Site having .com extension, Wants to promote it for Google.Co.UK

[austinwells]

Found my site got good positions in Google.co.uk, in fact my target region and audience is United States. I never had promoted this site for .co.uk. still its appearing. So I am planning target UK too.

I am confuse at its implementation level, what will be better options?
1.To make a separate section for UK i.e. http://www.sitename.com/UK/
2.Or to take / buy a different domain with .co.uk extension and start promote it from first.

My point of view first option, to make a /UK/ section to existing site is good. But again I am worried about creating a multiple page of same concepts and theme for /UK/ people will again harm site’s rankings.

Because I am providing financial services to US region, and same I am plan to cater for UK market. So my services will remain same. The only thing will change is URL.

E.g.
Currently the site has : http://www.sitename.com/finance/services.html

With the new /UK/ version it will become: http://www.sitename.com/UK/finance/services.html

It may harm my current rankings, because with new /UK/ section, I will going to create same content/concept page what I already has in my current site.

Please let me know what are your views on this?

[edited by: tedster at 3:38 pm (utc) on Aug 13, 2010]
[edit reason] make example URLs visible [/edit]

[tedster]

A couple of observations here:

1. Two URLs for essentially the same content does not create a "penalty" against the website. Instead, Google chooses which one to filter out for any particular query.

2. If you put content targeted for the UK in its own directory, you can register that directory in webmaster tools and target it to one country that differs from other parts of the site.

3. That targeting will give Google the big hint as to which URL to filter for which search user.

[austinwells]

Hi Tedster,

Thaank you very much for the reply. Well i have few questions for your suggestions.

here are they:
1. Two URLs for essentially the same content does not create a "penalty" against the website. Instead, Google chooses which one to filter out for any particular query.

Q : Well you mean if i create two URL for same services one is for US market and second one is for UK market does not have any adverse effect on my current rankings?

Again as you said Google will find himself which URLs to be filtered. It menas G will filter my URls so it wont then appear in SERP which is the basis requirements?

2. If you put content targeted for the UK in its own directory, you can register that directory in webmaster tools and target it to one country that differs from other parts of the site.

Q : You mean I will get registered in GWT with that directory URL i.e. www.mysite.com/UK/ and will than choose UK region for this site, so G will understand for which region this section been created? did you mean this?

3. That targeting will give Google the big hint as to which URL to filter for which search user.

Corret by subscribing with GWT with that directory URL will definately help G to identify for which this sections been promoted.

Well I am still confuse about the choice of promoting this section by making separate directory OR I sould go for buying a new domain and start it from scratch.

Please advice me.

Thanks

[tedster]

The answers to your questions are all "yes" - you have understood the points I made.

As to buying a .co.uk domain - that is a sure thing and probably the very best route to go. Either way you will need to market the UK content, acquire backlinks for it, etc.