Comments on: The Curious Case Of Google’s Bizarre UK Search Results http://searchengineland.com/the-curious-case-of-googles-bizarre-uk-search-results-22598 Search Engine Land: News On Search Engines, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) & Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:39:57 -0500 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Gavin Smith Leeds http://searchengineland.com/the-curious-case-of-googles-bizarre-uk-search-results-22598/comment-page-1#comment-6784 Gavin Smith Leeds Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:30:01 +0000 http://searchengineland.com/?p=22598#comment-6784 @Bas You hit the nail on the head. @Bas You hit the nail on the head.

]]> By: Bas van den Beld http://searchengineland.com/the-curious-case-of-googles-bizarre-uk-search-results-22598/comment-page-1#comment-6783 Bas van den Beld Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:08:38 +0000 http://searchengineland.com/?p=22598#comment-6783 Just to make clear: the problem is NOT that .com sites appear in the UK SERPS. As long as they are relevant. What you see now is that results from other countries rank high on terms which are not relevant to searches, keeping in mind where the searcher is located. If Cutts says it's ok that .com results will show up in UK SERPS he is therefore right, but he keeps out the local aspect of relevancy. When located in London and searching for a restaurant to go out to dinner, nobody will want results which tell you to go and eat on the other side of the world. And that is what is happening here. Just to make clear: the problem is NOT that .com sites appear in the UK SERPS. As long as they are relevant.

What you see now is that results from other countries rank high on terms which are not relevant to searches, keeping in mind where the searcher is located.

If Cutts says it’s ok that .com results will show up in UK SERPS he is therefore right, but he keeps out the local aspect of relevancy.

When located in London and searching for a restaurant to go out to dinner, nobody will want results which tell you to go and eat on the other side of the world. And that is what is happening here.

]]> By: mcdermc http://searchengineland.com/the-curious-case-of-googles-bizarre-uk-search-results-22598/comment-page-1#comment-6782 mcdermc Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:28:12 +0000 http://searchengineland.com/?p=22598#comment-6782 We're UK based with a long established dot com address that's always managed to feature well in SERPs from the UK et al. With reference to the current shenanigans, haven't noticed and 'foreign language' sites appearing in the keyphrase-lounge where we hang out. By contrast some of you may recall a couple of years back when us UK based dot com sites were complaining to Google about NOT being listed at all for several months. We’re UK based with a long established dot com address that’s always managed to feature well in SERPs from the UK et al. With reference to the current shenanigans, haven’t noticed and ‘foreign language’ sites appearing in the keyphrase-lounge where we hang out.

By contrast some of you may recall a couple of years back when us UK based dot com sites were complaining to Google about NOT being listed at all for several months.

]]> By: nickstamoulis http://searchengineland.com/the-curious-case-of-googles-bizarre-uk-search-results-22598/comment-page-1#comment-6777 nickstamoulis Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:41:55 +0000 http://searchengineland.com/?p=22598#comment-6777 This is very interesting, I have not experienced any issues (for US local clients) but I will be sure to keep an eye on this if any of the SERPs get mixed up... This is very interesting, I have not experienced any issues (for US local clients) but I will be sure to keep an eye on this if any of the SERPs get mixed up…

]]> By: Gavin Smith Leeds http://searchengineland.com/the-curious-case-of-googles-bizarre-uk-search-results-22598/comment-page-1#comment-6766 Gavin Smith Leeds Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:46:17 +0000 http://searchengineland.com/?p=22598#comment-6766 I think this issue has become hugely confused by what Matt Cutt's said in his video. The issue around the UK SERPs has and never will be about the TLD, afterall .com is a neutral TLD that has been used by British Companies for a very long time. I have no issue with .com domains ranking in the UK as they always have done, as long as they are relevant to this country. The issues we are now facing is that since June, 8 foreign language sites started showing up in the top 150 results for casino related terms, and if I search for 'Discount Mens Aftershave' I get 5 results in the first 2 pages from countries half way around the world(.co.za/.com.au). How is a site relevant to me if they won't offer their services/products to me or I can't understand the language the site is written in? I could sit here all day reeling off examples of how the UK SERPs have broken over the last few months. The point is that the UK is Googles 2nd largest market and their search results are hideously below the standard we were seeing only a few months ago. I think this issue has become hugely confused by what Matt Cutt’s said in his video.

The issue around the UK SERPs has and never will be about the TLD, afterall .com is a neutral TLD that has been used by British Companies for a very long time.

I have no issue with .com domains ranking in the UK as they always have done, as long as they are relevant to this country.

The issues we are now facing is that since June, 8 foreign language sites started showing up in the top 150 results for casino related terms, and if I search for ‘Discount Mens Aftershave’ I get 5 results in the first 2 pages from countries half way around the world(.co.za/.com.au).

How is a site relevant to me if they won’t offer their services/products to me or I can’t understand the language the site is written in?

I could sit here all day reeling off examples of how the UK SERPs have broken over the last few months.

The point is that the UK is Googles 2nd largest market and their search results are hideously below the standard we were seeing only a few months ago.

]]> By: Bas van den Beld http://searchengineland.com/the-curious-case-of-googles-bizarre-uk-search-results-22598/comment-page-1#comment-6762 Bas van den Beld Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:21:47 +0000 http://searchengineland.com/?p=22598#comment-6762 @simons1321 that is what Matt Cutts seems to be saying, but isn't it all about relevancy when you search? And why then a .co.uk site different from the .com? @simons1321 that is what Matt Cutts seems to be saying, but isn’t it all about relevancy when you search? And why then a .co.uk site different from the .com?

]]> By: simons1321 http://searchengineland.com/the-curious-case-of-googles-bizarre-uk-search-results-22598/comment-page-1#comment-6759 simons1321 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:07:59 +0000 http://searchengineland.com/?p=22598#comment-6759 maybe search "the web" now means search the world... and "pages from the UK" means..... pages from the UK? maybe search “the web” now means search the world… and “pages from the UK” means….. pages from the UK?

]]> By: elchenuk http://searchengineland.com/the-curious-case-of-googles-bizarre-uk-search-results-22598/comment-page-1#comment-6756 elchenuk Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:45:22 +0000 http://searchengineland.com/?p=22598#comment-6756 I don't think this issue is unique to Google, I have tried similar searches on Bing and Yahoo! In Bing I did a search for 'dining out' and in the top five results I got a result from Australia, one from the US and one from South Africa. The SERPs improved when I ticked the box for 'only results from the UK'. For Yahoo! the second result was from South Africa, again when I ticked the 'Uk' radio button SERPs did improve but there were still a few results from US. I don’t think this issue is unique to Google, I have tried similar searches on Bing and Yahoo!
In Bing I did a search for ‘dining out’ and in the top five results I got a result from Australia, one from the US and one from South Africa. The SERPs improved when I ticked the box for ‘only results from the UK’.
For Yahoo! the second result was from South Africa, again when I ticked the ‘Uk’ radio button SERPs did improve but there were still a few results from US.

]]> By: Bas van den Beld http://searchengineland.com/the-curious-case-of-googles-bizarre-uk-search-results-22598/comment-page-1#comment-6754 Bas van den Beld Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:16:48 +0000 http://searchengineland.com/?p=22598#comment-6754 @bluelightseo, yes it's an older example. I'm just trying to show the picture of what I'm talking about and what kind of results seem strange. @creativelog isn't that the entire meaning of the google.co.uk site? If you are in the UK and want to search for US Kent you would probably go to the google.com site I presume? @bluelightseo, yes it’s an older example. I’m just trying to show the picture of what I’m talking about and what kind of results seem strange.

@creativelog isn’t that the entire meaning of the google.co.uk site? If you are in the UK and want to search for US Kent you would probably go to the google.com site I presume?

]]> By: KerryDye http://searchengineland.com/the-curious-case-of-googles-bizarre-uk-search-results-22598/comment-page-1#comment-6753 KerryDye Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:11:32 +0000 http://searchengineland.com/?p=22598#comment-6753 @creativecog - if I as a UK user want to search for things in Kent, Seattle, I would put that qualification into my search term. The same would apply to you if you were interested in the opposite case. Appending UK to the end of a search term is something that UK users have been glad to ditch since they switched from AltaVista to Google! It was a major reason that users over here were quick to switch and the reason why Google has a 85%+ search share in the UK. @creativecog – if I as a UK user want to search for things in Kent, Seattle, I would put that qualification into my search term. The same would apply to you if you were interested in the opposite case. Appending UK to the end of a search term is something that UK users have been glad to ditch since they switched from AltaVista to Google! It was a major reason that users over here were quick to switch and the reason why Google has a 85%+ search share in the UK.

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