British government hosts websites in USA

Edited by the Marketingservicestalk editorial team Jun 11, 2008

Several British government websites are being hosted in America, giving a new slap in the face to UK businesses.

Analysts at GBP2 million turnover Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) company NetCallidus discovered a number of .gov.uk sites are being hosted in Sunnyvale, California.

They include the Job Centre Plus and Pension Service sites.

NetCallidus managing director Mark Furber said: "At a time when the UK economy is teetering on the edge of a recession, this is an out and out insult.

"There is no good reason why this work should be given to another country.

"It might save a few pounds, but sends the wrong message about how much the government cares about British business".

Furber, who has been a professional search engine optimiser for 11 years, believes it's work that would be better done by a UK business anyway.

He added: "We always advise our clients to host their websites in the country they are aiming at, as it is one of the factors that can influence the search engines like Google.

"These sites are clearly aimed at UK people so should be hosted in the UK to ensure the highest number of people find them".

Some of the sites that NetCallidus' experts discovered are fully or part-hosted in California include: Job Centre Plus, Pension Service and Learning Skills Council.