56% of Google's Top Three Positions Dominated by ccTLDs, Study Reveals

The study on domain structures for international SEO revealed several key findings:

1. ccTLDs: They are the most prevalent website structure in the top three ranking positions globally, holding 56% of these spots.
2. Inverse correlation: There's an inverse correlation between the prevalence of ccTLDs and gTLDs in SERP positions as you go from position 1 to 100.
3. Subdirectories: These are the second most prevalent website structure in the top three positions, appearing in over 20% of Google’s top positions.
4. Subdomains: They account for just 3% of domain structures in SERPs but are prevalent in top positions in multilingual markets like Switzerland.
5. Portugal's trend: Subdirectories are more common in the top three positions than ccTLDs, which is unique to Portugal.
6. Czechia's dominance: ccTLDs dominate Czechia’s SERPs, with almost 90% of the top three positions taken by .cz ccTLDs.
7. Austria vs. Germany: Austrian .AT ccTLDs inversely correlate with German ccTLDs in their respective markets.
8. U.S. gTLD anomaly: The .com domain's popularity in the U.S. makes it a statistical anomaly for gTLD use.

The study suggests that subdomains might be a viable option for international SEO because they are prevalent in top positions in multilingual markets. For example, in Switzerland, subdomains outperformed subdirectories for French keywords in Swiss SERPs. This indicates that subdomains can be just as effective as any other domain structure, especially in markets where multiple languages are spoken.

The inverse correlation between ccTLDs and gTLDs in SERP positions indicates that as you move from the top position (1) to lower positions (up to 100), the presence of ccTLDs decreases while the presence of gTLDs without market subdomains or subdirectories increases. This trend suggests that Google may not favor websites with no discernable geotargeting for that market.

In Portugal, a unique trend was observed where subdirectories are more common in the top three positions than ccTLDs. This bucks the global trend and reflects the competitive landscape in Portugal, where multi-national brands using subdirectory structures perform incredibly well, especially in certain sectors like fashion.

The popularity of .com domains in the U.S. market has led to a situation where the official .us ccTLD is very rarely used. Many people assume that .com is the U.S.'s ccTLD due to its ubiquity. This makes the U.S. a statistical anomaly for gTLD use, and it is probably the only market where using a gTLD (.com) ahead of the country’s ccTLD might be recommended for brands targeting only the U.S. market.