Search Engine Optimization All-In-One For Dummies®

Chapter 3. Staking a Claim in Europe

In This Chapter

• Succeeding in the European Union

• Knowing the legal issues in the EU

• Working in the United Kingdom

• Discovering France

• Operating in Germany

• Understanding the Netherlands

Across the pond from the United States lies the European Union (EU). When we talk about the EU, we're referring to the group of countries that actually belong to the EU and thus are subject to certain laws and regulations, and all the countries that are actually located within Europe itself.

Succeeding in the EU isn't as simple as copying and pasting your Web site into German or French and then hoping the traffic comes to you. You have to consider legal and cultural differences, along with the technical issues that come from running a Web site in another country. In this chapter, we talk about how to succeed in the European Union, some legal issues you should be aware of, and some specific facts about doing business in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the Netherlands that should give you a little more insight into the search markets in the European Union.

Succeeding in the European Union

You might think that getting started with the European Union would be pretty easy. It's actually not. For one thing, you have to remember that Europe is made up of lots of different countries with their own languages and customs and their own markets for searchengines. You can't make up one Web site for the whole EU, and then call it a day.

First you need to figure out what countries ...