Google.com Redirects to Google.co.uk

how will that effect you?

[DaveN]

Ok Looks like Google finally flicked the switch, all UK IP address are know been redirected to the CO.UK..

How will this effect you and what happen when the default is pages for the UK.

Is it Good or Bad for business?

DaveN

[sem4u]

I can still get to Google.com but if it were to switch it would benefit my sites (if more people selected pages from the UK).

[mcavill]

personally I find it annoying when any site does this - I don't think it'll affect my traffic too much as most users are US based - if I wanted to use .co.uk I'd type it in :p

[DaveN]

you can still use the "no country redirect" tag to fire the .com cookie.

DaveN

[Alternative Future]

>>you can still use the "no country redirect" tag to fire the .com cookie

How do we do that Dave

TIA,

-George

[mcavill]

I think if they default it to only search UK pages it would be bad for traffic on my .com sites, but I guess the .co.uk's would get more traffic - if that were to be the case people will just end up building virtually duplicate sites using the different country extensions.

no country redirect

is that something that needs to be added to the G cookie - I can't see it in the preferences.

[DaveN]

[google.com...] try that i should trigger the cookie

DaveN

[piskie]

So how do they expect me to check SERPs on google.com and compare with "search the web on "google.co.uk

Come on GoogleGuy why are you forcing us into accessing Google by Proxy and other "Black Arts"

[piskie]

Thanks Dave.

[TheWhippinpost]

Don't forget it'll probably render any desktop research tools you use as useless now too!

[IanTurner]

This was not the response I expected. I thought that everyone would be thinking this is great for traffic. More people using the .co.uk and selecting UK search has to be better for any decent UK SEO.

I certainly can't think of any way this is going to be bad for me.

[lloyd]

If you are a UK site with only a .com domain and not .co.uk you could be screwed. As on Yahoo.co.uk (from personal experience).

I think that this shouldn't be the case on Google. If you are a UK site and you only have a .com domain, got to ensure that the domain is with a UK server and not hosted elsewhere therefore ensuring you shouldn't have any difficulties.

[Iguana]

That explains why referrers from google.co.uk overtook yahoo.com yesterday for my sites.

I agree that this should be good for UK sites because more people will select the uk only option.

The problem is with 1&1 customers (like me) with .com sites - geolocated in Germany. I shall email their support now and move to a different host if I don't get a satisfactory answer.

[scottyman]

What does it mean...

It means having UK IP hosting for .com web sites is even more important than before.

It also brings European SEO more into the fray, with more "in my language" searches likely to be conducted.

[mack]

For a searcher it is good news. Many probably didn't even know about the "pages from the UK" option until now.

Mack.

[phantombookman]

Being redirected to .co.uk is bad enough but this morning it was .de yet again!

Potential bad news for me, I am UK but .com names and hosted in USA.
Surely half the point of the net is to go where you want not where somebody else decides to send you?