Should You Use a Canadian Hosting Company for Your WordPress Site

WordPress makes it possible to create many types of websites. It’s open-sourced, adaptable, and easy to manipulate. Additionally, you get all the tools for crafting your website. However, in order for your website to be accessible on the web, it needs space on a server.

A web hosting company provides server space for your website. Although there are several ways to host a website, the most common and basic way to host a website is on a shared server.

Website hosting servers always have a physical location. However, the server’s location doesn’t have to correspond to your whereabouts. That being said, the server’s location can affect your website’s performance. It may also increase your visibility in search engines. For these reasons, you must consider where your host’s servers are based.

Why Does Server Location Matter?

Let’s say you’re looking to target the Canadian market or are a U.S.-based company looking for increased data privacy. In these cases, you may benefit from WordPress hosting in Canada like GreenGeeks, one of the WP Engine alternatives.

Canadian hosting companies generally have data centers in Canada. This benefits web users by offering faster page loading speeds, allowing companies to take advantage of Canada’s privacy laws, and improving search engine ranking.

Page Loading Speeds

The speed at which your web pages load is determined by the amount of time it takes for your server to load your content, including photos, videos, and other media. While there are many factors that contribute to page loading speeds, one that’s often overlooked is server location. The closer a web user is to a website’s server, the faster the page will load for them.

Slow-loading websites are hazardous to businesses. This is because if your site takes too long to load, users will become frustrated and leave your site for a competitor’s. Your bounce rate will tell you how many users you may be losing. Therefore, if you’re catering to a Canadian market, choosing a web host with servers in Canada makes good sense. For example, GreenGeeks Canada has an average loading speed of 178.6 ms for websites around the globe. However, in Canada, their average page loading speed is 9 ms. This is a difference of 169.6 ms. It doesn’t seem like much, but when your company’s success is at stake, every millisecond counts.

Data Privacy

Any website on a Canadian server falls under Canadian law. This is advantageous for many companies because Canada prioritizes data privacy. Under their laws, any private information on servers is protected by the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). This act is designed to protect personal and sensitive data. By contrast, servers in the United States are governed by the Patriot Act, which allows the US government to access any data legally, monitor your communications if your activity is deemed suspicious, and even block you from accessing your data. For this reason, it’s beneficial for web owners who are concerned about their data privacy to choose a Canadian hosting company.

Search Engine Ranking

It’s a well-known fact that the higher your site ranks on a search engine, the more traffic it will get. A number of factors determine search engine rankings. One such factor is location. Search engines identify where a website is based using their server’s location. Therefore, when a user performs a search, the search engine will prioritize results near the user’s location. Therefore, if your company targets a Canadian market, it behooves you to use a Canadian server.

Furthermore, page loading speed is another ranking factor. As we’ve already established, using a server in Canada means Canadian users will experience a faster load time. This means that your site’s search engine ranking will benefit.