Complete Guide to Content Delivery Networks

Latest update: July 16, 2024

A content delivery network (CDN) places files in different locations so that the person using your webpage can receive the nearest copy of it faster.

If you are considering a CDN, this page will help you by showing the steps required and defining the terms used, which can be confusing. No matter what content delivery company you are looking into, this page will give you a more in-depth look to help you make an informed decision.

What is a CDN?

A CDN (content delivery network) is a network of servers located in different parts of a country or the globe that stores files to be used by your website visitors.

The reason they exist is because there is a measurable amount of latency (waiting time) for a website user who is visiting a page that is hosted thousands of miles away. There are also routing issues that can occur when a user is seeing such a webpage. If someone in New York is using a webpage that is hosted in Los Angeles, they are seeing a slower version of that webpage due to the above-mentioned routing issues and the sheer distance the files have to travel.

By having your files on several servers across a geographical area, you can make sure the user is loading files that are near them, not all the way across the country or ocean.

Does Your Site Need a CDN?

Content delivery networks are part of an overall website strategy, but they are not a first step to take when improving your site. It is important to ensure you are doing all the things you can before taking on the cost and complication of a content delivery network.

Priorities for Most Websites:

1. Make your site amazing for your users
2. Improve the pagespeed of your site
3. Make your site mobile-friendly
4. Decide if a CDN can further help

Sites That Benefit from a CDN:

• Sites streaming large video files
• Sites mainly consisting of large media files like image sites
• Sites with known heavy traffic in different countries

Sites That Rarely Need a CDN:

• Local business sites (restaurants, beauty parlors, etc.)
• Sites with main traffic in one geographic area or region

Why Are CDNs Becoming So Popular?

The main reason many businesses and webmasters are now using CDNs is that Google has started using pagespeed as a ranking factor. Content delivery networks provide a faster experience for users, which leads to happier users who buy more things and click more ads. Another reason for CDN use is the explosion of tablet and mobile users who depend on speed more than desktop users who have more stable internet connections.

CDNs are becoming a default part of a webmaster’s toolkit, and even if you don’t get one now, you will probably have to do so later.

How Much Do They Cost?

Just like virtually every web service offered, there are all levels of costs for content delivery networks, ranging from free to thousands of dollars.

Content Delivery Network Companies

Some of the more known and reputable CDN companies:

• Cloudflare (has free option)
• Fastly
• Amazon CloudFront
• Akamai
• StackPath
• KeyCDN

How Hard Are They to Set Up?

Any content delivery network you use requires some steps that can be frustrating. It isn’t a five-minute task (even if they say it is). I would dedicate a couple of hours specifically to set yourself up and get things going. The time will be spent learning new terminology, checking things, and making sure your content is set up correctly.

Do I Need a CDN if My Customers Are Only in One Country?

The quick answer is yes, especially if you are in a large country like the United States. The longer answer is that if your country is very small, and you are sure you only need to communicate with people in your country, then you might not need one. America is a good example of a large country where CDNs offer qualitative improvements to page speed, while Liechtenstein (a country with only 70 square miles) is an example of a small country.

How Do You Set a CDN Up?

1. Sign Up for a Service:
   • Choose a CDN provider that suits your needs and create an account.
2. Know What Files You Are Using:
   • Identify the files (images, CSS, JavaScript) you want to serve through the CDN.
3. Get Your Files to the CDN Servers:
   • Upload the files to the CDN. Some providers offer automatic setups for CMSs like WordPress.
4. Decide on How to Name Your URLs (CNAME):
   • Use a custom CNAME to create user-friendly URLs (e.g., cdn.example.com instead of a long, complex URL).
5. Ensure Your Webpages Are Calling the Right Files:
   • Update your website to use the CDN-hosted files. This can often be automated with caching plugins in CMSs.
6. Testing:
   • Use tools like webpagetest.org to test your site from different locations and ensure everything is working correctly.

What About SEO?

When you start hearing about file name changes, it might worry you about your SEO (search engine optimization). Reputable CDNs have good solutions for any common SEO problems.

This Sounds Complicated!

It might sound complicated, but it’s similar to when you first worked with a web host. It was probably confusing at first, but now you know how to log in to your host, change file names, etc., with no problem. Much like a new host, a CDN requires some learning when setting it up, but the good news is that once it is set up, there won’t be much else you will need to do. The initial setup is the main task. If this still sounds too complicated, make sure to use a CDN that helps you with the process.