How Does Geotargeting Affect Google?
A Google search that lists music stores, restaurants or private schools doesn't help you if they're in Brazil and you're in Michigan. Geotargeting allows Google to highlight search results most relevant to your location. It also affects the ads you see through Google's ad campaigns, so that advertisers know they're not wasting money advertising to people outside their territory.
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Geotargeting
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If a website comes with a particular country suffix, such as .au for Australia or .us for the United States, that's enough for Google to geotarget it. If the site has only a .com or .org, Google determines the location from the IP address; information on the Web page; links on the Web page; and any relevant information on Google Places. Webmasters can simplify the process and ensure its accuracy by providing information directly to Google.
Webmaster Tools
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To give Google geotargeting information, open Google's Webmaster Tools page (see resources). Find "Site Configuration," click on the "Settings" options and go to the Geographic target section. Select the national option you want or, if you do not wish to be geotargeted, choose unlisted. If you later change your country domain, re-enter the information. Geotargeting applies to nations, not languages: If your content is in French, but of interest to French speakers everywhere, don't limit your visitors by geotargeting France.
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Ads
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If you take out online advertising through Google, you can use geotargeting to determine who sees your ad online. Google's GeoTarget lets you select up to 300 specific targets, including cities, metropolitan areas, regions, countries and proximities, such as "100 miles around my store." You can target a mix, such as the entire United States, plus London, Paris and Tokyo. GeoTarget also lets you specify regions not to include, or not geotarget, so your advertising isn't constrained by geography.
Considerations
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When you perform Web searches, you may prefer Google not exercise geotargeting. Some countries have Internet policies that require Google censor sites covering certain topics: China, for example, doesn't want Chinese users accessing sites about democracy or criticizing the government. Even legitimate searches may not turn up as many hits if you're in a country other than the United States. One solution is to use a non-native proxy or search engine for Web browsing to work around geotargeting.
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