Weird Stuff in da SERPS

Hey guys,

I noticed something really strange this morning; when I log into google one of my keywords is on page three # 10, but when I log out, it's on first page #2.

I understand that google tends to favor your sites when you log into it, but what happens is totally the opposite.

I'm just baffled and was wondering if any of you have experienced something similar.

Thanks,

Hogare

Different servers showing results or probably Google Dance but not very sure. Perhaps a more experienced person can answer with better logic.

I believe Google customises the ranks slightly to help increase your searching experience. If it sees that you're typing in "Keyword" a bunch and going to "keywordsite.com" a lot, then it will slightly bump it up.

I would use Rank Tracker to monitor your serps.

I've just checked in rank tracker and the result is the same as when I'm logged into google.

You would've thought that the results will be skewed when you're logged in, not the other way around. It's just weird...

When you log into Google, it will give you results based on what you're interested in and favors sites that you've spent a lot of time on in the past. If for some reason you visited your own site in the past but didn't stay on there long (you bounced), your rank will be LOWER under your login than it will when you're NOT logged in. Turn off your history logging in your account or at least clear it and you'll see results that are closer to the serps when you're logged out or they might be exactly like what the results are like when you're logged out.

Login to Google, and go to: http://www.google.com/accounts

click on the "web history" link in your account and then there's a button that says "remove all web history". Click it.

If you want to not log your history in the future and see funky results, then you can disable the history in general.

Google +1 also modifies your results while you're logged in. If you have friends who like/dislike a page and have shared it will you, then your rankings will be different based on what they like and dislike.

Google has LOTS of data centers as well and your rank may be different in different data centers because not all of them have synced yet. It can take anywhere from a week to a month or more for all data centers to update with the same info.

Hope this helps.

Actually Flibbertigibbet, what I'm saying is that I get the same results when I'm logged into google to the ones from rank tracker - position #30. So I get the impartial results when I'm logged in, but when I log out, clear all cookies and history using Crap Cleaner, I get the #2 result. I've checked multiple times; it is always the same.

Hogare said:

Actually Flibbertigibbet, what I'm saying is that I get the same results when I'm logged into google to the ones from rank tracker - position #30. So I get the impartial results when I'm logged in, but when I log out, clear all cookies and history using Crap Cleaner, I get the #2 result. I've checked multiple times; it is always the same.

Click to expand...

Oh I see. Which rank checker are you using? Some rank checkers will actually use personalized results, and you have to change the options in order to NOT get the personalized results- a good example of this is the Firefox rank checker tool. It also remembers previous rank checks within its own database, so you have to clear out the rank checker database as well, not just the website cookies for firefox. A few browser-based checkers do this- store a history of your rank checks. I'd suggest using online tools, not browser based tools because then you can check from different ip's or you can even use a proxy service like hidemyass to check rank. I use proxies sometimes the check my rankings in other countries, and it works really well and you don't have the personalized wonky impartial rank thing going on.

Panda update is rolling out and confirmed by a Tweet by Matt Cutts. Stability in ranks may not be good at the present time

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maheshhari Mahesh Makvana



@mattcutts Was that a minor Panda Update today?

14 Oct


in reply to ↑ @mattcutts Matt Cutts


@maheshhari late last night, yes.

14 Oct via web