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If you regularly check your SERP (Search Engine Results Page) ranking like many of us do, you may get fooled if you aren't aware of the impact of personalization of search.
Basically, the more you click on a website from a Google search, the higher the site's pages will appear to rank. However, this upward movement in ranking when you do a search does not necessarily mean that your potential customers will have the same experience.
Google is trying to make things easier for the typical searcher. If you click on a particular shopping site every time you do a specific search, Google will move that site up so that you can more easily find it the next time you search for the same thing.
This benefit turns into an annoyance for Internet Marketers. It makes it harder to know where you really rank.
There are a couple of ways to get around this. Logging out of your Google account isn't one of them. Personalization of search is cookie based and therefore does not require your even having a Google account.
Here is what I do: I do most of my Internet activities while using Firefox as my browser. I do searches and click on the results like normal while I'm using Firefox.
I use Safari to check ranking. I never click on a link in a SERP while using Safari.
If you already use Safari, you can use Opera or one of the other browsers. Since cookies are stored in your browser, you are a "different person" if you use a different browser.
Basically, the more you click on a website from a Google search, the higher the site's pages will appear to rank. However, this upward movement in ranking when you do a search does not necessarily mean that your potential customers will have the same experience.
Google is trying to make things easier for the typical searcher. If you click on a particular shopping site every time you do a specific search, Google will move that site up so that you can more easily find it the next time you search for the same thing.
This benefit turns into an annoyance for Internet Marketers. It makes it harder to know where you really rank.
There are a couple of ways to get around this. Logging out of your Google account isn't one of them. Personalization of search is cookie based and therefore does not require your even having a Google account.
Here is what I do: I do most of my Internet activities while using Firefox as my browser. I do searches and click on the results like normal while I'm using Firefox.
I use Safari to check ranking. I never click on a link in a SERP while using Safari.
If you already use Safari, you can use Opera or one of the other browsers. Since cookies are stored in your browser, you are a "different person" if you use a different browser.
