Wow, CBP, didn't know you were in OZ!
Agree with your statement, server location is crucial.
I has an email correspondence with Google a few months back asking about this, and they told me server location is it. Here is their exact reply, from 3/3/05:
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Thank you for your note. We understand that your site is not appearing as a search result for "pages from Australia." While all sites in our index
return for searches restricted to "the web," only sites hosted in each country will display as search results for pages from that country. If you
would like your site to be returned in this country-restricted search, we recommend that you have your site hosted in Australia. Note that domain
extensions (.com or .com.au) have no effect on whether your site will return for a particular county restrict.
Regards,
The Google Team
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I admit I don't have any .com.au (for cost reasons), and all my sites are hosted with one Canadian hosting company. I am so happy with their support I can't bring myself to change, but if I was starting over again I would use Australian-based servers.
Look carefully at the company you choose to buy from - even ones with the words "Australia" and "host" in the name aren't necessarily hosted here. Read the fine print - the last one I looked at was based in Texas.
Even having Australia in my domain registration details, and Australia in the domain name, doesn't sway local Google.
Yahoo Local is much more forgiving - I am listed well there for the same sites.
MSN seems halfway - I'm listed in Australia (ninemsn.com.au) but not as highly as I am in msn.com.
So yes, use Australian servers if it is vitally important.
cheers
Chris
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