The abbreviation CDN stands for ‘Content Delivery Network’. This network can be seen as a network full of servers, with which you can make your website even faster. If you have a CDN, the website will load on the correct server. What the right server is depends on the location of your visitor.
The digital systems are getting smarter. In our view, the Content Delivery Network is a clear example of this. This network scans the location of the visitor, as it were, after which the server is tuned to this. This not only benefits your website, but also the surfing behavior of the visitor. The visitor is undoubtedly happy with the speed of your website. Thanks to CDN!
Content Delivery Network
You can think of a Content Delivery Network as a global network of servers. These servers work together and are able to deliver the right content.
Within this network, the so-called Points of Presence play a crucial role. These are the servers that function within this network and are located all over the world. Does a visitor from Los Angeles come to your website? Then this network ensures that one of the servers near Los Angeles is addressed.
Is your visitor ‘just’ from the Netherlands? Then one of the Points of Presence in our country is chosen. This happens completely automatically, so that you basically do not have to worry about anything.
Within this network, a CDN provider also plays a crucial role. What the role of the CDN providers is exactly, we would like to discuss below.
CDN providers
Would you like to use a CDN? Then you would have to sign up for this with a CDN provider. Through this provider you then get access to this worldwide network full of servers.
Have you found a suitable CDN provider? Then you can use the Points of Presence via this provider. As we have already described above, this is all automatic.
The choice for a CDN provider is of course important. For example, not all CDN providers have the same number of Points of Presence. We advise you to invest in a good CDN provider. Especially if you have an international website, a good CDN provider will give you a lot.
How exactly do the CDN providers work? For that it is good to look at the Points of Presence and the caching servers. Via the Points of Presence, the right server for your visitor is automatically loaded. For this purpose, the relevant ‘node’ uses the caching servers. These are special servers that store all static content of your website.
Static content includes stylesheets, images, HTML pages and scripts. All these components are stored on the caching servers, so that they can be distributed directly. All over the globe to be precise!
Does a visitor end up on your website? Then the CDN provider looks at the location of the visitor; the provider can see this reflected in, for example, the IP address. Based on this location, the CDN provider immediately looks for the best server. That is the best server near the visitor. By addressing a server away from the visitor, your website is lightning fast. Terrific!
The benefits of a CDN
Is it advisable to use the Content Delivery Network directly? This depends very much on the type of website. Do you have a small website entirely in Dutch? Then the chance is small that visitors from India, South Africa and America will come to your website. For such a website, you should not need a Delivery Content Network.
However, do you have an international website? Then a CDN comes in handy all too well. For such an international website, a CDN brings many advantages:
- Lightning-fast website: no matter where your visitors are, they enjoy a lightning-fast website.
- Better rankings within Google: a CDN also has a positive influence on the value of your website within Google. By using such a network, you can possibly obtain higher rankings within Google.
- Lower bounce rate: by using a CDN, you create a lower bounce rate. This gives your website even more value and you can also score more orders. All in all, it can be said that a CDN benefits the conversion of your website.
The disadvantages of a CDN
Of course, a CDN also brings some disadvantages:
- Not suitable for all websites: as we have already indicated above, a CDN is not suitable for all websites. Only if you have a lot of international visitors, a Content Delivery Network can be interesting.
- Quite pricey: A Content Delivery Network can be quite pricey. This is also because a CDN complements your current web hosting in. So you have to pay for both the web hosting and the CDN.
Conclusion
Do you have an international website? Then a CDN may be exactly what you are looking for. If you would like more information about this, please feel free to contact us.
Would you like us to arrange everything related to a CDN for you? We are only too happy to do that for you. We choose the right CDN provider, we set the CDN as desired and we let you benefit from all the advantages. Does this sound like music to your ears? Contact us directly to discuss all the possibilities!
