why do we have google.com in the UK?

[imaginarynumber]

In the UK we have google.com and google.co.uk

One would think that the .com gives us the American version whereas the .co.uk gives us results with a UK slant and the abiltity to skew the results even more with the "show UK sites only" option. Atleast that is what i thought until I set up openVPN on a US server.

I now realise that the results for .com in the states and the UK are quite different. I guess that if you want to know how you site is doing globally in the google searches you need to have VPNs set up all over the world.

 

[jblz]

When visiting Google.com from the UK, it simply uses the geo-location of your IP address and redirects you to Google.co.uk. However, when browsing Google.co.uk, and you select 'The web' as opposed to just searching UK based sites it will STILL favor UK sites.

If you want to view the US version of Google from the UK without the use of a proxy or VPN, browse to google.com/ncr and it will show the same search results as the US (the ads still see you as from the UK). Google also personalizes search results based on previous searches (and who knows what else.. its common knowledge Google reads your email) so remember to logout of your account, clear your cache and cookies.

Before my last format I used a FF extension that allowed me to browse all Google country sites - but for best results USE A PROXY. I use worldproxy202.com but it seems to be down now.

 

[imaginarynumber]

Thanks for the google.com/ncr link. I guess you need to clear your cookies first as mine recognises my google acc cookies and redirects me to .co.uk .If one were running a google adwords acc they would still need to use a proxy or vpn in order to see how their ad is being displayed elsewhere.

Again though, why google.com? Why make customers think that they are looking at non skewed results (ads aside).

 

[jblz]

I always get redirected to .co.uk when browsing to the .com domain (not after the NCR link). Not sure why it doesn't redirect for you.. you stay logged in?

The 'pages from the UK' option makes it obvious where your at.

 

[FireFleur]

Have you tried going to http://www.google.us which redirects to http://www.google.com/webhp at the mo.

The .com is not meant for the USA .us is, though .com has been a little hijacked to relate to USA really it should be worldwide.

You might also want to add in the idea that Google is now returning results based on past searches, so that could relate across the different google front ends.

 

[bdw]

If you do a search in google.co.uk then change the .co.uk to com in the address bar I believe you get US results. I don't think there is any accurate way of doing this since Google's US results can be different regionally depending on what server is serving the results.

 

[imaginarynumber]

If you do a search in google.co.uk then change the .co.uk to com in the address bar I believe you get US results. I don't think there is any accurate way of doing this since Google's US results can be different regionally depending on what server is serving the results.

Hi BDW

You have illustrated my point. Google.com here in the UK does not give you the same results as google.com in the USA.

I do not know if the .com results vary from state to state in the USA as I only have one VPS openVPN acc.

Never-the-less my point remains that I do not understand why we are presented with a .co.uk that seems to offer non-skewed results (unless you click on the show UK only) but in reality is showing you regionalised results. When we go to the .com version the same applies.

I would like to know how I rank in the USA but from the UK I cannot do this unless I use a proxy or VPN. Google are happy to "help" to promote me by allowing me to have an adwords campain in the USA but is unwilling to show me where I would rank in search results in the USA.

 

[imaginarynumber]

The 'pages from the UK' option makes it obvious where your at.

Agreed but the .com doesn't- if anything I would have assumed that .com was serving up global or US based results

 

[FireFleur]

It is really just degrees, so if I am searching for something generic that may include something in a language other than English, then google.com is probably the best starting point. If I am searching to buy something in the UK then google.co.uk with uk only results is more appropriate, and the other combinations fall in between.

It is a feature of google, to play with the geographic elements more, and multiple visions exist for google being pushed by different groups so there is a crossover and the tailored search results will probably prove to be too strong at the moment, and will probably be tuned down over time.

 

[imaginarynumber]

If you want to view the US version of Google from the UK without the use of a proxy or VPN, browse to google.com/ncr and it will show the same search results as the US

I have just tried the No Country Redirect link in Chrome with history and cookies flushed and it still serves up the Uk results!!!

 

[imaginarynumber]

I must profess to being more than a tad suprised that this does not seem to bother anyone else.

The largest search engine in the world takes money from firms for location specific avertising but does not give those firms an opportunity to see the ads live or to see how neccessary the ads are in the first place.

Mea cupa- but until I opened a VPN acc I had assumed that google.com showed global (or US) results and that the country specific versions offered country specific results.

Further the fact that we have .com here just muddies the water even more.

For example when I search for my product

• Google.com (in the uk)my product is number 7
• google.co.uk (search the web) it is number 2
• google.co.uk (show uk sites) it is number 1
• google.com via my Dallas VPN it is page 4
• google.com via various US proxies returns pages 3 and 4

Unless i use a proxy or vpn to circumnavigate googles geocaching I have no way of knowing where to divert my ad revenues?!?!?



BTW

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/5977

if you want a firefox extension that allows you to specify USA UK AUS CANADA and IRELAND

 

[FireFleur]

Agreed it does make adwords harder if you are also taking into account organic SERPs.

But of course it works better for Google.

Adwords traffic tends to be more purchase concious though, so even having a high SERP it could still be worthwhile running an Adword campaign for the phrase.