How does a content delivery network reduce the distance between website visitors and the website server?

A content delivery network (CDN) reduces the distance between website visitors and the website server primarily by storing content in geographically distributed locations around the world. This means that rather than having a single website server located in one place, a CDN replicates and caches web content across multiple servers strategically placed in various locations.

When a visitor makes a request for content, the CDN serves that request from the nearest server to the user, significantly minimizing latency and improving load times. This localized delivery allows users to access content more quickly, as the data does not have to travel as far across the internet compared to when it retrieves data from a far-off origin server. As a result, users experience faster page loads, improved website performance, and an overall better user experience.

The other options, while related to server performance or connectivity, do not accurately describe how a CDN operates in terms of reducing distance. Simply moving the server physically closer is not practical or necessary with CDN technology, and increasing bandwidth or utilizing faster connections may enhance performance but do not specifically target the geographic distance issue.