Google.co.uk usage - what do you do?

[charlesr]

When you go to google.co.uk, you can either click "search the web", or click "search pages from the uk". Except the latter only shows you servers listed in the UK, regadless of whether it says .co.uk at the end of your url.... So a website that appears right at the top of the normal search might not appear at all on the UK specific option. For example one of my websites is on 1and1 servers in Germany but doesn't show on the 2nd option, even though it has countless references to UK on the pages. Bloody useless google monopoly.

Anyway, if everyone just clicks "search the web" then it doesn't matter, cos it appears right at the top. But if everyone clicks "search pages from the UK" then I'm screwed. What I'm hoping is that everyone clicks "search the web" and then if they get a deluge of sites from other countries they then click "search pages from the UK" to filter it down.

Use the poll to help me out.

[Dirty Sanchez]

Option 3 for me.

Use Option 2 if it is obvious before I've done 3 that 3 will bring me loads of irrelevent links.

[Dirty Sanchez]

I would vote but can't see any options to do so.

[VR46]

If I use google.co.uk it's because I want results from the UK tbh, so option two for me.

[jimmbob]

Option 3 for me.
I know we can't create polls, but if we can't vote in them, then that's a step too far!

[ChrisF]

Depends on if what I'm searching for is UK specific or not. If it's general programming stuff then option 1. If I'm buying things, then option 2.

Its annoying how google does this tbh, as my hosts are in America (or India, one of the two!) so my site (<plug>www.myownmove.com</plug>) doesnt show up in UK searches either

How on earth do we use the voting btw?

[charlesr]

wtf. I can see the poll. Why can't you?

[ChrisF]

For some reason it just shows the results...

[VR46]

I can see it (and vote), must be a "staff only" thing, strange eh.

[charlesr]

If I use google.co.uk it's because I want results from the UK tbh, so option two for me.

If I go to google.com it redirects me to .co.uk

[Roddie]

i can only see the results too

i tend to just use google.com because of the opera search option, then if i have a uk based search that the .com is giving me no luck with, then i switch to google.co.uk; doesn't happen very often though

[EJG1980]

I was gonna ask how you get to google.com as I'm always shunted to .co.uk as well! I hate web sites that do that, much prefer the expedia.com style where they ask you if you want to go to the UK specific site or not instead of just redirecting without asking.

In response to the question, I usually go for option 3.

[EJG1980]

Whoops, just went to .co.uk and noticed, for the first time ever, the link on that page which says "go to google.com"

[charlesr]

OMG. Cannot belieeeeeve you only just spotted that!!! (thanks for pointing that out )

[VR46]

Just use www.google.us instead of www.google.com

pesky n00bs