Ok, here is some insight for anyone looking to host their web site!

Before you select a host for your new domain name you must really look hard at the company and the sites they host or you may find yourself wasting time trying to get your site to rank in google!

Based on google's patent they look at the host of a domain name as part of their ranking algorithms

-
From wwwcoder.com
-
Copyright 2005 Lawrence Deon
http://www.rankingyourwaytothe bank.com

Google's patent references specific types of information relating to how a document is hosted within a computer network' that can directly influence the ranking of a specific web site.

This is Google's way of determining the legitimacy of your domain name.

Therefore, the credibility of your host has never been more important to ranking well in Google's SERP's.

Google states they may check the information of a name server in multiple ways.

Bad name servers might host known spam sites, adult and/or doorway domains. If you're hosted on a known bad name server your rankings will undoubtedly suffer if you're not blacklisted entirely.

What I found particularly interesting is the criteria that Google may consider in determining the value of a domain or identifying it as a spam domain; According to their patent, Google may now record the following information:
The length of the domain registration is it greater than one year or less than one year?
The address of the web site owner. Possibly for returning higher relevancy local search results and attaching accountability to the domain.
The admin and the technical contact info. This info is often changed several times or completely falsified on spam domains; again this check is for consistency!
The stability of your host and their IP range is your IP range associated with spam?
Securing a reputable host can and will go a long way in promoting your web site to Google.
Google's rationale for domain registration is based on the premise that valuable domains are often secured many years in advance while domains used for spam are rarely secured for more than a year.

If in doubt about a host's integrity I recommend checking their mail server at http://www.dnsstuff.com/ to see if they're in the spam database. Watch for red flags!

If your mail server is listed you may have a problem ranking well in Google!
The simplest strategy may be registering your domain several years in advance with a reputable provider thereby demonstrating longevity and accountability to Google. Google wants to see that you're serious about your site and not a flash in the pan spam shop.

-
END
-

If you are considering a shared hosting plan, you should definately do a search to find out what other domains are on that server because you may get stuck on one that's full of spam sites and never rank! Aside from the site mentioned above I use http://www.domaintools.com/rev erse-ip/ which is a reverse lookup tool that can tell you every domain that is hosted on a server. Most likely if it's a shared account there could be as many as 600 or more domains hosted on that very same server which means some of them could be spam sites. DO YOUR HOMEWORK! If you don't you will end up spending tons of money only to find out you will never rank with the top players in your market!

Learn more about this author, SEOGURU.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about How to choose a hosting company for your website?
We want to hear your view. Write now!