.com versus local domains
-
Hi all,
One of my clients has local domain websites in various parts of the world (co.uk etc. etc.) and there has always been a discussion about where a move from local domain (the current set-up) to a targeted .com domain (i.e. .com/uk) would benefit from a SEO perspective.
The main reasoning (seo-wise) that keeps coming up is that there'd only be one domain to link to which would help with link juice being passed around. Any thoughts as whether this would actually be the case or if this possible benefit would be outweighed by other cons?
Recent moves (local to .com) from a few websites (the Guardian newspaper in the UK being the most recent one off the top of my head) has made me start thinking about it again!
Diana
-
This is very much a question we have been considering for one of our sites and I very much agree with Chammy, that it is very much a resource issue. If you have the resource to provide unique content for each separate domain, build links, do social activity for each one then local domains are perhaps the way to go.
For us, trying to maintain multiple domains would have been too labor intensive and we found that consolidating all our activity into one global .com site has had a positive benefit in that there has been an upturn in overall search traffic, likely caused by consolidation of all the ranking factors to one domain.
-
Hi Diana
I went through this same discussion with a client of mine. Only the other way round - ie should he go to local domains rather than the .com that he has. I did a lot of research and came up with the conclusion that local domains are great IF you have lots of local resource to support the site - for local content, local links, etc. If the resource is there then the main benefit is that people in each country often favour visiting sites with a country domain.
Otherwise, If the resource is not there then you are better off with a .com domain where the focus can go towards building overall authority for just 1 site rather than many - as you say, it helps with the link juice. Languages can be placed in subfolders (/de/ etc) and that way Google will know to return the correct version in the country Google version.
Hope that helps - good luck
-
I don't think consolidation is the best path. I would take a close look at this article from Google's guidelines, and pay particular attention to their recommendations for ccTLDs and geotargeting settings in WMT.
-
Where do you want to get most of your traffic from? If it's from the say the UK i'd say you should go with the .co.uk domain (plus you can redirect the .com to any visitors can still find you better).
Obviously there is a bit of a set up involved but I think you gain access to those local searches which can help. Still worth researching all options
Best of luck what ever you go with.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
If domain mapping subfolders to TLD's is it perceived as a fully separate entity/site therafter ?
Hi I take it once you have domain mapped a country specific subfolder to a country specific TLD (for better local region targeting reasons) Google perceives it as a completely separate entity and it no longer shares any of the parent sites domain benefits (such as domain authority etc) so from that point on requires its own dedicated link building etc ? All Best Dan
International SEO | | Dan-Lawrence0 -
When searching for example.com, only example.co.uk is showing up. Why?
Hi there, I have a quick question, when looking for our client's domain name in Google (Google.it, Google.co.uk and Google.com), we search for example.com, but the first (and only) search result showing is example.co.uk (which redirects then to example.com) Why is the co.uk domain showing instead of the com domain where we are redirecting to? I don't assume that this is any form of penalisation? Thanks!
International SEO | | Gabriele_Layoutweb0 -
Linking Between Domains
My company has a main xxx.com website and geo-specific subsites - xxx.co.uk, xxx.es, etc... We link to each of the subsites from the menu, however it also makes sense from a content perspective to link between the sites on internal pages. However, in this video Matt Cutts seems to discourage this - http://searchengineland.com/googles-matt-cutts-linking-20-domains-together-likely-a-cross-linking-scheme-167089 Do you think its worthwhile to keep the inter-site linking to just the menu or okay (or even helpful) to link between the different sites.
International SEO | | theLotter0 -
Targeting an Specific Country Audience - Domain Q
Hiya everyone! I know this might entail a novice SEO question, but i am having some doubts. Hope you can give your opinions. Its kind of technical question regarding domain and country targeting. I have a Steel Construction company targeting only the audience of the particular country. Last year, i bought the targeted domains for my brand (company name), as in domain.country specific TLD, Should i use these domains, redirect them, or something? Would that help?. I currently use domain.com, but i am constantly being beaten down by websites with domain specific with overly thin content, no PA or DA, and 0 links to their site. Should i use my country specific domains, would that make a difference? Note: I also run some marketing campaigns for charitable foundation i started, and i used country specific domain and server, and with little effort i ranked top 3 in most of the desired terms. Any help or comment is appreciated, Thanks!
International SEO | | JesusD0 -
Delaying Redirection - Possible loss of Domain Authority?
Hey guys, I was hoping somebody might be help with my current dilema. We have a international website due to go live soon which has changed its brand name. The organisation whom we are working for want to leave the old site live for around 6 months after the new site goes live. The reason for keeping the site live is for users to be able to access many of the resources which will not be transferred over in time for when the new site goes live.The plan is to have a message on old site letting visitors know we have moved site. I'm concerned about this approach in terms of loosing some of the domain authority if the sites bounce rate starts increase due to people clicking over to the new site. Then in 6 months time when we finally redirect to the new site we might loose out on some of the domain authority. Is this something to be concerned about?The site currently has PR of 7 and Domain Authority score of 70.Cheers,Rob
International SEO | | daracreative0 -
Any tips for optimization at the local level in Australia?
We only have P.O. boxes in Australia, but that will probably not work because of the rules. How do I infiltrate in the Australian market at local level- for the main cities? Note: We already have some pages on our website dedicated to Australia.
International SEO | | SCLTeamShip
Example: key phrase+Australia Thank you.0 -
Is it necessary to choose local server?
Our business was in US and planed to start new business in UK. From our research, *****.co.uk domain get higher ranking in google.co.uk. So, we choose domain *****.co.uk. We can set up target area in Google Webmaster tool. Is it necessary to choose local server in UK? Thank you in advance! Leo
International SEO | | LeoWu0 -
International SEO with .com & ccTLD in the same language
I've watched http://www.seomoz.org/blog/intern... and read some other posts here. Most seem to focus on whether to use ccTLD, subdomains or subfolders. I'm already committed to expanding my US-based ecommerce to Canada with a .ca ccTLD. My question is around duplicate content as I take my .com USA ecommerce business to canada with a second site on a .ca URL. With the .com site's preference set to USA, and the .ca site's geo preference (automatically) set to Canada, is it a concern at all? About 80% of the content would be the same. FYI, .com ranks OK in Canada now and I want .ca to outrank it in Canada. I know 'localizing' content within the same language is important (independent of duplicate content), but this might not be viable in the short run given CMS limitations. Any direct experience to help quantify the impact here between US and Canadian ecommerce? Adding: I'm not totally confident here. From this google webmaster central post it seems that canonical tags aren't needed. I tend to think nothing is truly neutral and want to be confident regarding whether to use canonicals or not. Is it helpful, harmful or harmless? My site already has internal canonical tags and having internal and external would be a pain I think. @Eugene Byun used it successfully, but would the results have been the same without? Thanks!
International SEO | | gravityseo0