Why Are US Election Results on Google India Showing More US Websites?

With the 2024 US elections approaching, we’ve noticed something interesting when searching for election-related information on Google India. The search results are mostly showing US-based websites, even though Indian news sites are covering the event too. This raises a question: why is Google prioritizing US sources in India for US election coverage, while Indian publishers are doing thorough reporting?

What We Found in the Search Results

Top Stories:

The Top Stories section often includes articles from Indian publishers, which is a good sign that they are being recognized for their election coverage. However, the majority of in-depth analysis and detailed content from Indian news outlets seems to be missing.

For Context Carousel: The For Context section, which is supposed to give additional background information, seems to be 100% dominated by US-based websites. Even though Indian media houses have journalists in the US covering the elections, they are being left out of this section.This is surprising because during India’s own elections, we didn’t see the For Context carousel used as much, and when it comes to Israel-related news, Indian sources get more attention. So why does Google think only US sites provide the best context for US elections?

Traditional SEO Results: In the standard search results, 80% of the listings are from US websites, even when searching from India. This is happening despite Indian news outlets having specific sections dedicated to the US elections. It seems Google’s search algorithms still give more importance to US-based media for covering their own elections.

Why Is This Happening?

There could be a few reasons:

• Google’s Algorithm: Google’s systems may view US websites as more authoritative or trustworthy when it comes to US elections. This could be a built-in bias where US-based media are automatically favored for US-related news.
• What Users Want: Google might think that Indian users want to see news from US sources when they search for US election coverage, believing that US sites provide better insights into their own politics.
• Content Strength: It could be that US sites are stronger in SEO signals like backlinks and authority on the topic, which may result in their content being prioritized over Indian media.

Impact on Indian Publishers

This could have a big impact on Indian news outlets. Many of them send reporters to the US to cover the elections, but if Google keeps prioritizing US sites, Indian publishers will struggle to get traffic and visibility. It also means that they could lose out on reaching their Indian audience with quality coverage from an Indian perspective.

A Need for Better Balance

As the 2024 US elections approach, Indian publishers need to understand how Google is ranking content for this global event. Indian publishers may need to adjust their SEO strategies to ensure they aren’t overlooked. Google also needs to consider how its algorithms impact local publishers who are providing high-quality, on-ground coverage of international events.