Hello SEO experts. I need to create a website for my consultancy which operates in Australia and New Zealand.Country-Specific Domains (.co.nz and .com.au)
- Pro: better trust from local clients.
- Pro: better SEO ranking locally compared to a .com?
- Con: Two websites which I have to pay for and manage.
- Con: Double the SEO budget.
- Con:
Global .com domain
- Pro: easier to manage, single website which entire SEO budget goes to.
- Con: potentially worse ranking locally?
- Con: Being global potentially seen as a bad thing locally?
Would really appreciate your advice. Should I stick to a country specific domain or just go with a .com?
Or, should I have country specific domain and redirect them to a .com? But that would also mean double the SEO budget right?
Using a .com domain for your consultancy website is generally recommended. While country-specific domains like .co.nz and .com.au may offer a slight local SEO advantage, the benefits of a single .com domain outweigh the potential drawbacks.
Here’s why:
- Easier Management: A single .com domain simplifies website management, allowing you to focus your resources and efforts on a single platform.
- Cost-Effective: Managing a single domain reduces costs associated with hosting, maintenance, and SEO efforts, allowing you to allocate your budget more efficiently.
- Global Reach: A .com domain projects a more global image, which can be advantageous if you plan to expand your consultancy beyond Australia and New Zealand in the future.
However, to optimize your website for local search in Australia and New Zealand, you can implement the following strategies:
- Subdomains: Utilize subdomains for your Australian and New Zealand operations (e.g., au.yourwebsite.com, nz.yourwebsite.com). This allows you to create specific content tailored to each region while maintaining a single .com domain.
- Hreflang Tags: Use hreflang tags to tell search engines which version of your website is intended for each country. This helps search engines understand the language and region of your website and display the appropriate results for users in Australia and New Zealand.
- Localized Content: Create content that caters to the specific needs and interests of your target audience in Australia and New Zealand. This includes using local keywords, references, and language in your website copy, blog posts, and other materials.
By implementing these strategies, you can achieve strong local SEO performance while maintaining the advantages of a global .com domain.