If the host is located near you, when your visitors download content from your website it will be delivered faster to them than if the host was located interstate or overseas. However, many hosting companies in fact resell hosting solutions from other companies - these other companies could be located elsewhere, and although you think you're getting service from a local company, you are in fact receiving it from somewhere else. Fortunately, there is a way to find out if the host you are thinking about choosing is located near you.

Assuming that the host's own website is hosted on the same servers that they provide to their customers (which is almost always the case, however can't be relied upon 100%), you can find out the IP address of their website and using that, the exact city in which they are located. Once you have the IP address (which you can obtain by "pinging" their website), you can enter it into a program called NeoTrace, which will tell you the city they are located in. You will have access to local technical support when you need it With all technology these days, something is always bound to go wrong. Web site hosting is no different, and when you notice that something is wrong with your site or e-mail, you need it fixed quickly.