Let’s discuss how you can set the target country in the Google search console. Sometimes Geo-targeting may be very important for you. Suppose you have a website and your target audience are in India or in any other particular country.
Then why do you need to focus on the whole world if you know your target audience is in a specific country?
You can geo-target a specific country where your target audience is available. Normally, there are two ways to target a specific country. First, you may have a country-specific domain name like .in, .uk, etc.
Secondly, you can also use a search console to target your audience from any specific country. Google search console is a very good tool and you can use it for geotargeting and for many other analytical purposes also. I am writing about this article in the context of the Google search console.
Now let’s see how you can set the target country in the Google search console step by step.
Set Target Country in Google Search Console
I assume that you have already added your website to the Google search console that’s I am not going into the details. First, you need to open your search console account and select the domain name for which you want to set up a target country.
Maybe you have added multiple domain names to your search console account. That’s why you need to select the particular domain name for which you want geotargeting. And don’t worry it is not going to be a very complex process. It is so easy and anyone can set it up.
You just need to click on Legacy Tools and Reports on the left sidebar menu. Now you will have multiple options including International Targeting below legacy tools and reports.
You just click International targeting.
After clicking on International targeting, you will be redirected to a new page. You will have Language and Country option on this new page.
Click on a country and you will have the option to select your specific country. Now you just select a specific country and tick on Target users.
As you can see in the above image where I have selected India as a specific country. In this way, you can set the target country in the Google search console.
Summary:
- Open a Google search console account.
- Select your domain name.
- Click on Legacy Tools and reports.
- Click on International Targeting.
- Now click on Country.
- The select country that you want to target.
- Tick Target users in.
The complete process is very easy and you can set the target country in the Google search console easily. In case you want to make your website presence in a particular country, geo-targeting might be a good decision for you.
Let’s understand with an example.
Suppose, I have a blog in Hindi language and my target users are available in India. Should I target only India or users globally?
In my opinion, I should go for geo-targeting and set my target country as India. Because I know I am having content for Indian users only. There is no need to target globally. I should focus on increasing my presence in India for my Hindi Blog. In this way, I can focus on the target audience and also make it cost-effective.
Now you wonder, how it is cost-effective. Right? Let’s understand it . If you are running a self-hosted website then definitely you must have hosting/server also. And as per my knowledge, most hosting plans have some limit on the number of monthly visits. In that case, if you only focus on your target audience rather than the whole world, it can save you cost. It is just an example to get benefits if you set up a target country.
Conclusion
Sometimes geotargeting might be a very important part of your user targeting strategy. If your content, product, or services on your website is a country-specific, geo-targeting may be a good strategy.
It may be good for ranking your site in Google searches also. There might be many other benefits of geo-targeting. However, it depends on your website and its content. It may also depend on the products and services you are promoting on your site. You should take your decision for geotargeting after analyzing the pros and cons. I hope you like this article and provide you with satisfactory knowledge about targeting a specific country.
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