Jeff Woelker : Chicago SEO, SEM, and Online Marketing Consultant

So recently, I was approached by one of my clients to begin an SEO campaign for a website outside the US. They did not have a website registered or hosted outside the US, so that was my first recommendation - to register a website in that native domain (.co.uk) and to obtain a hosting plan from a UK host, making sure that their servers are located in the UK and they are not just selling space via a UK business to servers in other countries.

Second, write content specifically different from any other US web properties you may have. If you have example.com, example.co.uk should be substantially different in both content and structure (if possible). Try to incorporate dialectal differences as well (behaviour, colour, etc.) as this will further differentiate your site from American English websites and your own properties.

Third, obtain keyword links from other UK websites, as this will further ingrain your site within the UK web network.

Fourth, in case you were interested in how Google functions when accessed outside the US, when a user accesses Google.com from a UK web address, it forwards them to Google.co.uk. If the reverse occurs, Google allows the user to access Google.co.uk from a US IP address. You’ll have to figure out the specifics for your situation as it applies.

And lastly, check out the rest of my SEO recommendations for further tips once you have your site established outside the US.

For all you aspiring entrepreneurs out there who thought you might be able to save a few bucks doing web hosting from your home computer via Comcast, think again. From the Prohibited Uses and Activities section of their terms of service:

(Prohibited uses include, but are not limited to, using the Service, Customer Equipment, or the Comcast Equipment to:) run programs, equipment, or servers from the Premises that provide network content or any other services to anyone outside of your Premises LAN (Local Area Network), also commonly referred to as public services or servers. Examples of prohibited services and servers include, but are not limited to, e-mail, Web hosting, file sharing, and proxy services and servers;

From what I have seen, the only way to host anything is via their Comcast Business account. Just wanted to save you the headache of setting up a home web/file server and then finding out you can’t do anything with it.

Doh!