Location of the server affects the speed
If the server is located closer, you can expect faster data transfer speed. That means, your website will load quicker if the server is located closer to you. Generally, visitors don’t like to wait long until a website gets loaded. If a website takes more than 3 seconds to load, your visitors will likely leave your site without looking at what you have to offer.
If you are a website owner, you should be smart in selecting a server location. You should first do some research and learn about the geographical location of your customer base. Then, you should ask your hosting provider if it is possible to assign your website a server located within that location. For instance, if you are targeting a clientele in Canada, your preference should be a server located in Canada no matter where you are actually based in.
Server location matters in terms of privacy
As a website owner, you should know that different countries deploy different rules and regulations with regards to information security. In some countries, they allow specific authorities to access their servers and monitor the information related to websites they host.
If you know the location of the server, you can learn the laws entertained in the respective region and decide if the server is suitable for your purpose. For instance, if your server is located inside Canada, you can go through The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) to learn more about the Canadian Privacy Policy. Likewise, different countries have different acts related to your data stored in their servers. But none of these Acts become useful if you don’t know the exact location of the server.
I hope this information will be useful to you!
Mark Wilson
