Google's Illyes Clarifies Impact of Web Hosting Change on SEO

Changing web hosts involves several technical steps, particularly if the site is a regular WordPress site. For WordPress sites, migration can be simplified using plugins. Manual migration involves familiarity with administering a website database using tools like phpMyAdmin and knowing how to use SFTP software. Gary Illyes refers to doing it 'by the book', which includes a comprehensive set of steps that can be overwhelming for those who haven't done it before.

According to Google's Gary Illyes, changing web hosting should not have negative effects on a website's rankings in Google's search results if done correctly. This means ensuring the website remains resolvable and that actual downtime is minimal during the migration process.

Gary Illyes mentioned two critical factors to consider when changing web hosting to prevent negative SEO impact:

1. Website Domain Resolves: Ensuring that the domain name correctly translates to an IP address that matches the new hosting location. This involves updating the Name Servers (NS) and Address Record (A Record) at the domain name registrar.
2. Downtime Is Minimal: Keeping the website's downtime to a minimum during the transition. A website can recover from being down for weeks without permanently losing rankings, provided that when it comes back online, everything is the same as before.