How Chrome’s new location extension saves international marketers time and avoids errors
Analyzing genuine international SERPs from Google can be a consuming task. User-friendly, local results are automatically displayed regardless of which ccTLD is used, making it difficult to track rankings as a global marketer.
Search Laboratory provides a technical look at Chrome’s new location extension and decodes its benefits
In order to gain various regional results, lengthy changes to Google’s settings are required. VPNs can help combat this, although are still impacted by the server’s location. With 148 languages available in hundreds of countries, localizing your results soon eats up your time.
For example, using the French ccTLD gooogle.fr to search for ‘restaurants in Paris’ continues to return UK results:
Google naturally recognizes the browser is being set to a UK location, and attempts to pull the most appropriate results for the user.
The solution: Google ccTLD + country code + language code
Search Laboratory’s new Chrome extension automates Google ccTLD, country and language codes to retrieve genuine, local SERPs. By selecting the language and location in the extension, results return as they would in the targeted country.
For example: https://www.google.fr/?gl=fr&hl=fr
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Google ccTLD: .fr
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Country code: gl=fr
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Language code: hl=fr.
Adding in the country code (https://www.google.fr/?gl=fr&hl=fr) returns the same results that would happen if the search was carried out in France:
Localizing your strategy
Identifying genuine, local rankings in targeted regions is essential to a localized SEO strategy. Visibility of competition and their engagement provides a broader view of your market, enabling crucial insight into both the search engine and your audience’s intent.
Automation of country and language codes within the plugin saves huge amounts of time when managing multiple campaigns, while avoiding human error. After selecting your location and language, local SERPs will be automatically displayed, supporting optimal targeting for your campaign.
Nicola Winters, head of international digital marketing at Search Laboratory.
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