Google forcing UK users to google.co.uk

Google is currently redirecting UK users from it's .com to .co.uk site. This seems to have only just started happening? If permanent this is very significant as all UK users will now be presented with the choice to see "the web" results or "pages from the UK" whereas before they may have just gone to google.com by habit. Although the default choice is "the web" I believe more people will choose "pages from the UK" now it is a visible choice to all users. I have noticed my results (for a domain.co.uk site) in google.com drop this year but stay static or rise in google.co.uk. Anyone else noticed this, or think that rankings are is getting more local...and does this mean cloaking is OK now...

[Dave Hawley]

Has been the case for over a month now I believe and not just the UK.

...and does this mean cloaking is OK now...

No.

[DaveN]

If you cloak the same way google has .... YES it is fine, we have used that way of cloaking for years without a problem..

DaveN

[DaveN]

also if you use http://www.google.com/ncr it will stop you getting redirected all the time

DaveN

[DaveN]

google cloaking is called "geo targeting"

you can use this in other ways, such as redirecting users to content in their local language, restricting/granting access to users based on their location, or automatically adjusting shopping basket displays to use local currencies.

DaveN

[KeywordMonkey]

Earlier discussion of this here

[dannysullivan]

They've done this even longer than the past month. It has a spotty history and can be off and on for the particular user.

If you hit the Go to Google.com link at the bottom of the page, I think that cookies you so you don't go back to Google UK the next time.

For example, I just switched from IE to Firefox. I went to Google.com as usual but then got redirected -- no cookie of my preference was in Firefox. Clicked on the Go to Google.com -- got cookied -- hasn't been a problem since.

Despite the cookie, I've also seen in the past where Google might get aggressive and force you back to Google UK. Sometimes I think they get new IP data for various ISP, then try to see if they can get you to chance your mind

At least they aren't as bad as Lycos. Not that anyone is using Lycos, but it's annoying to go to Lycos.com, get switched to Lycos UK, select the Lycos USA link at the bottom and get redirected right back to Lycos UK.

I've raised this issue with Lycos time and time again in the past. They've fixed it before, but clearly are clueless again. It's been like that now for over a year -- not that anyone cares, of course.

FYI, anecdotally is that most people don't override the default -- but yes, any redirection will generally still increase the use of the UK filter.

[DaveN]

Danny unless you clean out the cookies, the "No Country Redirect" /NCR should tell the cookie not to redirect..

But you are right about the masses not switching back to Google, we do a little IP tracking , mainly profile building so we can see what SE's people are using, the data is collected for some Large sites, and we have seen 60% swing in UK Home based ip addresses that used Google.com stick on the co.uk..

for course we a seeing only our user base but it's over 120,000 and the data is coming from over 3 million pages indexed by Google..


DaveN

PS
and you still go to Lycos ...HAHAHA then you deserve to get bounce around

[dannysullivan]

Believe me, I don't! I used to because it was necessary as part of coverage. Fortunately, their usage has declined so much that they aren't worth monitoring. And the redirection screw-up that hit me last year when I was doing some updating was the last straw in deciding they didn't need coverage as a "major" any longer.

[I, Brian]

Originally Posted by dannysullivan

At least they aren't as bad as Lycos. Not that anyone is using Lycos, but it's annoying to go to Lycos.com, get switched to Lycos UK, select the Lycos USA link at the bottom and get redirected right back to Lycos UK.

I've raised this issue with Lycos time and time again in the past. They've fixed it before, but clearly are clueless again. It's been like that now for over a year -- not that anyone cares, of course.

Just got a cold call from a company selling adspace on Lycos search. I couldn't refrain from laughing because I'd read this just before.

[KeywordMonkey]

Poor Lycos...once a pioneer of web crawling and searching technology, now a corpse being flogged to death by sales and marketing people.

And LOL at the sales person's timing.

[GoLinks]

Here, Trying to use google.com via the address field redirects to google.co.il for about 6 months now,
This can be bypassed with the google tool-bar (both on IE and FireFox) tuned to google.com.

results still differ....

Lycos.. Seems like this thread might shake their logs a bit..