Huge ranking difference between google and bing

[EcomLkwd]

I am trying to rank for the keyword "trash bags" I did  a lot of on-page optimization and link building. We started ranking #2 on bing and yahoo but google seems to be stubbornly fluctuating between being as high as 20 and as low as 45 and even dropped our rankings for a couple of weeks. Is there any need for concern if google is acting so different from bing/yahoo?

[VividIT]

Not really. I have seen that when I optimize or change elements of a page that are big SEO elements (Title,Htag,Content) Google usually goes through a fluctuation but then returns or improves upon my position. That is of course unless you "de-optimized" your pages for that term. Like pulling it out of strong SEO positions.

I would start to think about making changes if no improvements come after about 3-4 weeks depending on your crawl rate.

You might also want to check on some of the link building you have done to the page. Some of those links you built may be devaluing your page. Make sure you have a healthy backlink profile going to that page.

[Want1stPlaceYesterday]

My site currently ranks #1 for my main keyword on yahoo and bing and has done for years. I used to rank #1-7 for the keyword on google and hundreds of related keywords. After penguin google hates our site now. We rank nowhere in top 200 for our keyword with no penalty applied, contacted google and they say no manual action has been taken. Its nuts.

Bit of a rant but from what I see if you try to rank for a keyword with anchor text in links google will punish you for it. Google is totally nuts. New sites with no links rank better.

My advice is to avoid any form of anchor text on site or off with your keyword trash bags in it. Just use your site name to try to dilute your link profile from trash bags.

[EcomLkwd]

Thanks Tom for your reply. I forgot to mention one point in my question - I used to rank for 'trash bags' somewhere by #13 and after I optimized the website to rank for that term it hasn't seen the daylight.

Does that change the question a bit?

[KeriMorgret]

I think of it as why did my mom tell me I couldn't go to the mall when my dad told me I could. Same question, asked of two people with the same goal (to parent their child), yet Mom took into account that I had been playing video games instead of doing homework, while Dad took into account that I had cleaned my room the previous weekend.

The two engines have different indexes and different factors they look for in ranking things. I'd be sure to check in Google Webmaster Tools to see if there are any notices to you there. Also look at who is ranking above you on Google and see if there's a reason you should be above them (do you have higher-quality content? more links? etc).

[VividIT]

Hey Rachel,

I don't think it would be cause for concern per se. Google and Bing operate on completely different algorithms. You are definitely going to want to continue to work on your SEO until you see that ranking stabilize. It may just be an issue of time.

Hope that eases your mind a bit.

Tom