Country code Top Level Domain domains (ccTLD)
Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 7:03 am
This solution is reflected in the folder structure since, before code phone number philippines any element, we will have two folders, one for the country and another, at a lower hierarchical level, with the same content in different languages (in the case of Ikea Spain: Spanish, Catalan or English).
This is a complex model that should never be the starting point, but rather, at most, a solution that can be used when the startup has already transformed into a large global company that requires a solution of this type.
If we have determined that the most appropriate option for our startup is a multi-country strategy, the most coherent way to do so is to use ccTLD domains.
ccTLD domains are those with the ICANN extension directly associated with the reference country (“.es” for Spain, “.it” for Italy, “.co.uk” for the United Kingdom, etc.).
It is a direct indication to search engines that the domain should be more relevant to searches made from a certain country.
All other ranking factors being equal, Google will always give priority to a ccTLD domain within its respective country.
On the other hand, he will always be at a disadvantage outside this country.
It is such an important signal that in Search Console, Google already automatically applies the extension's country as a target.
In addition to the higher maintenance costs of different domains, this solution has a very clear main weakness, relevant for a startup: having a domain for each country will make it more difficult for each of them to gain authority quickly compared to a model where everything is centralized in a single domain.
In the launch and growth phases of the business that characterize the day-to-day of a startup, digital PR activities are very important and are the best link building tool since they achieve links naturally and, of course, the authority of a single domain can grow much faster if it receives links quickly and from different countries.
Folders, Parameters and Subdomains
If instead you decide to carry out an international multi-language SEO strategy, there are basically two options for structuring it in the URLs:
Between the two options, both have their pros and cons.
The first is, without a doubt, the one that most easily allows us to understand which version of the language we are using and that has its advantages for both the user and the development team.
On the other hand, at the SEO level, it is better to have cleaner URLs, with only descriptive terms of the page, without the language folder.
As always, the choice depends a lot on the specific context:
This is a complex model that should never be the starting point, but rather, at most, a solution that can be used when the startup has already transformed into a large global company that requires a solution of this type.
If we have determined that the most appropriate option for our startup is a multi-country strategy, the most coherent way to do so is to use ccTLD domains.
ccTLD domains are those with the ICANN extension directly associated with the reference country (“.es” for Spain, “.it” for Italy, “.co.uk” for the United Kingdom, etc.).
It is a direct indication to search engines that the domain should be more relevant to searches made from a certain country.
All other ranking factors being equal, Google will always give priority to a ccTLD domain within its respective country.
On the other hand, he will always be at a disadvantage outside this country.
It is such an important signal that in Search Console, Google already automatically applies the extension's country as a target.
In addition to the higher maintenance costs of different domains, this solution has a very clear main weakness, relevant for a startup: having a domain for each country will make it more difficult for each of them to gain authority quickly compared to a model where everything is centralized in a single domain.
In the launch and growth phases of the business that characterize the day-to-day of a startup, digital PR activities are very important and are the best link building tool since they achieve links naturally and, of course, the authority of a single domain can grow much faster if it receives links quickly and from different countries.
Folders, Parameters and Subdomains
If instead you decide to carry out an international multi-language SEO strategy, there are basically two options for structuring it in the URLs:
Between the two options, both have their pros and cons.
The first is, without a doubt, the one that most easily allows us to understand which version of the language we are using and that has its advantages for both the user and the development team.
On the other hand, at the SEO level, it is better to have cleaner URLs, with only descriptive terms of the page, without the language folder.
As always, the choice depends a lot on the specific context: