How to Rank on Google in the USA From Another Country
How does a business from outside the USA get found by American customers on Google?
A business outside the USA gets found by American customers by giving them a US version of its website, with US dollars, American spelling and US contact details, marking those pages for American searchers, and earning reviews and links from American customers and websites. Start with a few states or cities, because results differ in each.
Key takeaways
- Google has no setting for choosing a country; it reads signals such as your domain, your hreflang tags, currency, addresses and links from local sites.
- The USA is fifty state markets: results, competitors and often the rules for your trade differ from one to the next.
- A website on another country's domain, such as .co.uk or .com.au, is tied to that country, so the US version belongs on a generic domain such as .com.
- You need a real US location or service area to appear on Google Maps, and you do not need one to appear in the ordinary results.
- Trust comes from American proof: reviews from US customers and mentions on US websites.
In this guide
This guide shows how to rank on Google in the USA when your business is based somewhere else. It covers what is different about the American market, seven steps in order, and what you can and cannot do without a US address. It deals with the USA only. For several countries at once, read what international SEO is. If you would like the work done for you, see how we help businesses get found across the USA.
Can a business from another country rank on Google in the USA?
Yes, in the ordinary search results. Google works out which country a page is meant for from signals on the website and around it: the domain, the hreflang tags, where the server is, local addresses and phone numbers on the pages, the local language and currency, links from other local sites and a Google Business Profile.
There is no form to fill in. Older guides tell you to set the United States as your target country in Google Search Console. That setting no longer exists.
Google's Search Console help says the International Targeting report has been deprecated and that targeting search results to specific countries is no longer supported.
What is different about SEO for the US market?
Six things, and each one changes something on your website.
| What is true of the USA | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Results change with where the searcher is. Google's example: a search for “football” in Chicago will likely show American football and the Chicago Bears. | Choose states or cities to start with. A page aimed at the whole country competes with national chains. |
| Licenses and permits depend on the state, county and city. The U.S. Small Business Administration says industry requirements often vary by state. | If your trade is regulated, say where you are licensed, and do not publish a page for a state you cannot legally serve. |
| English is the main language of search and Spanish is widely used. Google says the language of a search determines how most results are displayed. | An English-only website is not in the running for searches typed in Spanish. |
| NIST lists nine time zones for the USA and its territories. Six cover the 50 states, and four of those cover every state except Alaska and Hawaii. Hawaii and most of Arizona do not change their clocks for daylight saving time. | Put a time zone beside every opening hour, call-back promise and event time. |
| Americans use US dollars, miles, feet, pounds and Fahrenheit, write the month before the day, and use ZIP codes and two-letter state abbreviations. | Write all of these the American way on your US pages, including in forms. |
| A federal rule announced by the Federal Trade Commission in August 2024 bans fake reviews and testimonials. | Collect reviews only from real customers, and never reward a positive one. |
How to rank on Google in the USA: seven steps
Do them in this order. The first two are decisions that are costly to reverse.
Seven steps, in order
- 1. Choose where in the USA to start
Pick two or three states, or a handful of cities, where you can deliver and where your buyers are concentrated. As a hypothetical example, a software company selling to dental clinics might start with Texas and Florida instead of “America”.
- 2. Put the US version on a domain that can serve the USA
Google lists “can only target a single country” among the drawbacks of a country domain. If your website lives on .co.uk, .de or .com.au, the US pages need a generic domain such as .com. If you are already on .com, a folder such as example.com/us/ is, by Google's own list, easy to set up and low maintenance.
- 3. Mark the pages for American searchers
Add hreflang tags that label the US pages en-US and name your home-country pages as the alternatives. Both sides must point to each other, or Google ignores the tags. See what hreflang is.
- 4. Write the pages the American way
American spelling (color, center), American words (a British “estate agent” is a “real estate agent”, a “holiday” is a “vacation”) and prices in US dollars. Check which words Americans search with before you write: multilingual keyword research covers same-language differences too.
- 5. Let Google see every version
Do not switch content or redirect visitors according to where they are. Google says its crawler usually comes from the USA and may not crawl, index or rank everything on a site that changes by location. For a business from abroad, that could mean Google misses the pages for your home country. Use separate addresses and let visitors switch with a link.
- 6. Earn American proof
Ask US customers for reviews. Earn mentions and links from American websites: trade associations, suppliers, partners and local news in the states you chose. Google lists links from other local sites among the signals it reads. See how to get backlinks without buying them.
- 7. Measure the USA separately
In Google Search Console's Performance report, group your results by country and look at the United States alone. Compare it with the enquiries and orders that came from US customers.
How do you win the trust of American customers online?
By answering the doubts a buyer has about a company far away, before they have to ask.
What an American buyer wants to see
- Where you areSay plainly where the company is based and which states you serve. Hiding it costs more trust than stating it.
- Delivery and returnsDelivery times to US addresses, who pays any import duty, and where a return is sent.
- When someone answersSupport hours written in a US time zone, for example “Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern”.
- American proofReviews, case studies and customers from the USA, named only with their permission.
- LicensesIf your trade needs a state license, show the states and the license numbers.
The Federal Trade Commission announced a final rule in August 2024 that prohibits fake reviews and testimonials, rewards that depend on a review being positive or negative, and reviews by company insiders that do not disclose the connection. The FTC says it can seek civil penalties against knowing violators.
If you sell to American consumers, treat that rule as applying to you, and ask a lawyer if you are unsure. This guide is not legal advice. Google's own review rules are covered in how to get more Google reviews within the rules.
Do you need a US address to rank in the USA?
Not for the ordinary results. For Google Maps, yes. Google says a business must make in-person contact with customers during its stated hours to qualify for a Business Profile, and that online-only businesses are not eligible. A rented mailing address you do not work from, which Google calls a virtual office, does not qualify either.
So a business with no US premises should aim at the ordinary results and at AI answers, where no address is needed. Once you have real US locations, read how to rank in multiple cities.
Should you add Spanish pages for the USA?
Only if you can serve a customer in Spanish from the first click to after the sale. Spanish pages are the way to appear for searches typed in Spanish. Give them their own addresses, label them es-US beside your en-US pages, and research the Spanish searches separately instead of translating your English list. See translation vs localization. We can plan Spanish pages, with translation priced separately, and we do not claim to be specialists in the Hispanic market.
What does SEO for the USA cost?
It depends on whether you start with one city or the whole country. Our prices: Local SEO Starter, for one city or service area, starts from $1,000 a month with a three-month minimum. National SEO Foundation, for the whole country, starts from $2,500 a month. Every plan is on the pricing page, and how much SEO costs explains what drives the fee.
Related serviceSEO for the USA, city by city
From our office in New York, we plan which states and cities to start with, write pages for American customers, and report where you appear and what it brought in.
See the serviceQuestions owners ask about ranking in the USA
Related serviceInternational SEO
A customer in Toronto and a customer in Sydney search in different words, compare you with different companies and expect local prices. We set up your website so each country has its own pages, and Google knows which one to show.
See the serviceCountries we work in
Do I need to register a US company to rank on Google in the USA?
Google's documentation on country targeting does not mention company registration. It lists your domain, hreflang tags, server location, local addresses and phone numbers, currency and links from local sites. Whether you need a US company to trade there is a legal and tax question for an adviser.
Does my website need to be hosted in the USA?
No. Google lists server location as one signal and says it is not a definitive one. Your domain, your hreflang tags and pages written for Americans carry the message without moving the website.
Can I use the same English pages for the USA, Canada and Australia?
Not well. Google lists same-language pages for different countries with essentially the same content as duplicates. Give each country its own prices, spelling and proof. See the guides for Canada and Australia.
Can I rank across the whole USA at once?
You can try, but you then compete with national brands from the first day. Our advice to a business from abroad is to win a few states or cities first and widen from there.
How long does it take to get found in the USA?
Nobody can promise a date, because Google decides the order. In our experience, improvements in one city often build over weeks to months, and competing across the whole country takes longer. We plan the work in 90-day blocks.
See where you appear in the USA today.
Send us your website and the states or cities you want customers in, and our free audit will show who is ahead of you there and what we would fix first.
The authors
Who wrote and checked this guide
Written by
Jamiez Nguyen
Founder & CEO
Jamiez Nguyen founded Taskcover and leads strategy and client growth. He started it in 2017 as a team doing search work behind the scenes for other agencies, then opened it to businesses in the USA, Canada and Australia.
Reviewed by
John Edward
CTO
John Edward leads the technical side of Taskcover: how sites are built, how fast they load, and how search engines read them.
Updated Fact-checked About the people at Taskcover
Sources
Where the facts in this guide come from
Facts last checked on October 12, 2026.
- 1Managing multi-regional and multilingual sitesGoogle Search CentralChecked on October 12, 2026
- 2The International Targeting report is deprecatedGoogle Search Console HelpChecked on October 12, 2026
- 3How Does Google Determine Ranking ResultsGoogle SearchChecked on October 12, 2026
- 4How Google crawls locale-adaptive pagesGoogle Search CentralChecked on October 12, 2026
- 5Tell Google about localized versions of your pageGoogle Search CentralChecked on October 12, 2026
- 6What is canonicalizationGoogle Search CentralChecked on October 12, 2026
- 7Overview of Google Business Profile policiesGoogle Business Profile HelpChecked on October 12, 2026
- 8Guidelines for representing your business on GoogleGoogle Business Profile HelpChecked on October 12, 2026
- 9Performance report (Search results): Overview and basic setupGoogle Search Console HelpChecked on October 12, 2026
- 10Local Time FAQsNational Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)Checked on October 12, 2026
- 11Apply for licenses and permitsU.S. Small Business AdministrationChecked on October 12, 2026
- 12Federal Trade Commission Announces Final Rule Banning Fake Reviews and TestimonialsFederal Trade CommissionChecked on October 12, 2026
