Two websites, two domains (ccTLD), two markets but same content - SEO Impact?

Question

We have an ecommerce website registered as example.ie (Ireland) with high traffic. We want to expand to the UK (.co.uk).

The website content will be identical except a change in pricing (EUR -> GBP) and contact address / phone number (both UK based).

We currently have number 1 rank or first page for all key search terms on Google.ie but rank nowhere near first page at all on Google.co.uk. This is the main drivers for a dedicated website. Along with a presumption UK shoppers prefer to buy (our competitive products) from a .co.uk than a .ie (our products will ship also from a UK address).

\What is the safest way to enter the new market without impact on SEO in the current market (if any)?

We don't mind if the current example.ie site is impacted on Google.co.uk results as it doesn't rank well but as long as it doesn't impact our Google.ie results.

Answer 1

What do you need to do is implement hreflang tags to both websites - they are a special type of canonical command that will tell Google that there is a localized version of the same content and Google should use them accordingly. When implemented correctly, this will guarantee that your websites won't compete with each other within Google, all while providing the correct/best user experience.

HREFLANG can get very complicated very fast, so I would start with this guide from Google and if you need more information, this guide from Ahrefs is a great starting point, too.