CDN for better SEO results 

We are constantly trying to improve the SEO of our websites. Better ranking means more visits, more clients, and a better future for the site. There are two sides to SEO – Off-page SEO and On-page SEO. Link-building, influencer marketing, brand mentions, social media marketing, and other activities count as Off-page SEO. When we talk about On-page SEO, we mean on-page factors like well-formatted articles, content, metadata, and site speed. However, there is something that most SEO agencies don’t do. We want to show you a particular, not-so-well-known method – creating a content delivery network (CDN). Yes, a CDN for better SEO results. 

What is a content delivery network (CDN)? 

A CDN is a network of servers that are strategically distributed around the world to deliver content more efficiently. Each of these servers is a PoP (Point of Presence) which contains a cache of data for the use of nearby users. Each of the caches is a copy of the data from the hosting. When a user makes a request, they will be redirected to the closest server that has the information, without wasting time reaching the original hosting. This is usually done by a load balancer. This reduces latency dramatically, and it also reduces the stress on the main hosting provider.  

This means the user gets the information from your site faster and from a closer source. 

Many companies like X, Meta, Netflix, and Amazon use CDNs to optimize their content delivery.  

Disclaimer: Google, Bing, Yandex, Baidu, and the rest of the search engines do not specify all the details that affect page ranking. Our conclusion is based on the publicly available resources, and statements from employees of the search engines. Based on them, site load speed is a ranking factor for most of them.  

The advantages of a CDN 

• Massive speed boost! Imagine a site hosted in the USA and it has a visitor from Japan. The route would be quite long if there was no CDN. The client might get frustrated and leave the site if it loads too slowly. With a CDN, they will be connected to the closest PoP which will be in the Asia region. The latency will be a lot less, not only for the first request but for all of the following requests.  

• Compress images and videos. A content delivery network uses different technologies to compress images and videos in order to provide a faster experience. It is not enough to be closer to the end users. You must lower the total size of the assets, so they load faster. Yes, the quality will suffer a bit, but it will be faster, and the users won’t notice the difference too much. 

• Better SEO! You know that the two most important factors for Google are speed and content. CDNs shorten the time and will help you rank higher in the search engine. We have seen multiple references from Google, in which the company says the loading speed does matter.  

• Load balancing. It will also reduce the load of your hosting. Your traffic will be divided. The effect depends on the number of PoPs you have and the location of your visitors. You can reduce the stress and have a more stable network.  

• Reduced bandwidth. Some web hosting companies have bandwidth limits that you can overcome with the CDN. If you have more servers, the traffic will be divided, and each server will get a fraction of the total traffic. 

• Reduce the open sessions to the main server. If you have a content delivery network with multiple servers, you will have fewer users connected to each of the servers. That will reduce the stress on your main server and help you avoid problems such as too many users at the same time.  

• Security. With most of the cloud-based CDNs, you will have DDoS protection. Your traffic will be protected, and you will suffer less downtime. DDoS attacks are very common, so additional server protection is a big plus.  

• Increase user retention. It is not guaranteed, but having a smoother and speedier experience can keep users for on your page for longer. Just think as a user: Will you be happier with a site that loads quickly and responds instantly, or will you prefer a slow and annoying site? It is logical to choose the better experience.  

CDNs for better SEO, best practices 

• Configure properly  

As you can imagine, if you don’t configure your CDN well, you can cause more problems, and they’ll outweigh the benefits. Be careful and configure your CDN correctly for maximum SEO results. You should set up the CDN to create cache content effectively and serve it to the closest users well.  

• Monitor and analyze the data 

CDNs will provide you with plenty of data about your network. Most of them will have active monitors that will feed you with constant new data. Analyze it and use the data to improve your business. See which servers are underutilized and direct more traffic to them, and reduce the stress of those. that work too much. Add or remove more servers depending on your network needs.  

• Avoid common mistakes 

Many people choose to use CDN for better SEO, but they overdo everything. Over-caching dynamic content can create more stress on your network and worse performance than creating a less frequent cache update process. Other problems can occur from the TLS configuration. If you don’t configure it correctly it can hurt the SEO results since Google really wants safe connections.  

Negative aspects of CDNs 

• Cost 

Of course, adding more servers to your network will cost additional money. CDNs for better SEO is a valid strategy that improves performance, but the price can vary, based on the provider, resources used, and services used. For content-orientated businesses like video providers, the costs can escalate quickly. 

• Hard to apply  

The implementation of a CDN is a technical challenge, no doubt about it. It could be especially challenging for small businesses without enough IT resources. The best thing you can do is to hire another company or specialists that know the topic well. That way, you can get the proper configuration of your traffic, caching processes, and CDN integration. 

• Support more servers  

By having a CDN, you will need to take care of more servers. You will have a network of distributed servers that you need to synchronize and maintain.  

How to start using a CDN?  

1. Choose a CDN provider. The first step is to select the right provider for you. Some of the more popular options are Cloudflare and Akamai. Check the prices, server locations, security measures, ease of configuration, and the support the companies provide. The size of your audience and the type of content of your site (static or dynamic) will be factors to consider too.  

2. Register. When you choose a provider, you will need to register. Create an account and choose the right plan for you based on your usage. It is good practice to have some overhead for your future expansion.  

3. Configure. After the purchase, you will need to configure your CDN to work with your site. Usually, you will need to manage your DNS settings to point your domain name to the CDN servers. For that purpose, you will need to configure your DNS load balancer. Another important thing to consider is your caches. Plan them and configure them accordingly. 

4. Optimize settings. Fine-tune your configuration. The provider will give you plenty of features which you can integrate with your site. Set up a file compression to reduce the size of the files, enable TLS encryption, start using DDoS protection, and use Web Application Firewalls. You will need to change the site’s URLs to point to the CDN. If you have dynamic content, you might need to work with your CDN provider to create specific cache handling. If you are using WordPress or another popular CMS, the process can be easier.  

5. Test the implementation. Of course, after configuring everything, you will need to test the setup. You should ensure that each process works correctly. Check different geographic regions using a VPN, to see if the whole network works correctly. Ensure you don’t have any blocked content or incorrect cached data. 

6. Monitor and optimize. We already mentioned it, but please take into consideration the data your monitor provides; you can learn a lot about your traffic and your users. This information can serve to optimise your network and your cache rules.  

7. Maintain. Maintaining is an ongoing task for every network. Check how your servers are working, update what is needed, and keep your configurations in order. 

Conclusion 

The effects of using a CDN – Geo DNS or Traffic Director (the most popular names of CDN products) – on the SEO ranking will be visible. Yes, a content delivery network costs extra, and yes, it might be a bit complicated at first to use, but it is totally worth it. It is a perfect choice for global websites, e-commerce, and everybody who wants to deliver content quickly and reliably.  

Now, if you already have an e-commerce site, why don’t you try one of these free ERPs? You don’t know what an ERP is? Go ahead and read about it.