Why does my Rank Checker result differ to SERPs
-
Hello SEOmoz members
I've got yet another naive question for you. RankChecker is telling me that my client has risen to pg 1 position 7. Whilst SERPs is telling me they are still on position 14. I know that SERPs is variable depending on many factors, but this holds true for separate searches on other computers in various far flung locations.
Please give me some insight into what is happening. I'm waiting to open the bubbly!
Thanks
-
Thanks Jassy. I'm beginning to think you are right. I'll keep the bubbly on ice for awhile longer!
-
I find it very inconsistent (in terms of accuracy that is). I'm really wondering whether I can share the results from it with clients because it does seem to vary so much from what we see.
I'm finding the seomoz rank checker is often out by several places - that's verified by people doing similar searches from different locations and different browsers. Logged in/out with google &pws=0 or not etc.
Perhaps it is a geographical thing? Most of my searches are in the UK and UK oriented.
-
Thanks that is good practical advice.
-
Thank you that's very helpful I'll try that.
-
Rather than look at definitive rank position you might concentrate on improvement week on week / month on month.
That way you'll get a clearer picture of how the things you do affect your overall rlevance and google ranking.
I do this for clients to good effect. I can't promis to get them any position but I can say if I can make improvements in their overall relevance. Mostly I focus on improvements per keyword. Linking tis to content is a good way to improve the website overall.
Create great content that is keyword focused and build links to that content. Your clients will love you for being transparent too.
-
Thank you that clearer - I'll put the bubbly in the fridge. Good to know I'm not the only one!
-
Hi Catherine,
This is a problem I face all the time with clients viewing SERPS for the same or similar search keywords from their browsers.
You're right that SERPs are dependant on many factors not least of which is the end user search history.
The way I explain this to clients is.
"Your browser has a history, your location has a history, your individual IP address has an effect on the results so it's impossible for you to make a search that is not influenced in some way by what Google or Bing already know. Our Rank Tracking through SEOmoz runs on a clean, server based software that helps to remove the types of factors that a computer browser makes. That's why we're seeing a difference."
I usually see the rankings around the other was (SEOmoz = lower / Browser = higher) so it's not usually a problem apart from client trust relationship. IE do they trust me when results are different.
Bit of a bland answer but I hope that helps.
Steve
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Suddenly ranking dropped in US: What actions required to retain?
Hi Moz community, Our website has global audience, visitors and clients. Suddenly our website dropped in rankings for main keyword in US; which is our primary targeting country. Not sure why? This is been happening for last 2 months, we waited it to recover and now trying to fix if we can do anything about it. Is there anything wrong with back-links? What might be the factors contributing here for global website? Thanks
Algorithm Updates | | vtmoz0 -
Anyone have experience with using HTTPS compared to HTTP and how it could affect rankings?
Are there any negative or positive effects of using https over http when it comes to rankings?
Algorithm Updates | | classifiedtech0 -
Has anyone else noticed a major increase in Yelp, BBB, etc. results in local SERPs, pushing business websites further down?
Across multiple cities and markets, this seems to be a trend. "Chicago coffee shop" or "Minneapolis hair salon" or "Sacramento car repair" - outside the local 7-pack, virtually every result is Yelp, BBB, Yellowpages, etc. Is this related to algo changes, or simply a result of those national sites pumping major resources into SEO? It just seems to be suddenly far more prevalent than it was even 6 months ago.
Algorithm Updates | | kpclaypool1 -
Rankings Gone? Have I been effected by the Panda/Penguin Update(s)?
Our site www.alphameasure.com has been online since 2005 and currently has a page rank of 4. The site has always ranked on page one or two of Google for our primary keywords (Employee Satisfaction Survey, Employee Engagement Survey, Employee Surveys). I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but now our site is nowhere to be found. I'm thinking our ranking dropped somewhere in mid to late January? We did use an SEO company in the spring of 2012 that went on a link building campaign for us. They added about 450 inbound links over a three month period. Other than that - nothing has really change on the site. We're getting ready to release a new version of our software that was being re-written during all of 2012, so the timing of losing our rankings is just awful. Any help or ideas is greatly appreciated? Thanks in advance,
Algorithm Updates | | EngagedMetrics
Josh0 -
Rank Tracking & Personalized Search
How effective is rank tracking when google tends to deliver personalized search? I tend to clear out my browser of all info, cookies and cache so I can get the best results but how effective are rank tracking algo's in delivering accurate results. I run various apps and tests and I get different results.
Algorithm Updates | | bronxpad0 -
Sub-Links of Organic SERP
I would like to know if you can modify (or suggest) the sub-links under an organic listing. For Example: Main Link/Title = COMPANY NAME - What We Do.... Sub-Links (popular pages within site) currently include links like: Locations / Catalog Request / Bestsellers Is it possible to suggest other pages as sub-links or do the search engines determine these? Please advise, and thanks in advance....
Algorithm Updates | | WhiteCap0 -
Lesser visited, but highly ranked landing paged dropped in rank on Google. Time for a content update?
I noticed that my page one ranked landing pages that don't get a lot of love from me have dropped in rank big time on Google this week. This is a site that has static (meaning, I can't freshen up the content easily) landing pages for products that we sell. The pages that dropped are the ones that have the fewest inbound links, and don't get much attention on the social media side. Our most important landing pages have also dropped, but just a few spots on page one. This is a first for me. Does anyone think that this is a "lack of freshness" penalty? We are still number one on page one for our brand search terms. Would fresh content give me a shot at getting the pages back up? I'm willing to update them slowly, but before I go crazy, I'm reaching out to the pros here.
Algorithm Updates | | Ticket_King0 -
If you rank first organically for a keyword, will you rank first for variations?
Hi everyone, Hoping that someone will be able to answer this question for us. If we rank first organically for a keyword, are we safe to assume that we'll rank first (or close to it) for variations of that keyword as well? E.g. If we rank first easily for "Hamilton Island", can we safely assume that we will rank well organically for close variations of that keyword such as "Hamilton Islands", "Hamiltonisland", "Hamilton Island Hotel" due to the fact that "Hamilton Island" is in those keywords? We're deciding which keywords to monitor in SEOmoz and we don't want to waste keywords on very similar terms if we don't have to. Really appreciate any responses! Cheers.
Algorithm Updates | | HamiltonIsland0