When is Google.co.uk Not Google.co.uk?
March 10, 2008
When it’s Google.com that’s when.
What am I talking about? Well in the UK we have slight Google issue, namely we don’t know which one we should be using. Around 17% of Brits use Google.com when searching for a UK based website. Nothing wrong with that, except the small fact that it doesn’t return the same results as when you search the same phrase in Google.co.uk.
hmmm! A small geo targeting issue methinks and one that Google should get ironed out as soon as possible. It makes life that wee bit harder for us UK based search agencies.
Let me explain.
.com domains are international domains, not US domains (sorry America). The US does have its own domain .US but it’s a bit crummy and not many people like to use, unless its creatively - delicio.us anybody?
That means that many UK companies own .com domains and have them set to target the UK in their Google webmaster console. If we want to search for American websites we should be using Google.us no?
This is confusing for our searchers who are led by brand name. Not only that but browsers likeFirefox come with the search bar configured to Google.com
Come on Google sort this out now! It’s hard enough for our UK businesses to succeed on the search engines without our cousins across the pond muddying the waters with irrelevant results. A simple redirect is all it takes to retain quality and consistent UK search results.
When was the last time you felt like taking your dog to the vet in Michigan as opposed to the vets around the corner? Slackers.
EDIT: As I published this I realised that google.com is now redirecting to google.co.uk when typed directly into the address bar - the problem still remains when you use the IE or Firefox search bar, which most of us do.
No Follow Tag & Internal Linking
January 21, 2008
I still see confusion regarding the no following of internal links all over the web. Well let me clear this up in this very small post. Straight from the lips of Matt Cutts, courtesy of Rand at SEOmoz, you’ll find the definitive answer right here.
Below The Fold - Naughty or Good Sense?
January 21, 2008
Michael Grey recently posted on how Match.com had introduced some static content below the fold. If you read the post you will notice that Michael has listed this under the Gray Hat SEO category, giving away his feelings for this particular method of on page optimisation.
I agree with Michael that the copyright symbol kind of signifies the end of a web page but this is no hard and fast rule and this is easily rectified. With that put to one side, I really cannot see what Match.com have done that could trigger a penalty in Google.
Websites have to be visitor centred, clear and easy to use and Match.com is no different. It looks like any other site of its kind, visually appealing with an easy login system. This section of the web page is immediately visible to the user upon entry to the website. Makes perfect sense to me so far.
In order to create relevancy to their topic, they needed to add some static content to the homepage. They chose to add content below the fold, they didn’t hide it in any way, shape or form and it is relevent to both users and search engines alike. What exactly is the problem here? Is Michael suggesting that Google will now penalise you for your usable, accessible web design with relevant content?
Highly unlikely in my book. Sometimes the SEO world forgets there is also a web design world out there, one where the user takes first priority.
Keyword Research Application for iPhone
November 21, 2007
I was one of the people that bought an iPhone on the day of launch in the UK and i have to say, i’m in love with it!
I’m not going to go on and on about how much i love it’s shapely curves, it’s classical elegance and it’s completely scratch proof screen (ahem!). Instead i’m going to share with you a little application i knocked together.
Keyword research for iPhone is here! hoorah!
I tried this out with a client just yesterday and they were completely amazed by it (some people eh?)
If you want to use our Keyword Research Tool for iPhone, simply point your iPhone browser to www.uberhype.co.uk/iphone - don’t forget to bookmark it for easy access.
By no means a feat of technical excellence, but it makes my life just that little bit easier. 
If you like it, share the news!
META description
November 19, 2007
When you are greeted with a page of search results on Google, the
You have the ability to control that excerpt of text for your own listing through the use of
- If you are a market leader, tell them so
- If you have a special offer on, advertise it here
- Are you unique? tell people why
- Are you a local company, tell them where you are
- Do you offer next day or free delivery? It’s a huge selling point, get it in there.
Consider those companies that run Pay per Click ads. They have very limited space in which to sell their product or service. Many pay vast sums to professional marketers who are experts in writing short sales ads.
You don’t have the same constraints. Sell your features and benefits for all they are worth. Makes sure every page of your website has a unique