulty crawling and indexing your website’s pages, especially if the migration process was not handled correctly.
Why Does This Happen?
Indexing issues often arise when search engines are unable to access your website’s new server, or when the site’s structure changes during the migration. This can result in search engines failing to index some of your pages, leading to a drop in visibility for those pages in search results.
How to Address It
To avoid indexing problems, make sure that your website’s structure remains unchanged during the migration. Ensure that the robots.txt file, XML sitemaps, and meta tags are all correctly configured for the new hosting environment. Once the migration is complete, submit an updated sitemap to Google via Google Search Console to help the search engine crawl your site efficiently.
If you notice that your pages are not being indexed properly, you can use Google Search Console to check for crawl errors and resolve any issues that may arise.
Know more
Does Changing Web Hosting Affect SEO? Understanding the Impact
How Web Hosting Affects Website Performance and SEO
The Role of Server Location in SEO
Types of Web Hosting and Their Effect on SEO: Which is Best for Your Website?
How to Migrate Web Hosting Without Losing SEO
Common SEO Issues After Changing Web Hosting
Slow Website Load Times Affecting SEO
Website load time is a critical factor in SEO. Slow website load times affecting SEO is one of the most common and problematic issues after changing hosting providers. Even if your website was previously fast, a new host may have slower servers, which can cause delays in loading time and affect your SEO rankings.
Why Does This Happen?
When you switch hosts, the performance of your website may change due to differences in server speed, hardware resources, or network infrastructure. A slower server can significantly increase load times, especially if the hosting provider does not optimize their servers for performance.
How to Address It
To avoid slow load times, choose a hosting provider that specializes in fast, reliable hosting. Look for providers that offer content delivery network (CDN) integration and caching technologies to speed up your site. Also, after migration, run speed tests using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to identify and resolve any performance bottlenecks.
Make sure that all elements of your website, including images, scripts, and stylesheets, are optimized for faster loading times. Compress images, minify CSS/JS files, and leverage browser caching to improve site speed.
404 Errors and SEO During Hosting Change
404 errors, which occur when a page cannot be found, can also be a significant SEO issue after changing web hosting. These errors can result in lost traffic and a poor user experience, which ultimately affects your rankings.
Why Does This Happen?
404 errors can occur if the website’s URL structure changes during the migration, or if the new host fails to set up the correct redirects. For example, if pages are moved to a different server directory or renamed, the links pointing to those pages may break, causing visitors to encounter 404 errors.
How to Address It
To avoid 404 errors, ensure that the URLs on your new server match the structure of the old one. If the structure does change, set up 301 redirects to point the old URLs to the new ones. This ensures that both users and search engines can find your pages and avoid encountering 404 errors.
Use tools like Screaming Frog or Google Search Console to identify any broken links or pages that return 404 errors. Fix these issues by updating internal links and setting up the appropriate redirects to maintain your SEO health.
SSL Certificate Issues After Hosting Switch
Security is a critical component of SEO, and websites with SSL certificates are favored by search engines. SSL certificate issues after hosting switch can result in your site being flagged as “not secure,” which can negatively affect user trust and SEO rankings.
Why Does This Happen?
When you switch hosting providers, you may need to reconfigure or reinstall your SSL certificate on the new server. If the SSL certificate is not correctly set up, your site may display warning messages or become inaccessible to users, which can hurt your SEO and drive visitors away.
How to Address It
To avoid SSL certificate issues, check that your SSL certificate is correctly installed on the new server before making your site live. Ensure that all URLs on your website are properly redirected from HTTP to HTTPS, and use a tool like SSL Labs to test your SSL setup.
If you encounter issues, contact your hosting provider to troubleshoot and resolve the SSL certificate problems. Once everything is configured correctly, Google will recognize your website as secure, and your SEO will benefit.
Conclusion
Switching web hosting can be a smooth process if you take the necessary steps to avoid common SEO issues after changing web hosting. Problems such as drops in search rankings, indexing issues, slow website load times, 404 errors, and SSL certificate issues can all impact your website’s performance and visibility. By carefully planning your migration, choosing the right hosting provider, and ensuring proper configuration during the transition, you can maintain your SEO health and continue to grow your website’s presence in search results.