In Market Samurai Settings for Google, there's a drop down menu for selecting a region or else "All countries and territories". I initially set this to UK. After testing with several keywords with which I'm familiar, the results - particularly in the new competition analysis module - don't match those from a google UK search at all. Then I found that changing the setting made no difference at all. Checking against a Google.com search is closer, but after one particular search I became convinced that Samurai is working not only on google.com results but also using &GL=US to specifically retrieve results geared towards the US. - Andy Roberts

So maybe this is a complicated problem relating to IP ranges, caching and other factors or maybe the software has the interface built in for selecting local searches but this hasn't been programmed and activated yet. Maybe it will be fixed for local searches before the 30Day challenge and trial period expire, but the way it looks to me now I have three options. - Andy Roberts

1) Go through the 30DC using a US orientated phrase, and then apply what I've learned from that process to a new, different UK orientated phrase beginning all over again after September. That's what I ended up doing last year. - Andy Roberts

2) Do the keyword research manually using Google trends, keyword external tool, wordtracker free keywords, Microsoft commercial intent tool, etc - Andy Roberts

3) Ty to find a phrase that's likely to work well in *both* markets and see how much traffic I can get from both US and UK sources. If both turn out to be viable they might each end up being monetised differently. - Andy Roberts

Andy, Have you raised this with the Samurai guys? I have had good and quick feedback from them on a variety of issues. Which of the three options have you decided to pursue? - Walter van Straaten

Andy, You are not the only person having this problem as the Samurai Support Forum shows. - Walter van Straaten

Yep, there are UK market issues with both keyword generation and the google ranking aspect, which is to say it's not working for either and the MS guys know already. I think we might have to accept that the challenge is very US centric in it's approach and the other aspects will be too. If MS does include the website/domain creation aspects Ed hints at in the ustream video than these too will be US based I think. - Linda

I am equally frustrated, though it forces me to practice the manual method for researching a specific UK niche. - thefluffanutta

The thing is, even when i first started and was targeting UK on my sites, I found that 70%+ of my traffic was coming from the US. - Frann Leach

Interesting Fran, maybe it's niche specific. Mine are currently 80 +% UK traffic. - Linda

I've been using the Market Samurai this morning as a refined suggestion tool for coming up with potential phrases within a broad area, then cross checking some of those that survive the filters against the manual method. This has thrown up 4 ideas so far, none of which is really all that promising, so I feel I need to generate a few more yet before I start thowing them all away! - Andy Roberts