VPN and SEO
Google, the world’s most popular search engine was recently updated, and it is never the same again. This update mainly affects how the search results are delivered. Before the update, you could get results of any country you wanted regardless of the region you are. This was possible by the use of country code top-level domain names, ccTLD. For example, if you wanted to access the search results for UK, you’d type google.co.uk in your browser and get results. All you needed to know was the ccTLD of the country you want to access.
But that is all long gone. Including the ccTLD in the URL will still give you the results of the country you are at the moment. If you travel to another country, you get the results of the country and not your previous country. In a nutshell, the domain will not dictate the search results unless you are in that country. This update is also manifested across many Google products such as mobile web, Maps, Google app for iOS and desktop search. However, Google said the update won’t affect how these products work or how Google handles obligations under the national law.
"A speedy VPN that's very easy to use and covers basic privacy needs well enough"
- Excellent available variety of servers
- Servers are fast and secure
- Offers six connections
- Over 44,000 VPN IP Addresses
- Anonymous Web Surfing
- Unrestricted Proxy Access
Why the update
In their blog post published by the product manager, Google said, “we aim to provide the most useful results for your query. Today, around one in five searches on Google is related to location, so providing locally relevant search results is an essential part of serving you the most accurate information.” So, the update ensures that the results you get are relevant by being optimized for your location. Google search is the last to get this update as most Google products already had it. Youtube, for example, plays playlist depending on your location. Blogger, Gmail and Google Earth have had this update, only a few people noticed then. As good as this update is, it’s majorly beneficial to people who like to travel a lot especially tourists.
In the blog, the publisher concluded by saying that they are confident that the update will improve your search experience. This is by providing results with the most useful information based on your query and other context, in this case, location.
How to bypass it
While the update is beneficial to some people, other people, SEO experts and everyone in the SEO field will somehow have a hard time with quickly getting what they want. But worry no more, there are ways you can still get the results of your desired country and location. Google even provided a tiresome way to do that. To by-pass this update, you need to know how it works.
Fundamentally, the update relies on location services. On the internet, location can be provided by many things. The core ones include; the physical location (the one your GPS indicates) and the other one is your IP address. Google mostly combines this and other complicated mechanisms to provide the results. But you can fool the update using the above location services and get your desired results. Below are ways you can use.
Method 1: Changing search settings
Google recommends this approach, but I won’t vouch for it, you won’t like it either after using it a few times. This method allows you to change the location to your desired preference and in return, you get your desired location. To do it, search anything on google and wait for the results to display. Then look for the setting button. Depending on your browser client, this button may be located at the bottom or on the top just below the search bar.
Click the ‘Settings’ button, and a pop-up menu will show up. On the pop-up, select ‘Search setting,’ and a search settings page will load. Scroll till you see ‘Region settings’ then change to your desired region and save. Alternatively, from the pop-up menu. Select ‘Advanced Search’ and wait for it to load. You can then scroll to ‘Then narrow your results by…’ section and specify your region and then click ‘Advanced Search’ at the bottom of the page.
You will then get your desired results, but the region will reset every time you visit Google. Hence you will have to repeat the above procedure again and again, and this will be frustrating.
Method 2: Change your device location
This method will only work if your device supports mock locations or allows its location to be changed. All you need to do is to download and install a location modifying app. you will then select your desired location from the app. when you visit Google, Google will think you are in a particular region whereas you are not. This is better than the previous method as you do the setting once till you reboot your device. However, depending again on your device, this might or might not work. If it doesn’t work, try our best option below.
Method 3: Use a VPN
This is the perfect and more straightforward method as it works where the above has failed. Also, you get to enjoy security advantages and also access geo-restricted content. What makes VPNs the most suitable method is that they have servers in different locations you might want to get results and furthermore, they change your IP address to that of the location. The best thing, it’s not tiresome as you only change the location you need in the VPN, and that’s all. The VPN will do the rest such as tunneling your connection to your desired location. Other VPNs even offer a browser add-on that you can use. To use the VPN browser extension, you may first need to have the VPN client installed. All you need is to use one of our recommended VPNs. They include; TunnelBear, NordVPN, IPVanish, Express VPN, HotSpot Shield and many others. I.e., for Express VPN Chrome addon, you will need an active Express VPN subscription and navigate to Chrome Extension in the Express VPN website. Click install, and the addon will show up in your browser. You can then do most things a client VPN does and especially changing the location in this scenario.
With the above methods, you are guaranteed to get your preferred results even with the Google update.