Gary Illyes, a senior member of Google’s Search Relations team, suggested that the localization boost traditionally associated with ccTLDs may soon be over.
Illyes stated:
“I think eventually, like in years’ time, that [ccTLD benefit] will also fade away.”
He explained that ccTLDs are becoming less reliable indicators of a website’s geographic target audience.
According to Illyes, the primary reason for this shift is the creative use of ccTLDs for branding purposes rather than geographic targeting.
He elaborated:
“Think about the all the funny domain names that you can buy nowadays like the .ai. I think that’s Antigua or something… It doesn’t say anything anymore about the country… it doesn’t mean that the content is for the country.”
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Here are some top takeaways:
- If you’ve invested heavily in country-specific domains for SEO purposes, it may be time to reassess this strategy.
- Should the importance of ccTLDs decrease, proper implementation of hreflang tags becomes crucial for indicating language and regional targeting.
- While the SEO benefits may diminish, ccTLDs can still have branding and marketing value.
- Watch for official announcements or changes in Google’s documentation regarding using ccTLDs and international SEO best practices.