Should I put my website on a web hosting server located in my country?

There can be different reasons for hosting your website on a server located in your country.

• It's a country specific domain name.
• Web hosting is cheaper in your country.
• You feel managing the website would be easier.
• Your prospective website caters to people from your country and you feel that it will load faster if it's located there.
• You think your website would rank higher if it is located in your country.
• You feel it's better if your website is in the same (or similar) time zone.

Let me first lay my cards on the table. I've been hosting websites (websites for both clients and myself) since 1999 and have had experience with servers located in the United Kingdom, the Unites States, Australia, Spain and India so my advice is based on what I have encountered over these years.

Location of the web host determines which country the website belongs to

The location of the web hosting server determines the country to which the website belongs. Several search engines, Google included, assign a country to a website based on where it is hosted.

So if you have a country specific domain name or want to rank high on local search engines, you can put your website on a web host located in your country. By the bye, servers in the United States (and elsewhere too) can host country specific domain names. Though its debatable, a country specific domain name hosted in the same country can lead to better rankings in local search engines. At least it seems pretty logical, doesn't it?

Price issues when hosting locally

If web hosting is cheaper in your country, go for it. However, before you decide on the web host, be sure to ask around or read reviews on the web. Do not try to pick up the cheapest web host but rather one that provides good service and you can come to know of this by reading that company reviews on the web or in magazines.

Ease of managing a website

I don't think managing a website located in your country is easier than managing one abroad. It's the same! However, if you feel that it is easier to approach the support and technical staff, over a local phone, for example, I would suggest that you host it locally. This is especially true for beginners; getting quick support and troubleshooting for your website will always be of great help when you are just starting out.

Website loading time

How quickly a website loads depends on several factors including the net connection of the web server and that of the client (visitor). If all factors are constant, I don't think there would not be any substantial difference in loading speeds for a website hosted locally and one hosted in another country, esp. if most of the visitors use broadband Internet connections.

Website hosting and local search engines - understanding website visitor profiles

If most of your prospective visitors are from your country, should you load your website locally? The answer is actually, in direct. It is speculated that certain local search engines might be giving a ranking boost to websites located in the same country. If so, and because your prospects are from your homeland, you should host the website locally. This would definitely be a good idea if most of your countrymen use local search engines, for example, using google.co.uk instead of google.com.

Finally, I am not sure why you would like to host a website in your country simply because it's in the same time zone. If that makes you happy, go ahead.