BUSTED
Hosting location affects rankings
TECHNICAL
LOW Impact
INTERMEDIATE
The Myth
"Server location directly impacts where your site ranks geographically."
The Truth
Server location is NOT a ranking factor. Google uses other signals for geo-targeting: ccTLDs, Search Console settings, language, and content. CDNs make physical server location largely irrelevant anyway. Hosting closer to users improves speed, which matters for UX, but the location itself doesn't affect rankings.
OFFICIAL
John Mueller, Google
Server location is not used for geo-targeting. Use Search Console settings.
OFFICIAL
We rely on other signals like ccTLD and Search Console for geo-targeting.
DInsight from @dejanseo
"Host where it makes sense for your business and latency. Don't move servers chasing rankings. Google doesn't care where your server lives."