I have a new client that has an established website selling products in the UK to the UK market. They currently host with a UK host (i think - not sure actually as they use a DNS service) and i want to move them over to my US based server. They use a .com domain name and i know through experience that a .com in the US will mean they will not get indexed into the google UK index. There current position is XX number of pages in the "pages from the web" index, but only X pages in "pages from the UK". I'm guessing that must mean that they are seen as a UK site by google, otherwise they would have 0 results in the UK index? I have heard that you can get the .co.uk and do a 320 redirect to the .com. Is this the best way to go? I must avoid duplicate penalties etc at all cost! TIA
The best way to go would to be to keep them on a UK server. Why do you have to host in the us? Moving the main site to a US server would get the site deindexed in the UK SERPS. You can host a .co.uk domain on a UK server and redirect, by why bother? You'll also have the problem of none of your internal pages showing in the UK SERPS as these will be indexed in .com
Thanks for your replies Well i have a dedicated over in the US - couldn't afford the same spec over here! If they had a .co.uk then it would be fine hosting in the US. I have loads of personal sites targeted at the UK (using a .co.uk) that appear just fine in the UK google index, despite being hosted in the US. Mmm...doesn't look like there is any other solution than to host in the UK really in this case. The strange thing is though that there are so fewer pages in the UK index as it stands. Like is said, i'm not even sure the site is hosted in the UK...as there is a DNS service being used. Can a DNS service hosted in the UK make google think that the site is in the UK? Or does it go on the actual server geolocation?
I believe google geo targets the IP address of the host rather than the DNS server. Hosting the site within the Uk will give it a boost within the UK serps as well backlinks from sites based within the uk.
Instead of 302 Redierct, you can use Parking for redierction of .co.uk site to the .com site. It is safe bacause it is hendled at domain hosting level.
Check the geographic location of the domain, http://www.whois.sc Look under the geographic IP location, this should be what Google sees. It 'may' be the case that it's a UK company that is reselling from a US based host.
It's still possible to end up in the UK index. I'd move the site to a UK server and your client should see a decent increase in targeted UK traffic and sales. 1&1 have some decent deals on both virtual and dedicated hosting, just as cheap as any US host.
Thanks Matt, but i will never g back to 1&1 for hosting...i need managed...and they took 2 days to get back to me once on a dedicated server support request and the staff on the tech supt phoneline were secetaries!! </rant> Anyway, i could move their site, although in it's current state (they have supplemental results etc, and lots of duplicate pages by the looks of it) i may as well recommend starting over with a new .co.uk domain!
If it's got dupe content clean it up and sumbit a reinclusion request to google if there's any penalties. Get hold of the .co.uk and 301 redirect it to the .com on a UK host. This will be quicker than starting out again.
Nice one Matt, i shall look into cheap UK hosting for just this site..shame as i could do with keeping everything on the one US host :/
Use positive-internet.com they are very good UK hosts and cheap too if you have a big site. Never host a UK site in the US.