Google com or ca?

what should I be targetting? google regional searches.

[wheel]

I've just begun work on my first optimization campaign for a customer who's located in Canada. I've got a two part question about this.

Should I be targetting google.ca or .com? I guess that depends on where most of the Canadian traffic goes, but I don't know how to measure this.

Second related question is whether non-canadian links affect the .ca? It's possible we can get links to 'widgets canada' from widget sites in the US or UK etc. I'm assuming they will still help the google.ca rankings?

Third (ahem) :) how does Google identify canadian vs. american sites? My servers are in Canada but many of my customers are in the U.S. I'm concerned that Google is going to consider my American customers to be Canadian and am wondering about whether I should start hosting from locations in both countries.

[Skier]

I have run a site in Canada with .ca for several years. About 2/3 of our sales are to customers located outside of Canada. I can't say that I have experienced any problems arising from choosing .ca over .com

We enjoy decent SERPs whether we search from the .ca or the .com - doesn't seem to make any difference over the long term. When I tweak the site, the results end up doing the same thing on both.

Now, the fact that we are located in Canada is quite important to our customers, so we actually get some advantage in having Canadian "credentials". This may be the deciding factor for you. If being Canadian matters, then I'd suggest that the .ca is essential.

I have heard, and am inclined to believe, that the .com designation scores a few extra points with the US search engines.

I'm concerned that Google is going to consider my American customers to be Canadian

I don't understand...does it matter who they are?

[Rugles]

A .ca domain ranks just as well as a .com, all things being equal.
Outside of the search engines, you will pay a small price with American consumers who have a negative view of foreigners.
It has also been my experience that some Americans think that .ca comes from Califronia. I have heard this mistake on the phone many times with US customers.
Overall, if your customer wants to compete throughout North America, it is wiser to go with a .com. If they are targeting mostly Canadians, go with the .ca.