49 replies to this topic

[MakeMeTop]

Google UK does it ever so slightly.

In the days when I ranked well for search engine optimisation (before they started intermixing it with the "z" version). I sometimes would rank #1 on .com - but never on .co.uk for UK searches where I would have thought it would have been easier. The highest I could get was #3 - yet I would be #1 if I searched on worldwide searches on the .co.uk Google.

Reason? After testing on other searches, I put it down to having the .co.uk in the US.

However, this was a pretty miniscule penalty and would only show up in highly competitive areas.

[digitalpoint]

If Digital Point say the server is in the USA, and your hosting company say it is in the UK, I know which one I would believe over the tother.

I say it's in the USA dammit! hehe j/k

My website locator tool goes right to the source of the IP address netblock owner (hosting companies don't always own their own IP addresses). An easy to use tool to check where the IP address of any site is registered (not only country but address, etc.) is the one at Net Craft:

http://uptime.netcra...igitalpoint.com

Change the host in the URL to be whatever address you want to check. On the right side, you will see the netblock owner, which you can click on to get the details.

- Shawn

[nedguy]

Thanks MMT

Small differences I can cope with. I don't mind losing the odd place to my competitors as long as I'm on the same page .... well, first page.

Right now I'm still struggling to recover from Gladys. (Florida was good for me, but Gladys really screwed me), so it's the big differences I'm concerned with!

Nedguy

[bkernst]

If your target market is very much regional based, then you should use a domain for your country. Here in South Africa there are some search engines that only accept the submission of a domain if it ends with .za (examples: .co.za, .org.za, .ac.za)
If your target market is international, then a .com is fine, but international clients would normally be interested in your actual physical location.

Bernhard

[SmellieNellie]

Thanks for the feedback - OWG thanks for yours I did get it.

It seems that some people think there is slight penalisation within Google UK if the hosting server is outside of the UK but others think there is only slight penalisation if you are looking at results through MSN and it is a site with a non-uk domain.

Smellie

[MakeMeTop]

MSN is totally different. It uses geo-targetting on the basis of perceived location of the site and type of search phrase used. No sites are filtered out - but local TLDs will get a boost.

[GeordieSEO]

The digital point tools seems a little inaccurate.

AFAIK our virtual server is in Manchester but checking the digital point says the US.

I also checked 2 sites on a server I know is physically based here in the NorthEast of England but both come up as being in the US.

[digitalpoint]

Well if the tool I made thinks the IP address is outside the US, Google will also. The registered owner of the IP address seems to be out of Texas (assuming it's the site in your signature):

http://ws.arin.net/c...ut=66.98.136.34

There is no way to track the TRUE physical location of any IP address, because IP addresses are virtual and can be put anywhere via a router/gateway. So you are only able to detect as far as the registered owner of the IP address. So your servers may be physically in the UK, but the IP addresses that those servers use are registered to the US.

- Shawn

[Randy]

I would concur with Shawn.

Plus, I'm 99% sure that EV1/Rackshack doesn't have any servers physically located outside of Texas.

[SmellieNellie]

[QUOTE]



But what Geordie seems to be saying is that it is irrelevent where the server is based, it goes on where the country that the IP that is registered to. So, Server could be UK based, but if the registered owner of the IP address is in the US then that is the country of residence as far as these tools are concerned.

Am I understanding this right?

[OldWelshGuy]

That's right Nellie, the 'physical' location is the location that the IP block is pgysically located in the eyes of the system. Many UK companies use US IP blocks like skynetweb etc. This 'physically' places the server in the US regardless of where the actual server is.

[digitalpoint]

And more importantly than the "tools", it places those sites physically in the US as far as Google is concerned.

- Shawn

[SmellieNellie]

Got it!

[SmellieNellie]

Following on from this - I have another question.

When I look at my stats, the vast majority of the traffic is categorised as US Commercial (over 70%), with only 4% being UK Traffic. But, does the same apply as has been discussed? Is some of the traffic actually UK traffic but because their IP addresses are resident outside of the UK, they will not show up as UK Traffic?

thanks.

[MakeMeTop]

Is some of the traffic actually UK traffic but because their IP addresses are resident outside of the UK, they will not show up as UK Traffic?

Correct! For example, all AOL users in the UK will show up as US visitors. I show up as a visitor from Germany - even though I use BTInternet.

These visitor figures based on IP are (for people in Europe) pretty much worthless!