Google changes its algorithms hundreds of times over the course of a year, but only few are significant enough to warrant warning. In many instances your Google search results will vary. If you want to experiment for yourself, search for something common that you research frequently, and then log out of your account and search again.
If you are logged into your Google account while doing a search on Google this store of data will be used by Google to help refine your search based on past behavior. A Google account can be used simultaneously on multiple devices, creating a large web of user data that Google can collect and use to refine search parameters for a given Google account. Millions of people have Google accounts, using them to access Gmail, Google Drive, Google Voice, and dozens of other related services. The farther you travel the more pronounced the differences are likely to be. Do a Google search for the keywords you usually use to reach your company’s page or other common searches that you do and see how much the results change from what you normally see. The next time you go on vacation or travel out of town give it a shot. This can be a benefit for local businesses who are only seeking customers in close proximity, but can stymie national firms working to achieve broader visibility. If you search “plumber,” the first listing returned will likely be a plumber close to you. Google relies heavily on location services, meaning that your search results will generally reflect the location settings on the device you are using. However, this will only be true for your searches, on your computer or smartphone, using the same web browser. You may be surprised how quickly that link will make its way up the rankings on your specific computer, tablet or smartphone. Want to try it for yourself? Google a phrase, then select a link on page 2. Pages that you visited from the links in the results Google returned will start to show up more and more in your results, frequently moving higher on the page, potentially creating a false impression that a website page is ranked higher than it actually is. If you’ve searched Google using the same keywords and phrases, and repeatedly clicked on specific links from the results Google returned your results will change over time. Results may be the same, or they may differ slightly or even significantly. One way to check on this variation is to use a different browser (Firefox, Safari, Chrome, Edge) and search for the same exact keyword phrase. Repeated searches for a given keyword phrase may make a given company or webpage seem particularly favored in the results pages and slowly move higher in the results that a given search returns. This can be especially misleading for businesses used to searching their own company name or specific keywords on a regular basis. If you regularly search for similar keywords, Google will remember this, offering you results based on prior searches. Previous Google Searches On a Single Deviceĭo you remember everything you’ve searched for with Google in the past? Probably not, but Google does, or at least up until the last point you cleared your browser cache and cookies. Here are 9 factors that can play a role in the results Google returns for your searches and what is displayed in the SERPs.ġ. The results displayed on desktop and laptop computer will be different than phones and tablets. It is also important to remember that how Google displays different elements can also vary depending on the device being used. Then we’ll examine the other elements that Google may insert into the SERPs. To understand how Google’s efforts change your search results we’ll first look at the standard items involved in determining results. There are many different elements that determine what Google displays for a given search term.
The broader answer requires a look at the specific keyword search phrase, how the search is done, the location where the search is done, the type of device that is used (desktop, tablet, phone), and the continuing evolution of the Google Search Engine. Sounds like a simple question, but it’s not. What causes Google search results to change? However, these changes are actually quite intentional.
Many users, especially those not well-versed in Google’s mysterious and ever-changing search algorithm, may attribute this to simple error. A common question about Google search results is “Why do Google search results vary even when using the same exact search words or phrase?” Even when using the same computer, phone, or tablet?