5 replies to this topic

[ddzc]

Hi all,

I have a site which ranks higher in Canada .ca than U.S .us. All SEO was performed on .com, net, etc sites. I don't have any links coming in from .ca sites. I'm wondering how Google ranks according to Country? Why it's ranking higher in Canada compared to U.S?

Thanks

[Jill]

Have you read our pinned thread in the International SEM Issues Forum where I'm moving this one?

[ddzc]

I just read it. Here is the odd thing...

I'm listed 3 spots higher in Canada in comparison to the U.S. My hosting server is located in Texas (U.S). I've had people search for my keywords in the U.S and Canada and the results are the exact same as I'm experiencing. Most of my traffic is still from the U.S (5x more than Canadian traffic). My content isn't geographically targeted...theirs nothing Canadian on my site. None of my links are from .ca or u.s sites (if that makes a difference). My domain is .com.

Any explanation on how and why it's still listed higher in Canada?

[Randy]

3 spots isn't much. That falls well into the normal deviation. Normal when searching from the same computer at different times of the day. Let alone searching from different computers or computers in different locations.

[ddzc]

Hi Randy. I want to attempt to move up those few spots in the U.S b/c of the increase in traffic. It's a crucial 3 spots (site is #4 in us and #1 in canada). I want to attempt some SEO and try to bring it up in the U.S without reflecting the Canadian ranking.

I checked my Webmaster Tools for my site, and I don't have anything checked for "Geographic target". I'm a bit worried now to check this option under United States, just in case my Canadian ranking drops...kind of like a gamble? Has anyone ever experienced anything like this when enabling this option in webmaster tools? I would hate for the U.S ranking to stay the same and the Canadian one to go away completely or drop.

[Randy]

Here's the thing about targeting the US marketplace ddzc, something which is bad for people trying to target the US market specifically, but good for SEOs trying to learn to compete globally.

As a general rule the US market is not treated quite the same way as other ccTLD markets. Meaning it is, again as a general rule, anywhere from a little bit more competitive to a lot more competitive. Not only are there typically more US based competitors, but you're really competing against Worldwide/Global marketers. At least when you're not geo targeting a specific region, state or city within the US.

So what it comes down to is some of your competitors are not getting the boost you get in Canada. But when you step outside of Canada to target the US market you're actually competing more Globally.

Is this fair to those wanting to specifically target the US marketplace as a whole? No. But by the same token it tends to make US marketers better, if for no other reason that they end up competing on a more Global scale all the time.

It's not really that you're getting dinged for being from Canada. It just that you're competing on a more level playing field with all sites targeting your phrases. So they're not being disadvantaged for US or Global searches like they are in the Canadian market.

Bottom line, if you're not trying to geo target a specific region within the US you should think globally when you want to target the US as a whole. Because that's who you're actually competing with.