If you’re a Canadian blogger or blogger wannabe, it pays to go the Canadian web hosting route. Well … it doesn’t literally pay, but it appears to be much to your benefit to “go Canuck” when it comes to hosting.
Canadians like .ca
Canadian consumers like to support Canadian websites. According to the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, or CIRA, 77 per cent prefer to support Canadian over non-Canadian businesses, and 64 per cent think Canadian businesses should bear the .CA suffix.
Unlike with .COM, the use of .CA domains is restricted to Canadian citizens with legitimate Canadian residency (i.e., a Canadian address). This prevents the .CA pool from becoming Canadian-but-not-really-Canadian.
Privacy and data handling
The cyber security landscape is shifting. According to the Ponemon Institute’s 2017 State of Endpoint Security Risk Report, over half of companies experienced one or more successful cyber-attacks that compromised data and/or infrastructure, with almost 80 per cent of those attacks utilizing exploits or fileless techniques.
Canadian bloggers going with Canadian web hosting have the assurance that in Canada, the use and application of personal data is heavily regulated, protecting sensitive and personal information for both individuals and businesses.
In contrast to Canada’s strong privacy laws (including PIPEDA), the US Patriot Act gives American government and law enforcement agencies the power to search data retained by service providers. In this area, then, a .CA domain makes you more secure.
Better SEO … Better access
The Google and search engine optimization (SEO) game is not a game at all but a question of who works hardest and who is most trustworthy. More than ever, high ranking is given to websites whose owners have paid their dues in time and sweat. There is much less chance now than even a few years ago that you will magically uncover a shortcut to Google ranking success.
Tied to hard work is the trust factor: how much Google does or doesn’t trust you. To establish trust with Google (remember that you don’t have any to begin with), hard work and time are the two big keys. What also helps as a Canadian business is using a .CA domain. Google will be more likely to assume your business is directly relevant to Canadians if it bears the .CA suffix.
According to one study, a significant percentage (43 per cent) of Google search queries are done using Google’s local search engine; the percentage of local mobile searches is even higher. Such being the case, ranking higher on Google.ca (using a .CA domain) can give you a boost in ranking and traffic, which ultimately can only help your business.
Consider HostPapa
Are you a Canadian blogger looking for a better all-around hosting situation? Or perhaps you’re at the point of just thinking about starting a blog. Whatever the case, you’d do very well to look at HostPapa — an established, proven Canadian web hosting company that through the years has earned a platinum reputation for reliability, technical expertise, security, and customer support.
Visit HostPapa today to find out more.
