In 2003 I first began speaking on international SEO at conferences and seminars and have lost count of the number of times I’ve heard the question, "Is it better to use local domains or dot coms with a folder or sub-domain for my site?" To me, the answer to this question was obvious even a decade ago but the debate has continued to rage. The next question in popularity is always "...and do I need local hosting?"
I'll address the hosting issue in a future column. Today we’ll look at the top six reasons why local domains are for winners and dot coms for runners up. I’ll also attempt to put on record why newbies to the promotion of international sites are seduced by the songs of the dot com siren and how to spot those who have been enchanted away on magical waves of sound.
First, I need to give you a little track record to explain my perspective. The very first web site I launched was in 1996 targeting the major western European countries. It used good quality content, local domains and keywords researched by native-speakers (not keywords translated from English). It was this site which led to me discovering SEO but at the time my role was as the straightforward corporate marketing manager who had been given the task of improving the wider European presence of my employer. 13 years later, that site is still the top for its target keywords and has seen competitors, as well as major algorithm updates, come and go without any significant impact.
6 Ways Local Domains Crush Dot Coms In International SEO
Posted by
mediaguy 289 days ago
(http://searchengineland.com)
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