Geo Redirection

[4u-domains]

Hi

We run an online store that caters for a US and EU audience.
We need some javascript, or similar code, that will recognise the browsers location and then direct them to the the URL of our choice (the landing page for their area, basically).

So, whats is needed is a simple IP > redirect scripting.

Anybody know of something suitable?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Mark]

Using redirection is actually a bit messy - especially by IP. I'd actually just link to the different sections from the index and let the visitor choose the appropriate section.

You can do it by IP (using PHP) , but will either need a small database (50,000 - 60,000 lines of flatfile text at least) yourself or rely on an external service (Which might be up or not when your visitor arrives).

Would you be making pages/dirs for every country you want to serve ? or just two sections ?

Not all IP's can be traced - Where would you send the visitor to then ?

There is a "ip_to_country" php script out there that will do most of this - But I'm not sure of the original author.

 

[4u-domains]

Yeah, its a diificult one. The technology is not there yet. Well, I have seen a couple of things now but they are either expensive, flawed or both.

I will likely have to have my main page for one region but clearly show, with flags, at such the links to the other region.

Cheers.

 

[mrjohn]

I built blacklisting code for a classifieds website I run years ago to stop all those damned ads for macaws from guys in Cameroon and Nigeria. It cut spamming 90% overnight. And another 5% went bye-bye after we blacklisted India.

It's not that the technology isn't there. It's that the code requires someone who can do a tiny bit more than update, insert and select in MySQL.

 

[intheflow]

It's entirely feasable, the technology is not only available, it's free. Maxmind offers both a City and Country database for free and a more accurate paid version. 'GeoLite' are the free ones, and there's a fair amount of code out there already. They also have an API you can pull directly from.

I use the free city DB on one of my joomla sites and it's accurate enough except for AOL users.

MaxMind - GeoLite City | Free Geolocation Database

and the user forum here:

MaxMind Forum :: View Forum - GeoLite Support

 

[astrix]

There are some scripts which can let you do this. You can get such custom script done from elance and other freelancer sites. I've not tried geolitecity, so can't comment on that one.