Worth the trouble of switching to a local server?

[Van_Basten]

Basically my current server is Hostgator which is US based. My site and it's audience is based in the UK. I don't know of how reliable UK servers are so I never opted for one when I first started the site. I added CloudFlare to the site to speed it up a bit but is it worth just switching to a UK server to improve the user experience a bit? And for search engine rankings too (if this minor change will affect it that much).

 

[Van_Basten]

Extra info i forgot to put in: its a .com site. And i am targetting UK search engine results rather than international ones.

 

[CCarter]

Search Engines tend to favor hosting in the same country as you are targeting. There are also logistical benefits since the data does not have to travel as far in optimal situations.​

 

[User9364]

Extra info i forgot to put in: its a .com site. And i am targetting UK search engine results rather than international ones.

Yes, do it. Keep your .com.

Make sure your prospective UK host will put you on a UK IP. Ask them beforehand. A lot of UK hosts actually use datacenters in the US.

 

[AdamC]

A lot of UK hosts actually use datacenters in the US.

dont forget the EU which tbh are often better than UK for speed in the UK lol. Personally I opt for NL stuff.