MSN.com versus MSN.co.uk

Why are the results so wildly different?

[AnonyMouse]

The same keyphrase on the two sites produces wildly different results. What are the thoughts on this?

[DaveN]

geo targetting

DaveN

[AnonyMouse]

Hmm, that would need more explanation.

A search for a competitive phrase including a location results in different sets of results, but all relevant to the same location. I.e. different competitors, same product, same place!

The only geo-related factor that I could imagine in this instance is where the various competitor's servers are located. So if you are serving from the US, you get better placements on the .com, and if from the UK you get better placements on the co.uk.

[DaveN]

i is geo ... they do very odd things at msn

[harry_wales]

You'll get the same if you try Google COM and Google UK - which makes sense really...

[andy_boyd]

AnonyMouse ... no offense but when DaveN says it's geo targeting then it is geo-targeting. :)

[AnonyMouse]

No offence taken, but "geo-targetting" can mean all manner of things! I'm unclear as to what was meant by the reply, unless it is as I wrote above i.e. if you search in the USA you get results from sites on USA-hosted servers, and if you search from the UK then you get results from sites hosted in the UK.

Is that what is meant by geo-targetting?

[DaveN]

Kinda ... think that msn.co.uk is biased to uk websites and is you come from the the UK it's even more biased ..

DaveN

[Receptional]

Hiya AnonyMouse! :)

Your handle says you are in Barcelona. What Geotargeting means is that potentially MSN knows you are in Barcelona before you start your search. So - if you search MSN.co.uk from Barcelona, your results could be different than if you searched them from the UK.

It is all a conspiracy to stop SEOs from living in the sun of course.

Dixon :)

[AnonyMouse]

Heh heh! They'll have to work harder than that to keep me out of the sun!