Google's dirty little secret
... and how it can make or break your search engine traffic
Most traffic to websites nowadays comes through search engines. In Europe, this means mostly Google. However, Google segments their traffic based on location. Not only on location of the surfer, but also on location of the website.
I've done some observations, while surfing on a Belgian computer (my location is in Belgium).
Observation 1
Go to: www.google.be.
Search for ‘webdesign’.
Look at the top-5 results.
You'll notice that, while surfing on a Belgian computer, on the Belgian Google site, you'll get results that are all Belgian companies.
Observation 2
Go to: www.google.nl.
Search for 'webdesign'.
Look at the top-5 results.
You'll notice that, while surfing on a Belgian computer, on the Dutch Google site, the results are sites in Dutch, and are both Belgian and Dutch sites.
Observation 3
Go to: www.google.com.
You might have to use a proxy: www.proxify.com, as Google redirects you to the Google-site of your own country.
Search for 'webdesign'.
Look at the top-5 results.
You'll notice that, when Google thinks you're on an 'American' computer (through the proxy), the results are international sites.
So Google determines the location of the surfer, probably based on the IP-address of the computer, and serves results based on that location.
This means that, somehow, Google must classify sites too, based on their location. If a Belgian surfer gets Belgian sites as a result, Google must know which sites are Belgian.
How does Google localize sites?
Sites can not be localized by Google based on TLD (Top Level Domain). You'll notice that the Netlash website is classified as a Belgian site, despite its .com TLD.
I would doubt very much that Google classifies sites based on their meta-information. This information is controlled by the webmasters, and as the meta-keyword case shows, can and will be abused.
My conclusion is: just like the way Google determines the location of the surfer (by IP-address), it determines the location of a website by the IP-address of the server.
Why should I care?
If you would like search engine traffic from a specific location or country... you better make sure that the IP-address of your server is located in that country!
Case study
I have a case study to strengthen my theory.
Consider this (existing) site: www.-------.nl.
It's a Dutch site, written in Dutch, with a Dutch TLD (.nl). Traffic comes 95% from Google. The bulk of the visitors are Dutch, with a small minority of Belgian visitors. The server is located in Amsterdam.
Due to circumstances, the server was moved from Amsterdam (The Netherlands) to Brussels (Belgium). All other parameters were unchanged.
Result of the move: all Dutch traffic disappeared, while the small Belgian traffic remained.
My conclusion
Location of your website's server can make or break your search engine traffic. Especially if you're depending on local traffic.
PS: this is a useful tool to compare different country-versions of Google.
(This article is a transcription of a speach given on Barcamp. You can download the Powerpoint presentation of 5.9 Mb.)
If you found this article interesting, maybe you can digg this.
Dit artikel gaat over: google - seo - zoekmachine-optimalisatie - localisation - barcampbrussels.
Google's dirty little secret werd geschreven
door Bart op 24-09-2006 (600 dagen geleden) - Share!
Reacties:
Re: Google's dirty little secret
Interesting, but that's a really stupid way of doing it. I mean I could have a site hosted on a German ip address, but my site could be written entirely in Arabic and if google used this ip system, then it would wrongly show my site to those looking for German specific content.
Watch_TV_Online ☺ , 24-09-2006 (600 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
Strange!
NPower.nl , 24-09-2006 (599 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
real nice info.
Thats why I always say "google knows it all"
Rahul Gupta , 24-09-2006 (599 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
Great Nice story
Cettinad , 24-09-2006 (599 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
Nice info you have there. Google really does know it all lol.
Dave
David Dunn , 24-09-2006 (599 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
I think that its based more on website content, then your ip adress. If you use google in german, you will get german results, if you use google in dutch you will get dutch results.
chris , 24-09-2006 (599 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
What's so "dirty" about this? If I'm looking for something and I'm in Germany, then I want sites from Germany. Giving me sites in Australia would not be the most relavent. This is what search results are supposed to do... Give you sites relative to you and your search terms!
Your title wins the "Pull my Finger Award". Here... Pull my finger...
berberrama , 24-09-2006 (599 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
With regards to
"Go to: www.google.com.
You might have to use a proxy: www.proxify.com, as Google redirects you to the Google-site of your own country."
try www.google.com/ncr
it doesn't redirect to your local google site.
Cheers
CBAR
www.crellbar.com
CBAR , 24-09-2006 (599 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
why is this such a dirty secret? it was never really announced by google and because hosting bandwidth in some smaller countries is stupidly expensive and hosting within that country is just not possible
someone , 24-09-2006 (599 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
Good Info, things like this does help understand and fine tune a lot....in way this highlight some DUMB qualities of Google like blindly following the IP of the server.....
----
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Mehul Patel
Experience Designer Mobile Content, drop by at: http://wap.mozomo.com
Free downloads for all users, No tricks, we love Gandhi and Mandela both!
We could possibly love you too if you visit Mozomo right NOW :)
Mehul Patel , 24-09-2006 (599 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
May be right to an extent in that google looks at the TLD while serving the results but I don't think the location of the server matters.
Startups.in/India , 24-09-2006 (599 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
While losing the Dutch traffic sucked, I'm sure, I think that returning results you are most likely able to read is a "good thing".
If I were searching for essays on the "Unbearable Lightness of Being" and the first 50 results from Google were in Russian or Chinese, I'd go to Yahoo or Alloftheweb or some other search engine that would return results I could read.
Have you tried emailing anyone at Google about this? I'm sure if you have logs to back up yuur argument, they would lend a sympathetic ear. I'm really curious what they tell you to see if they really mean all of that "no evil" or if it's all bullshit.
Phil McClure , 24-09-2006 (599 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
Yeah I have also noticed this. When trying to determine how 'searchable' my site is, I find it comes up much better from google.co.uk than google.com.
Sometimes though it seems completely random, on one search my result might be the top one then repeating the same search it isnt there at all.
Spreadsheet , 24-09-2006 (599 dagen geleden)
I thought it was common knowledge...
Really I did believe it was common knowledge - well the amount of digg's proves me wrong - at least most SEO's know it.
Regarding getting the Google.com results. Ever noticed the 'Google.com in English' link in the bottom right at a localized Google home page..?
But be aware that even though you're at google.com you still get localized results. You do need to go through a non-transparent proxy with an ip from the country you want to see the results for...
Stefan Juhl , 24-09-2006 (599 dagen geleden)
And I forgot to mention the main other factors
A local Tld does the job too - and makes the IP unimportant. But where your links come from also is a factor. Having only links from sites which are determined to be US to a local Tld website would make the site rank higher for US searches than the local searches.
So you could also just have a .com hosted in the US but with most links from NL sites, and that would do the job for getting good rankings for NL searches.
Stefan Juhl , 24-09-2006 (599 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
Like Stefan above said, this really is common knowledge to SEO's. Google factors in a lot of things to determine when to show a certain website in the results. TLD , server-location, site language, ...
I can understand Google preference for websites which are actually hosted at the location they target because of server responce time etc. But , in this age of broadband, this shouldn't be an issue (anymore) and local results should depend on language, not location of the server.
Bart Noppen , 25-09-2006 (599 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
Well you can sellect from preferences :
Search only for pages written in these language(s) :
English
and Display Language English too...
then Save...
Refresh the page and you will see a secret menu..
SafeSearch Filtering
Google's SafeSearch blocks web pages containing explicit sexual content from appearing in search results.
Use strict filtering (Filter both explicit text and explicit images)
Use moderate filtering (Filter explicit images only - default behavior)
Do not filter my search results.
Try , Do not filter my search results.
And search again ;)
Greets,
Fallen
Fallen , 25-09-2006 (599 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
I systematically use google.com instead of google.be. And I don't have to use a proxy. How? Use the Google Toolbar, and choose google.com in the preferences.
And by the way, localization of the site is done by TLD *and* IP address, not by IP only. So a .be hosted in the US is considered to be Belgian, just as a .com hosted in Belgium.
Luc Van Braekel , 25-09-2006 (599 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
I didn't realize that Google was a force of regional segregation. I just don't see this as something that would be useful to most people. Language is important, if you speak one but not another, but region, or the location of a site with information relevant to your search is only relevent in a very small number of cases, like when ordering a pizza.
Greg Banville , 25-09-2006 (599 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
Nice.
manickam , 25-09-2006 (599 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
"...localization of the site is done by TLD *and* IP address, not by IP only. So a .be hosted in the US is considered to be Belgian, just as a .com hosted in Belgium."
Now, that might might be true.
Startups.in/India , 25-09-2006 (599 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
My site www.onlinearcade.ws is in the u.s. and gets mostly u.s. traffic even tho the ext. is .ws
zack , 25-09-2006 (599 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
knappe observatie!
Ilse , 25-09-2006 (599 dagen geleden)
duh
als je voortaan nog eens een test doet, zou je misschien beter eens eerst een engels woordenboek aanschaffen.. "webdesign" bestaat namelijk niet in het engels, maar moet zijn "web design", in twee woorden.
Het enige wat je gevonden hebt zijn dus krakkemikkige spellingen. Wat je test dus zo goed als waardeloos maakt. Daar komt nog bovenop dat een theorie opzetten gebaseerd op één enkele zoekterm ook nogal bijzonder onprofessioneel is.
don , 25-09-2006 (599 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
I had an idea they do this. I just never thaught it would make such a massive impact
eConsultant , 25-09-2006 (599 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
Actually, this behaviour is by design and official: http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2006/08/how-search-results-may-differ-based-on.html
+ http://sitemaps.blogspot.com/2006/07/tips-for-non-us-sites.html
JohnM , 25-09-2006 (599 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
No kidding...thats been known for years....2006 I'd like to meet 2003.
Surge , 25-09-2006 (598 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
Comon guys, stop it...
Google is pure of any kind of Evil.
Tal , 26-09-2006 (598 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
It's about time people discover google ranks sites based on very poor values. Pitty for those companies (like Netlash) who build their bussines on the way google works.
FE , 27-09-2006 (597 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
I tried as mentioned in the article, but did not work for me.
sree , 27-09-2006 (597 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
I always suspected this. I sell books which are purchased in the following ratio:
America : 60%
Saudi: 20%
India: 10%
Others: 10%
Visitors are in the ratio:
America : 30%
India: 60%
Others: 10%
When i do a google search on the keywords : develop accounting using vb or asp or sql server the site is listed on top. However, (this is where
i think i am loosing out), i think, google is sending more visitors from India rather than from other countries. BTW: the site is in English (american!). Wondering whether i should relocate the site.
Krishna , 27-09-2006 (597 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
Thank you for your article. There were times I wanted to target a certain country with my product, yet I was subtly directed to the Google.com US segments instead. If found this annoying - your article confirms what I've felt was happening. I not only have a .com site, but also promote a .ws site as well. I want to know how these search engines function in order to best use them.
Eunice , 27-09-2006 (597 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
First of all, this is not a secret. Anyone with any sense would realise there results have been localised. Secondly, while Google redirects you to a more local version of their page, they provide a link for you to return to the main Google if you like (if you missed it, it's the "Go to Google.com" link).
Secondly, there is nothing dirty about Google's implementation here. It is provided as a convenience for the user - and convenient it is. I often need to search for Australian/UK/American/Japanese pages, and that Google automatically refines it's results according to the nationality of the Google you use is most helpful.
Clay , 27-09-2006 (597 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
I hate the Google redirect, I am a Canadian living in Thailand and it's really annoying! Google just keeps taking me back to Google.co.th
Bruno , 27-09-2006 (597 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
ya...i agree with u ..BUT THIS IS NOT DIRTY...!!!
dockanth , 27-09-2006 (597 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
Sign of things to come. Google wants to build their own internet backbone and offer free wireless client access so they can control the localization more effectively. This isn't a secret, it's just that some pieces have to be in place before others.
Consider this, phase 1 :)
Kris , 27-09-2006 (596 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
Im pretty sure its common knowledge but adding something like "site:be" on your query bypasses this.
Hitt , 06-10-2006 (587 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
hellloooo
holly , 17-10-2006 (577 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
Dit is inderdaad al jaren zo, alleen weet ik niet hoe je hier nu het beste mee om kunt gaan. Mijn bedrijf verkoopt huizen in Thailand, maar onze klanten komen voornamelijk uit het buitenland, maar soms ook weer buitenlanders die in Thailand wonen. Dus wat is nou het beste, hosten in Thailand of hosten in de V.S. Daar komt nog bij dat het internet in Thailand dramatisch is en Thais gehoste websites vanuit het buitenland regelmatig slecht bereikbaar kunnen zijn.... lastig
Arthur , 04-11-2006 (559 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
jessica , 28-11-2006 (535 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
Excellent, I had a feeling this was going to happen, that is why I have purchased local hosting for our content serving the english speaking countries we serve, as we want to deliver localised content.
Paul , 01-12-2006 (532 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
That is interesting. Does yahoo and msn do the same thing?
George Henderson , 22-03-2007 (421 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
This is quite true n kool.....I wonder if anyone has seen http://IndyChai.com
??
Mehul Patel , 28-03-2007 (415 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
I guess it's not that important, althought, it does that even when searching with my locale (google.ca) against Google.com the results still are different. It is useful if your looking for a company that is near you, if you searched for "automotive repair" and you were in Canada but got a bunch of US sites.
To answer Mr. Hendersen's guestion, yes, I have searched for webdesin in Live and Yahoo using Canada and US search and they have different results.
Travis , 29-04-2007 (382 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
Well what really sucks is that there are countries in the middle east where they disable 'google images' for whatever reason. SO if you are trying to find a picture for research or a picture of your favorite car this is the message you end up with-Network Error (dns_unresolved_hostname)
Your requested host "images.google.com.om" could not be resolved by DNS.
For assistance, contact your network support team.
webby , 22-06-2007 (328 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
I have noticed this too, while using proxies at school. I am in the states and my school district blocks almost everything, unless you use a proxy. I hate some of the search results from the Thaiwan google.
nevermind1534 , 13-03-2008 (64 dagen geleden)
Re: Google's dirty little secret
Google's little dirty secret? Nou, mooi geformuleerd!
MSN hacken , 16-03-2008 (60 dagen geleden)
