Are you misled by your website´s position in Google?

Are you misled by your website's position in Google?

by Tom Trush

Ever see changes in your website's position on Google depending on the computer you use?

What about a jump or drop in your website's placement on different days?

Here's one possible reason for the variations:

Late last year, Google began personalizing results for anyone who uses its search engine. Previously, this feature was only available for signed-in users who had the "Web History" option enabled on their Google accounts.

This change means Google now customizes your search results based on your previous 180 days of search activity. You'll know when your results are personalized when you see "View customizations" on the top right of your search results page.

If you don't want to receive customized results, you can click the link and turn off the search customization. Once the page opens, click the sentence that reads, "If you're curious, you can see what a search for [your searched term] looks like without these improvements." A new window will then open with adjusted search results.

By clicking the "View customizations" link, you can also see if other criteria were used in your original search results. In some cases, your search results are personalized according to your location.

If you're signed into a Google account, you can also turn off the personalized search setting by going into your Web History and selecting the "Remove items" option.

Here's a post on Google's blog with more information about personalized search click here.

-----

FREE LAWYER MARKETING ALERT: If you'd like to receive Trey Ryder's weekly Lawyer Marketing Alert, send an e-mail to [email protected]. Write "Subscribe LMA" in the subject line and write your name and e-mail address in the body of the message.