Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2003 8:36 am Post subject: SBI for Country Specific Site
Hi all -- I'd like to build a themed based content site but it will be highly specific to the country I live in. I've used SBI with great success before but not in this way. Wondering if I could ask a few Qs...
To attract UK surfers am I better off registering .co.uk rather than .com or would a URL like www.greatinfoUK.com be a better idea? Does using sbi in this way negate the use of the supply and demand data retrieved by the sbi manager?
The manager uses US based search engines (I assume) to retrieve demand and supply data. To overcome this I used the search term suggestion tool at Overture's UK site and took the demand figures from that and plugged them into the manager manually. I left the supply data the same because I still have to compete with US sites for rankings. Am I thinking right?
Finally, if I go to say google and search only for UK sites what criteria does it use to retrieve sites based in the UK? Would the fact that sbi is hosted with a company in Canada/US pose a problem?
Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2003 11:30 am Post subject: Re: SBI for Country Specific Site
Hello Phil.
Excellent post... not least because I'd like to know these answers myself!
pip wrote:
To attract UK surfers am I better off registering .co.uk rather than .com or would a URL like www.greatinfoUK.com be a better idea?
pip wrote:
if I go to say google and search only for UK sites what criteria does it use to retrieve sites based in the UK? Would the fact that sbi is hosted with a company in Canada/US pose a problem?
I read in another forum (from someone who's post I highly respect) that Google.co.uk only indexes a site if at least one of the following criteria is met...
the site ends in .co.uk
the site is hosted on a UK-based server.
If this is indeed true, a UK registered company, hosting widegtsUK.com on a "foreign" server would not be indexed. Surely this doesn't seem right?
Can anyone help clarify?
pip wrote:
The manager uses US based search engines (I assume) to retrieve demand and supply data.
Yes.
pip wrote:
To overcome this I used the search term suggestion tool at Overture's UK site and took the demand figures from that and plugged them into the manager manually. I left the supply data the same because I still have to compete with US sites for rankings. Am I thinking right?
I think you're right to use the UK demand figures, but I'm not sure about the supply data, for reasons already mentioned.
I would have thought UK supply figures, too.
What do others think?
Cheers,
Charlie. _________________ "Before I speak, I have something important to say."
- Groucho Marx
This is the most thorough resource I have found for dealing with making your site country specific - arguments towards and against the process, and when it really matters. The subject is too vast to cover in a post or two.
There may be another forum at webmasterworld that deals specifically with the UK, the one I listed above is for Europe in general. Just look around a bit... there is some really great info.
Quote:
The manager uses US based search engines (I assume) to retrieve demand and supply data.
Mostly yes, but I do know that the upcoming Super Brainstormer will also work with European search terms as well, I don't know the details, but this will be interesting.
Phil, country specific searches also happen when the searcher (say in Google) specifically chooses to search on say, "only Italian pages", but most search the entire web.
Your digging up of keywords in Overture is fine, IMO. The bottom line is that around 80% of the SE traffic will come to you from Google (if not more). Simply optimize for the keywords that work for you, all the other stuff doesn't seem to make a big difference (hosting, domain suffix, etc.).
Check out that link above though, if you want some details on these arguments.
I'm pretty sure that's where my original (second hand) info came from.
Timothy Warnock wrote:
The subject is too vast to cover in a post or two.
This is often the problem with SEO questions. Although I'm a great believer in opinions(!), I sometimes think SEO is the exception that proves the rule. The scope for misinformation in this area is huge, no matter how well-intentioned the adviser.
I sometimes think this forum would be better without a SEO section at all, but just a list of top quality sources people could target directly.
Timothy Warnock wrote:
I do know that the upcoming Super Brainstormer will also work with European search terms as well, I don't know the details, but this will be interesting.
That does indeed sound interesting...
I just wish SiteSell would share more info with us when it comes to forthcoming releases. They drive me mad in this area. How is anyone supposed to plan for the future, if everything is just a string of never-ending surprises - at least to those of us not privileged to have insider information.
Cheers,
Charlie. _________________ "Before I speak, I have something important to say."
- Groucho Marx
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Your host: Allan Gardyne. Earning a good living from affiliate
programs since 1998.
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Private Messages
Log in
