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How do you KNOW Where You Rank on Google?

By Marte Cliff

Services for Real Estate Pros with Marte Cliff Copywriting

January 11, 2012 08:02 AM

Google just keeps changing the way they do things, and I'm not so sure I like it.

In fact I'm sure I don't.

For one thing, my searches STILL bring me to link farms. I thought the updates were supposed to do away with that and take me straight to the information I wanted. Not so.

But that's not the most troubling factor...

But what's really puzzling is trying to figure out how we KNOW how our keywords are ranking. Now that they're trying to anticipate what we want, I think the results I get and the results you get might be something entirely different.

For instance, if I Google real estate copywriter, my screen shows my copybymarte.com in 1st positon, marte-cliff.com in 3rd position, and my good friend Kay Steele Faulk in #4. Kay shows up again at #10 and #30 and I'm there again at #20 & 27.

Are those results because I have visited my own sites and Kay's site?

Or are those results representative of what someone else would find?

And what about geography? Am I on page one because I'm here in Idaho? Would someone in Florida get the same results - or only someone here in Idaho?

Anybody know the answers?

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Chris Lewis

Gracious Living Realty - Front Royal, VA

I want to SELL your home, not LIST it!

You would get different results depending on your location and also on which of Google's servers your search is being conducted. As always, and as I know you understand, the key is to write good, informative, original content and Google will rank you accordingly.

Jan 11, 2012 08:19 AM

Michael S. Bolton

Michael S. Bolton,Inc. - Zimmerman, MN

MN Appraiser

Hi Marte, I searched Google and my location has MN and you came up number 2! That's pretty good in my book.

Jan 11, 2012 08:43 AM

Ken Brandon

Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage (Jacksonville, NC) - Jacksonville, NC

Camp Lejeune, Jacksonville, NC

I just read a post from another AR member yesterday and there he listed a couple of sites you could use to mask your IP address to find out how you would truly rank to someone searching your key words for the first time.

Here is a link to his blog: http://activerain.com/blogsview/2707988/google-is-lying-to-you-about-your-rankings-how-to-find-the-truth-

His name is Chase Green and the info was very helpful.

Jan 11, 2012 09:08 AM

Marte Cliff

Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID

Your real estate writer

Chris - That's what I thought, although I didn't know about the difference in servers.

Michael - Thank you for doing that!

Ken - That's wonderful. Thank you for sharing. I'll go to his post and thank him too!

Jan 11, 2012 09:53 AM

Mimi Foster

Falcon Property Company - Colorado Springs, CO

Voted Colorado Springs Best Realtor

Good information from Ken. When I first started Googling myself (sounds dirty :) ), I was SO excited when I kept taking top places . . . until I realized that it is the system that remembers what you were looking for. I'm going to study Chase's article.

Jan 11, 2012 10:18 AM

Mimi - Yes, you can get all excited thinking you've got great rankings - until you realize Google is just sending you back to where you've been before.

Jan 11, 2012 11:03 AM

Marge Piwowarski

Phoenix AZ Horse Property - Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix AZ Horse Property, LLC

Marte, Here is a screen shot from my computer in Laveen, AZ. Notice that Google thinks I am in San Diego, Google often thinks I am in Califoirnia for several reasons. I use Firefox set to erase History and cookies when the browser is closed. Makes it hard for them to get much info.

So, here, your sites are both on the first page with another AR person between your sites along with some others.

Jan 11, 2012 11:41 AM

Thanks Marge - that was sweet of you to take a look. This is very similar to what I get - my friend Kay is still there at # 3 - indicating that she's not just coming up on page one because I've visited her site.

Jan 11, 2012 01:40 PM

TERI LINDSAY

Reno, NV

STAGELIGHT HOME STAGING CO.

OK....all the ranking info can be useful for me as I am building a new website for a home based business: Pahaska Hand-Knit Hats Co. I am researching SEO and keywords this week before I start writing content for the site..... thanks for the FYI!

Jan 11, 2012 02:03 PM

Teri - You may already know this, but if you're new to writing copy, check out this other post as well: http://activerain.com/blogsview/2710761/a-copywriting-trick-you-can-use

Jan 11, 2012 04:24 PM

Kathy Clulow

Uxbridge, ON

Trusted For Experience - Respected For Results

Marte - just ask and fellow AR members will let you know checking in from Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada your site www.marte-cliff.com/ is number three for the organic search results out of 17,200,000 results. The question is did you show up there because of our AR connections and the fact that I have this post open as I search.

Jan 13, 2012 07:07 AM

Thanks Kathy, that was sweet of you to look it up for me.

I just googled Uxbridge, Ontario real estate and from here your website comes up in the #2 spot on page one from 150,000 results. Your Active Rain profile is at #8. I'd say that's "Doin' fine!"

Jan 13, 2012 12:01 PM

How do you KNOW Where You Rank on Google?

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