You want to see how you rank for your name or your business name and how you rank for the keywords and phrase you target. But are you looking at the real results?
Have you ever looked to see how you ranked on the Google or Yahoo? You typed in a keyword or phrase and found yourself right away. However, when someone else searches for you, you are no where to be found. I’m not talking about results coming from someone else’s computer. WOW, I always thought I was on the first page?
I’m talking about how web history affects what you see. If you go to Google and search for something, look up in the right top corner to see if you are signed in. Sign out if you are and while you are still at the top right corner, go to web history. In the sidebar on the left, choose pause web history.
Now you will see the real results when you search. If web history is enabled, Google gives you results with more priority placed on sites you have visited. So it may look like you have a number one Google listing when you really don’t.
I have dealt with this in my line of work for a long time. I talk to a business owner and ask them about their ranking on the search engines and they say I am at the top and they hang up on me. However, While I am on the phone with them I am looking at a keyword or phrase for their business on the search engine and they are no where to be found.
I hope this will help some of the business owners and marketing managers who think they are in that #1 position see the light. I am here to answer any other questions or better yet give your website a free analysis to show you its strengths and weaknesses and how well you measure up to your competition.