UK Google Rankings

[RobIsCool]

,

I am new to SEO for the UK market. I have been optimizing for google.com USA market for a few years.

I have a new site that is targeted at the UK market. I have done the following:

1) registered a .co.uk domain name
2) hosted on a UK server, with a dedicated UK ip address
3) posted a UK mailing address on Contact Us page
4) included the keywords "UK" , "Britain", etc. on the site (in proper context of course)
5) Listed prices in GBP, with the GBP symbol

My next question is, what efforts should I undertake to place on Google UK results , in top positions? My assumptions are as follows. Please correct me if I'm wrong, and let me know what else you can suggest thanks

1) Obtain one-way links from UK-based directory sites, with UK IP's (can someone please list them )
2) Obtain one-way links from UK based sites with relevant content

Is it worthwhile to also get one-way links from non-UK based sites (eg. sites with a USA, Canadian, India, etc. IP address)? Or will that not help our UK based rankings at all?

Anything else you can recommend would be much appreciated, thanks a lot for your help

Rob

[hsc-online]

if you have .co.uk , you can host any server. because country level domain name indicate about your counter. so don't worry about uk hosting servers.

directory listing helps to index your site. But very less weight for SERP. if you can can keyword back links from directories that's better.

you can get links from any site related to you context. if you can get from uk base better.

[Aletheides]

Originally Posted by hsc-online

so don't worry about uk hosting servers.

I have heard otherwise.

[Bagi Zoltán]

I think there is one more very important task is missing. You may want to set UK as a geographic target for your site at the Google Webmaster Tools.

[vicdigi]

I think you have just about wrapped up everything there really is. Good luck on your UK website.

For UK directories please also look to our footer plus another UK directory at Zoom UK Directory and UK Bidding Directory.

You can also get some freebie UK listings at Directory Offers - UK One Way Links

[Resonate]

Originally Posted by Bagi Zoltán

I think there is one more very important task is missing. You may want to set UK as a geographic target for your site at the Google Webmaster Tools.

I agree bagi, iv noticed no matter what tld you have, setting it in Google webmaster tools does the trick as i use a .ws & .everything really.

[OldWelshGuy]

Server location IP resolving DOES affect rank, and as bagi said, get Uk set as location in webmaster tools. Also get Uk in some anchor text of links pointing to the home page.

[trocobob]

to optimisate your site to google uk .
try getting some good link from UK sites ....and focuse on getting uk traffic

[smeagain]

I don't very often dissagree with OWG, but in my experience, a .co.uk hosted in the UK or USA perform equaly well with or without setting the location in Webmaster Tools. Google by default makes the assumtion itself until told otherwise. Since the emergence of quality good value UK hosting has been readily available, it has not been much of an issue. However when it was disproportinately expensive to host in the UK, it was a common occurence. It did only affect UK targetted .com and other non UK tld sites and as far as I know that is still the case.

I do however stand to be corrected if someone can say with authority that a recent measured test proves otherwise.

[DJDave]

What if you have a .com and you want to (primarily) target your site to the uk, but later make it more global.

I set up a .com site hosted in the uk on the basis that i was thinking about future growth. Are we suggesting that it will be near impossible for me to get good uk positioning with my .com??