What gives? In the past couple of weeks when I Google my site using my computer and my best keyword — lace curtains — my web site always comes up on the first page anywhere from 3rd place to 10th place. Maybe once a week it will go to 11th or 12th on the 2nd page. When my neighbor does the same my web site is listed as 31st. When I use the “Google Dance Tool” most of the time I don’t see my web site on the first page so I click “next”. I don’t see it there either but if I click on “previous” to get back to the first page my web site now shows up on the first page on all three servers. Occasionally it actually does show up on the 2nd page. Am I really on the first page for most people or what? How can I really tell one way or another?
Thanks for your question. You aren’t the first person to be baffled by a Google Dance and its seemingly random reordering of search results! There are a couple of factors that can be contributing to the difference in search engine results placement (SERP) that you see:
- Different data centers – sometimes you might be randomly bounced to a data center with an older (or newer) algorithm for calculating SERP as part of how Google load balances its phenomenal traffic.
- Being logged in to Google – next time you’re on the Google home page, look in the top right: are you logged in? Is your neighbor? Logging in
changes the search engine results in relatively subtle ways, but I have found that more than once I’ll tell someone “I’m talking about match #3 on this search” and for them it’s something completely different. If I log out, my results are more likely to match theirs. Very confusing! - Gremlins in the system. Seriously, there’s a random factor that is also present, though I don’t really understand it. Again, I think it’s a factor of the way that Google calculates searches in real time AND constantly tweaks and fiddles with its search results algorithms. Also remember that the addition of new matches against a keyword can bubble through the system in subtle ways too, so while it affects you, it might not be anything to do
with YOUR site, per se.
Finally, I will recommend what I always recommend: Just focus on building the best possible fresh content site, with frequent updates, and participate on other sites / discussion boards / blogs to get visibility and some inbound linking and you’ll bubble to the top.
Response from the questioner:
I hate to beat a dead horse but there is one other thing that still makes no sense to me about the problem.
This morning I used the Google window in Firefox plus I used Google.com at two different times, once when I was signed out and once when I was signed in and was in 9th position on the first page all three times. When I used Web Position reporter I was 14th. I also used Google dance tool. On two of the cases on the Google dance tool I was in 9th position and the third showed I was in 10th position on the first page. This was when two friends living in different parts of California showed me coming up on the third page. In all of the searches we used the same “lace curtains” keyword.
My question still is how can I, by using three different search methods, be so consistent and never hit a different data center that shows a lower ranking and they never hit a data center that shows a higher ranking?
I know I have a niche market with lace curtains but it would also seem, by being on the first page in even some of the data centers I would get more visitors to the site. My Google Analytics reasearch shows my site only gets between 60 and 90 visitors a day throughout the world. It makes me wonder if Google makes the decision showing me higher rankings because I search the keyword more frequently when, in fact, no one else shows me in as high a ranking.
Oh, you may be interested in how my Google standings changed. As of today, 9-4, I checked google.com signed in and my URL is listed in 3rd position on the top page for the keyword “Lace Curtains’. Signed out it is 9th. Checking Google dance’s 3 datacenters it is in 9th place on each of the 3. Seemingly that looks like it is more or less stabilized but checking with a nearby friend, she finds it listed on the 2nd page at the top which makes it in 11th position. Curioser and Curioser just like Alice in Wonderland.
You’re not the first person to share the evidence of how curiously Google’s system can prove when you’re paying close attention to SERPs. Honestly, I think that paying overly close attention to the specifics of placement are really just the road to slow insanity, and I’d generally just counsel that you pay more attention to building that traffic and expanding your wares than worrying about whether you’re #1, #2 or #3 for a specific keyword search.
And good luck, either way!
this is annoying as hell. last night i was position #1 and this afternoon i fell back to #9. after reloading a few times i was back up to #1. when i called a buddy he told me that i was #9.
i don’t know whats going on but it drives me nuts. i think the best thing to do is work on quality backlinks etc.
thx for the article, as this was the first one have read
Hi Dave,
Been reading your columns for some time now, good job. My site, thejoyluckclub.com have been around for 10 years with a page 6 ranking. I’m also experiencing my web site dancing around the last week. I’m trying to rank on the same page as bizadsplash.com. I made a new URL for Biz Ad Splash. It’s listed below.
http://www.thejoyluckclub.com/BizAdSplash.htm
This is not to get traffic, but Iv’e been wondering about this problem for the entire week. 4 days ago, I was ranked on the first page of Google at #1 position. I was so excited, I called my freind Dave on the phone and told him to type in Biz Ad Splash and I’m on the top! He told me I’m on the top on page 2. I said what! No your wrong Dave, hit your refresh key. Still on page 2 Steve. He asked me if I was logged into Google and I said yes. He told me to log out and recheck. I did, and was on the top of page 2.
I spent about 4 hours logging in and out of Google and checking my ranking and noticed something funny. If I was 3rd down on first page logged in Google, when I logged back out I would be 3rd down on page two. If I was logged in and showed 4th down, first page, logged out, I would be 4th down page 2. Google favours one logged in by 10 slots. However, today I checked this and it wasn’t the case at all, no matter if I was logged in or out.
So, there must be some internal switch with the Google SEO. I truely feel that any site on the front page will do well because its on the front page. I think Google SEO code has been changed and intentionly pushes sites down to the following page to see if they can get to the front page again. It makes sense to me.
But I do agree with you need to work it! Make sure your keywords are just right. not too much, not too little, check your Meta Tags, update all the time!! Which brings me to a new little site I found called Vinefire.com. I have been using this site for the last 5 days and its getting traffic to my site, but you have to work it. You post one URl every 60 secs, and you get between 35 hits and 4 depending on where you show on the page. Only one unique URL per day, so I’m using a shorten URL site. Can you tell me if this will go against my ranking or help it?
All the best,
Steve
Dave, I just tested this myself on Google.com and your reader’s site comes up #6 on the first page for the lace curtains keyword. (I was not signed in to Google.)
In regards to your book, Growing Your Business with Google, I’m concerned that it might not be detailed or deep enough (because of the “Complete Idiot’s Guide” in the title). Can you comment on how much depth your book goes into? I’m looking for something really authoritative. Is your book for me?