Research has found that country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) dominate 56% of Google’s top three rankings. This information is crucial for global brands looking to optimize their international SEO strategies. The study focused on analyzing different domain structures and their prevalence in Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) across various markets.
The study found that ccTLDs are the most prevalent website structure in the top three ranking positions globally. This suggests that those who prefer ccTLDs are on the right track. However, it is important to consider that ccTLDs can be expensive and inefficient to manage, so they should only be chosen if they are the right solution for a brand.
On the other hand, gTLDs with no market subdomains or subdirectories were inversely correlated with ccTLDs as you go from position 1 to 100. This indicates that Google does not favor websites with no discernable geotargeting for a specific market.
Subdirectories are the second most prevalent website structure in the top three positions, appearing in over 20% of Google’s top positions. They account for around 20% of all SERP positions, showing that they are a popular choice among brands.
Subdomains, however, only account for 3% of domain structures in SERPs and are prevalent in top positions mainly in multilingual markets. For example, in Switzerland, subdomains outperformed subdirectories for French keywords in Swiss SERPs, while the opposite was true for Italian keywords.
Portugal is the only market where subdirectories are more common in the top three positions than ccTLDs. This is attributed to the fact that there aren’t many big Portuguese brands that can compete with multinational brands using subdirectory structures.
Czechia has the highest rate of ccTLDs in Google SERPs, with almost 90% of the top three positions held by .cz ccTLDs. This dominance is attributed to the lack of content translation into the Czech language by big brands, presenting an opportunity for multinational brands to optimize their content for the Czech market.
In Austria, German ccTLDs (.de) account for nearly 20% of all top positions, while Austrian ccTLDs make up less than 1% of all domain structures in Germany. This suggests that German brands are selling directly into Austria via .DE domains, but it is recommended to localize content into an Austrian dialect for better performance.
In the United States, the popularity of the .com domain is so overwhelming that it is rare to see the official .us ccTLD in use. This is mainly due to the ubiquity of .com domains and the assumption that it is the U.S.’s ccTLD.
Overall, this data supports the use of ccTLDs for international SEO strategies. However, brands should consider the resources required to build, maintain, and optimize ccTLDs. The study also highlights the effectiveness of subdomains and subdirectories in certain markets. It is crucial for brands to carefully choose their domain structure based on their target market and language preferences.
The study analyzed 20,000 keywords across 15 different markets, totaling over 1.7 million SERP positions. It focused on ccTLDs, gTLDs with subdomains, gTLDs with subdirectories, and gTLDs without evidence of market-specific subdomains or subdirectories.
In conclusion, understanding the importance of domain and URL structure in international SEO is crucial for global brands. The study provides valuable insights into the prevalence and effectiveness of different domain structures in Google’s top three rankings. Brands should carefully consider their options and choose the most suitable structure based on their target market and resources available.
