How can I get more UK visitors

[skybow]

My site is called shoppish.com, I'm hoping that I will get some pointers from you all about pulling my site out of the clutches of its US visitors (they currently make up about 90% of total traffic) and in return I'll happily weigh in my tuppence worth if I can think of anything useful to say. And If I can't think of anything useful, I promise to shut up.

 

[temi]

Skybow, we know your site is a .com, where is it hosted, in US, Spain or UK?

Thanks

 

[skybow]

Hi Temi,

It is hosted in the US. I find it much cheaper to host there and never have had any problems other than now, when I am trying to force a UK traffic bias.

 

[OldWelshGuy]

There is your problem. You have a .com (non geographic domain), hosted in the US, and you are expecting Google to consider you a UK company.

Have you specified your location in google webmaster tools? if not, go and do that immediately before you do ANYTHING ELSE

once you have done that, come back and we will continue to help you

 

[skybow]

Brilliant OWG, just brilliant! I had totally forgotten to do that.

I have just laid claim to the .co.uk version of the domain name but am not sure how best to use that. I've paid out a bit for a few marketing services here and there and would prefer to keep the dot com as the actual name.

Would it make any sense (or even be possible) to do a 301 redirect from the co.uk to the dot com and use the co.uk to get listed in UK directories or would that be considered spammy? Come to that, was it worth me buying the co.uk at all...

 

[OldWelshGuy]

The last thing you want to do is bait and switch the co uk domain to the .com. if you submit the couk then switch the links you could end up in a whole world of pain by getting links to BOTH removed.

You have done webmaster tools, so google at least knows.

You need to get links from couk sites now. Try to avoid what google considers 'international sites', easy to check which sites oogle considers uk sites, simply search for them, and use the 'uk only ' option on google. takes all the guess work out LOL

 

[experienceadvertising]

I would focus on topics related to UK issue or merchants and attempt to monetize the US traffic with US affiliate offers...nice site by the way.

 

[skybow]

I would focus on topics related to UK issue or merchants and attempt to monetize the US traffic with US affiliate offers...nice site by the way.

Thanks for the compliment. It's still new and its encouraging to hear that.

The affiliates that you see there are all UK based but I could change that until such times as the UK traffic picks up. In the meantime, I have other sites that might interest co.uk sites for a three way link exchange so that would help too.

Now just what am I going to do with the damned co.uk. I suppose I should at least do a 301 on it even though no one in the world is looking for it.

 

[OldWelshGuy]

yep, you should forward it to the .com. remeber though 301 is for Permanent re-direction, so only do it if you never intend using it for anything else. 302 it if you think there might be a chance of it holding different content in the future.

 

[skybow]

Hi ho. 10 posts under my belt and I can now add a link to a couple of my sites so if anybody feels like offering me any more advice or even a really juicy link then you'll see shoppish below.

Uhm... maybe not. I don't seem to have an edit signature button. Here's Shoppish