Wed, 14 Mar 2007 08:00:56 by Matt Hopkins
When it comes to the regional versions of the search engines (e.g. Google.co.uk, Google.com.au, Yahoo7.com.au, etc), there are a few attributes that are taken into account relating to geography. Some of these include:
1. Does your site have a regional domain name – this usually signifies that you are targeting a more “local” audience? E.g. yourdomain.co.uk instead of yourdoman.com
2. The physical location of your site – where is it actually hosted? Even if you have a .co.uk domain name and your site is hosted in the USA (like many are), you will make it harder for yourself to get ranked in the regional – Google.co.uk – search engine. Be aware that there are many “hosting providers” in the UK who actual re-sell hosting from the USA and other countries.
3. What are the domain extensions and the physical/geographical location of the sites that link to you.If you are unsure about where your site is located, here are a handful of online tools to help you:
Simply enter your web site address and these sites will tell you where the IP address that you are using is registered and physically located.
Matt Hopkins Managing Director |