Why do google rankings differ depending on country?

[idevelop]

I am very new to SEO and up until the last few weeks, I knew nothing really.

my question: Why do google rankings differ depending on country?

I have noticed if I search for my site using the keywords I have been targeting, I get great rankings.. So great Im more than happy with my progress..
In Thailand where I live, I am ranked 1st for "Phuket Real Estate" (without quotes = wq) and since working on my SEO daily for 3 weeks, I am now also ranked No.3 for "phuket" (wq). Before I was not on first 20 pages... my site is Phuket Real Estate Villas Land Apartments Golf & Marina Property - phuketrealestate.com (not a shameless plug = important in context with thread)

I was so over the moon to be 1st in a major niche - I told my friends to check the search on google and let me know where I am ranked.

I was shocked when one friend in USA said "no. 8 for "Phuket Real Estate" (wq) and not ranked in top 100 for "Phuket" (wq).

My friend in England said No.1 for "phuket real estate" (wq), but no ranking for "phuket" (wq)

Can anybody shed some light why my rankings seem to differ depending on location?

And how to SEO to all locations?

Is the "local google" the benchmark for how my rankings will appear "internationally" later ?

Any Advice really appreciated

[naijapower]

Not sure but i have been told different countries have different google servers,,
maybe someone can shed more light

[Steve Crooks]

It is down to each data centre and they are all different. Also you have to think about relevance to the country searching.

For example, a person searching for Phuket real estate in the UK would probably be looking for sites that can offer them Phuket real estate aimed at people from the UK with all the implications of buying in a foreign country etc. In Thailand the searcher's perspective would probably be different in what they are looking for. Google therefore shows the most relevant results per country.

Originally Posted by idevelop

I am very new to SEO and up until the last few weeks, I knew nothing really.

my question: Why do google rankings differ depending on country?

I have noticed if I search for my site using the keywords I have been targeting, I get great rankings.. So great Im more than happy with my progress..
In Thailand where I live, I am ranked 1st for "Phuket Real Estate" (without quotes = wq) and since working on my SEO daily for 3 weeks, I am now also ranked No.3 for "phuket" (wq). Before I was not on first 20 pages... my site is Phuket Real Estate Villas Land Apartments Golf & Marina Property - phuketrealestate.com (not a shameless plug = important in context with thread)

I was so over the moon to be 1st in a major niche - I told my friends to check the search on google and let me know where I am ranked.

I was shocked when one friend in USA said "no. 8 for "Phuket Real Estate" (wq) and not ranked in top 100 for "Phuket" (wq).

My friend in England said No.1 for "phuket real estate" (wq), but no ranking for "phuket" (wq)

Can anybody shed some light why my rankings seem to differ depending on location?

And how to SEO to all locations?

Is the "local google" the benchmark for how my rankings will appear "internationally" later ?

Any Advice really appreciated

[idevelop]

@Steve.

Ok, but Phuket Real Estate is aimed at all foreigners in regards to foreign ownership.

If your searching in the US, Uk, Aus, NZ, CA or anywhere its the same requirements.

All searches from any country want to see the same thing and that is real estate listings in Phuket.

why would the Uk have a No.1 listing, but the US have a No.8 ?

anyone else with some ideas ?

thanks in advance.

[Chrissy Allen]

Hey idevelop,

Sent you an email and a pM

Where are you?

Thanks

Chunkynuts

[dburk]

Originally Posted by idevelop

@Steve.

Ok, but Phuket Real Estate is aimed at all foreigners in regards to foreign ownership.

If your searching in the US, Uk, Aus, NZ, CA or anywhere its the same requirements.

All searches from any country want to see the same thing and that is real estate listings in Phuket.

why would the Uk have a No.1 listing, but the US have a No.8 ?

anyone else with some ideas ?

thanks in advance.

Hi idevelop,

I think you have missed the point. It's not about what traffic is relevant to you, it's about which websites are relevant to the searchers. Someone searching the identical keyword, but in a different country often finds a different set of website listings more relevant to them.

There is no single standard for what is relevant, it varies by location and even by the individual searcher.

For more info see this video:

YouTube - Personalized Search

[terrapurus]

Look at it practically. If you want a plumber (and search for "plumber").. and your friend want a plumber ... and you both do a google search for it, do you really want the same result coming up?

Remember, there are around 200 factors that determine ranking.

[Tom at RankAce]

Here is a link to an article that seems to be rather comprehensive concerning this very subject.

Good luck.

Web Hosting Explained - Does hosting in a foreign country have an impact on SEO?If I host in USA, would it make affect UK rankings?

[Mark Jones]

Thanks for the link Tom. It highlights some of the factors. However, I believe that there are other factors as well.

[ramashankar]

Thanks all...........