How to use Google on all Countries and languages
It is the search engine used by nine out of ten people in the world and performs almost 6 million searches every minute: yet, perhaps there is still something we do not know about Google! In addition to the many easter eggs scattered throughout its pages, in fact, we may be forgetting that Google is not identical and the same everywhere, because on the contrary, there are as many versions of Google as there are countries “targeted” by the search engine. With its ability to adapt and present content tailored to each user through geolocation, in fact, Google has evolved into a patchwork of local versions, each with its own peculiarities, different languages and, above all, results in SERPs that vary greatly. Here, then, is a comprehensive guide to learning how to use Google in all versions and languages, no matter where we are, something that may be of interest not only to users looking for information, but also to digital marketing and SEO professionals who want to effectively reach an international audience.
There is not just one Google: all versions of the search engine
Google has become synonymous with online search, so much so that the verb “googling” has entered the daily lexicon of billions of people, but it is not a uniform monolith: as mentioned, there are different localized versions that reflect the linguistic and cultural specificities of each country.
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More specifically, Google adapts to the information needs and local regulations of each country in which it operates. This means that the version of Google used in Italy, google.it, will provide different results than the U.S. version, google.com, or the Japanese version, google.co.jp. Each version is optimized for the local language and tends to favor content relevant to users in that specific geographic area. In addition, SERPs can vary widely depending on local laws, business practices, and search trends.
Why use Google in other geographic areas
Every time we type in a query, therefore, we are not just searching for information, but interacting with a system that reflects the cultural and linguistic diversity of the globe. Navigating the many faces of Google then becomes a virtual journey around the world.
Doodles, for example, celebrate locally significant events and personalities, transforming Google’s homepage into a global stage that honors each nation’s history and traditions. Similarly, the language in which we formulate our searches and the results we get are intimately tied to the geographic context in which we find ourselves, or in which Google thinks we find ourselves.
Geolocation is not just about relevance, but also about precision and personalization.
Exploring international versions and finding out how a page ranks on a country-specific search engine is therefore a crucial factor for those working in international SEO: if we run a business that targets a global audience, understanding how products or services are presented in different markets can offer valuable insights. In addition, using Google in a different language can help improve language skills and uncover content that would not otherwise be visible through the local version. Understanding how Google adapts search results based on geographic location is essential for developing effective online visibility strategies in different international markets.
Ordinary users may also find it useful to read the different answers provided by Google based on the location of the search, to do more in-depth analysis or simply out of curiosity.
The differences between Google’s versions: some curious examples
It is actually not difficult to imagine various cases where SERPs may vary between Google Italy and other versions of Google in different languages, even when using the same queries. These differences are due to various factors, including localization, personalization based on the user’s search history, and, most importantly, cultural and linguistic peculiarities.
In general, these worldwide Google differences can be macroscopic-think of Google News, which is absent in the Spanish version and limited in the French version, as we have reported in past years-or more imperceptible, especially when locations share language and pieces of culture.
- The query for Pooh: comparison between Italy and the United States
The first example clearly demonstrates the importance of search context. If we type “Pooh” in the Google Italy search bar and – in the ways we will see later – also in the U.S. version of the search engine, the result pages are completely different.
In the Italian case (image above), the results focus almost entirely on the long-lived musical group, historically formed by Roby Facchinetti, Dodi Battaglia, Red Canzian and Stefano D’Orazio (plus Riccardo Fogli).
In the United States (and the rest of the world), the same query instead leads to results related exclusively to Winnie-the-Pooh, the cute teddy bear invented by British author A.A. Milne who is part of the Disney universe.
- The query for Ringo Starr: SERPs for VIPs and brands can also change
We find ourselves in a similar situation if we are interested in learning more about “Ringo Starr.” If the U.S. results page provides us with a whole range of data and results related to the “fourth Beatle,” on the Italian page we see a YouTube link appearing to the song of the same name by the Nuclear Tactical Penguins from a few years ago-a sign, then, that even seemingly unambiguous queries can instead show differences based on geolocation.
- The query for football: different responses in the UK and the US
Leaving Italy aside, we can see how much SERPs also change in related language contexts due to culture and predominant search intentions.
In particular, if we search for “football” on Google UK it is about soccer, while on Google US the priority answers are about the national sport – American football – and its professional league, since our football game there is indeed called “soccer.”
Digital marketing needs to control all the nuances
In short, there are multiple factors that can influence results on a local basis, because the algorithm is capable of picking up even these small nuances (which then are not small).
It is therefore important for those working on the Web to have everything under control, and it is not enough to simply type a keyword in a “different” language on Google Italy (or any local version of Google) to get an accurate picture of the SERPs in another geographic area.
That is, we cannot go to google.it and type the keyword in another language, such as English or German, thus thinking that we will see the same results that Google shows in the United Kingdom or Germany: in fact, even doing so, Google Italy will tend to list results relevant to users in Italy, which as seen are not always the same as what a user would actually see in another country.
This is precisely because the algorithms follow a specific set of criteria for ranking and also consider location and cultural context-a keyword might have different meanings or connotations in different countries, and Google tries to reflect these nuances in its results.
Moreover, sometimes it is not even enough to change the search engine extension (e.g., www.google.de or www.google.fr), because the base language remains the Italian set and recognized by default. Even if you change the language in Google’s settings, one problem remains: very often, there is an automatic redirect back to the Italian version of Google, because the system prioritizes geolocation and thus sends users back to the local version based on the IP from which they access it.
For these reasons, SEO and digital marketing professionals operating internationally often use tools such as VPNs, proxies or specific software that allow them to simulate search from different geographic locations.
How to use different versions of Google around the world
Fortunately, there is a much more practical and simple way to access and use the world’s most famous search engine in all its linguistic and cultural variations, without having to intervene on proxies or play with the most advanced settings,.
That is, we can use Google in all countries and languages of the world by taking advantage of the Boolean operators used by the search engine itself, and in particular the gl string that deals precisely with the geolocation of the end user.
Changing the geolocation of the search engine.
To be precise, this is a two-letter value that uniquely identifies the country of origin (the country code) and improves search results by localizing them more precisely, thus getting us past geographic targeting.
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That parameter must be entered in the Google Search URL, but to make it even easier, here is a complete list of the 200 or so countries from which to browse Google worldwide.
To travel between the various versions of the search engine simply click on the link in the box, opening the link in an incognito tab for even more “pure” results. The default country languages (the hl parameter) are also pre-set in the links in the table, again to make the search more realistic and closer to the real experience of local users.
Bookmark this page and use it whenever you need to use the Google of another country in the world!
