Ranking in Google - Change from .co.uk to .com

[Fashionable]

Hi Guys,

I am fairly new to website design and SEO, however having read (A lot!) and learned - I feel I've been doing pretty well.

I have managed to rank my site on the first page of Google UK for a couple of different terms, which I am happy with. However as a next step I would like to move out of uk and into the international market.

Therefore I have a couple of questions to help me with this, and would be grateful for any help/advice - happy to supply any further details here or on PM:

- How would I check the Weight or Value of a specific keyword - so I know which I should be aiming for? (So far the search terms I've been looking at have been based on what I would search for / the site name)
- Is having a uk website a disadvantage when trying to rank on international search engines?
- Any tips for making the move from uk to international would be welcomed?

Many thanks for any help etc. you have to offer!

 

[MaxTucker]

Hi Guys,

I am fairly new to website design and SEO, however having read (A lot!) and learned - I feel I've been doing pretty well.

I have managed to rank my site on the first page of Google UK for a couple of different terms, which I am happy with. However as a next step I would like to move out of uk and into the international market.

Therefore I have a couple of questions to help me with this, and would be grateful for any help/advice - happy to supply any further details here or on PM:

- How would I check the Weight or Value of a specific keyword - so I know which I should be aiming for? (So far the search terms I've been looking at have been based on what I would search for / the site name)
- Is having a uk website a disadvantage when trying to rank on international search engines?
- Any tips for making the move from uk to international would be welcomed?

Many thanks for any help etc. you have to offer!

1. It sounds like you need Googles keyword tool. Google 'google keyword tool'.

• When you use the tool be sure to change the 'Match Types' option on the left from 'Broad' to 'Exact'.
• There are some great paid tools here like 'Ultimate Niche Finder' but you should not buy them at this stage.

2. Even if you manage to rank, which will be harder, you will get less click throughs. When an American sees .co.uk they will be less likely to click. This is not true for all niches but my advice would be to go with .com when you can.

3. Tips? Not really. Just do what you need to do.

• Buy new domain.
• Back up all your data.
• Set up proper 301 redirects for all your pages. <<< This is the most important step. Make sure you put all your sites links into an excel spread sheet and check that each and every one of them redirects to the new site properly.

 

[Fashionable]

That Google Keyword Tool is brilliant - much better to know what others are searching for, instead of what I think!

It would appear my best Keyword is "Competition" High - but isn't all that high on searches, so can start working on the others and look at moving onto international. Very valid point about people not click a UK link - I think International is the place to be!