Comments on: Google Webmaster Tools Geo Targeting – Great Idea, But…

By: Google Testing GWT Geotargeting – Wholesale Changes In Organic Geotargeting Coming? - Red Cardinal

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:47:36 +0000

[...] global sites to appear ‘local’ in Google country-level SERPs. I first wrote about the Geotargeting tool back in January [...]

By: Richard Hearne

Richard Hearne — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 02:03:52 +0000

Hi Kevin

It all depends on your site TBH. In general I’d probably go with sub-folders, unless your site has a lot of authority to pass to sub-domains.

Best of luck with it – I reckon you’ll get a good return on this if you get it right.

Best rgds, and thanks for dropping by again,
Richard

By: Kevin

Kevin — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:54:36 +0000

Hello Richard

Have decided to take the plunge on translating the site. The improvenment in UK SERP’s has given me the nudge.

Just wondered what you would recommend in terms of sub domains or sub folders. The site is being translated into German/Frech/ Italian/Spanish. Duplicate content shouldn’t be a problem.

By: Richard Hearne

Richard Hearne — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:40:28 +0000

Hi Kevin

Thanks for that. I’ve worked on a number of multi-territory sites now using this tool, and I’ve seen the results myself first-hand.

Just looking now, and it seems like I really should write up a post about how I’ve ued the tool, and some of the experiences I’ve had.

Rgds
Richard

By: Kevin

Kevin — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:29:12 +0000

Richard – Just for the record, have seen some good results using the GEO targeting tool. Has taken around 5 months.

By: glengara

glengara — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:20:45 +0000

Any news on that tutorial, Richard?

By: Cormac

Cormac — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 12:35:20 +0000

I’m very interested to hear your thoughts on how this tool can be correctly used.

There are going to be many concerns with duplicated content with the delivery of multi-language sites, especially those with user generated content.

Do you think Google are going to improve the manner in which they filter duplicated content and maybe provide a way for webmasters to select which is the preferred language of the content when accessed by a user from a specific country/IP/referrer/browser language..

By: mick

mick — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 17:40:20 +0000

true
Mick

By: Richard Hearne

Richard Hearne — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:13:52 +0000

@ David – I’ll pop up a detailed tutorial and tips post in the next few days.

@Roberto – if you want to discuss this off record please drop me a mail info [at] redcardinal dot ie. I’d be interested to hear more about this.

@Mick – this is a very fundamental change indeed. But I think it will affect multi-country sites more than small sites. But this is a good example of how things change a lot in the SEM world – what we discuss 2 months ago can become very irrelevant very quickly

By: mick

mick — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 13:21:20 +0000

ccTLD or server IP location to inform Google of your preferred country level index, now both of these requirements have become redundant.
you think this is really the case ?,once tool is working properly of course,seems complete turn around from debate we were having two months ago on the benifits of cctld and ip,
Mick

By: Roberto

Roberto — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 13:05:16 +0000

I tried it and swear that it damaged my site’s rankings. I would urge everyone NOT to use it. What’s also strange is that I can now no longer edit what I’d previously entered into this tool.

By: Richard Hearne

Richard Hearne — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 12:21:03 +0000

Hi Tom

Broken as in not having the desired effect. I’ve heard isolated reports of the tool working when you change the geo target of the root domain. But in my experience geo targeting either sub-domains or sub-folders has had zero effect.

There are also some reports of this damaging rankings, but these are very unconfirmed. I think the advice I’d give currently to anyone looking at using the tool is to ‘wait and see’. I’m sure they’ll crack it, but currently it’s not having the desired outcome at all.

Thanks for dropping by Tom
Rgds
Richard

By: David Behan

David Behan — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 11:24:05 +0000

I’d be interested in that tutorial alright. How will we know it safe to use it and that it is “fixed”? Hope it’s not long! I’ll keep an eye out for the tutorial. Thanks for the info.

By: Tom

Tom — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 10:37:28 +0000

Hmm – interesting stuff. Can you expand a little bit on how it’s broken? Does it flat out not work or are there just some issues? I was also very excited about the launch of this tool when it came out (as was any SEO outside of the US I think!) but I’ve yet to properly test it.

Do you think changing it while the tool is still ‘broken’ could have any negative impact? Catch me on email if you don’t want to chat here.

Tom