Time based search positions, are they a thing?

[KJDMedia]

I've been working on a particularly competitive keyword which I have been obsessively checking twice a day for a couple of weeks. I have noticed something odd which I'd like to check if anyone in the community has picked up too.

If I check the SERP position in the morning, before 8am, my rankings are gaining, but not as quickly as I'd like. If I check the positions in the afternoon, before 5pm, I notice a gain of two - three SERP positions.

The site I'm working on is listed as a local business and it's opening hours have been added. Is Google serving SERP positions based on opening hours? That's my best guess, but I'd appreciate any other possible explanations.

Thanks in advance

[MiriamEllis]

Hi Matthew,

You write:

"... my client operates as a financier. As a result, the company offers online finance applications, which are supported by an effective call centre."

I want to verify:

1. Does this business actually make face-to-face contact with its customers?

2. Are the ranking changes you are noticing in the organic results or in the local pack of results?

[KJDMedia]

Hi Dave & Miriam,

Thanks for your responses. They both have me intrigued.

To clarify a couple of points, I'm checking the rankings from my machine in the office. I don't think the results are being affected by my search location or my client's as we're based in the same area and I'm the one picking up the fluctuation. I'd like to know if it's possible that I'm accessing a different database at different times of the day?

Alternatively, is it possible that the rankings are changing over a period of hours on a daily basis? I've never noticed swings this quickly or with such a regular difference on a daily basis. I'm noticing the exact same shift today.

Miriam, to give you a little more information: I'm based in South Africa and my client operates as a financier. As a result, the company offers online finance applications, which are supported by an effective call centre. Applicants can apply for finance at any point during the day, however, the call centre and offices are only open during business hours and their company listings note this. My only competitors on my target keywords are our major local banks, so the space is competitive.

I'm watching the keyword very closely and would appreciate any suggestions on documenting the shifts so that I can get to the bottom of it.

Again, thanks for the input.

[MiriamEllis]

Hi Matthew,

Well, I'm fascinated! If I'm understanding you correctly, you're saying that the business seems to rank better in the local pack during the hours you've stated it is open for business on the Google+ Local page. This is something I've not seen documented anywhere, but I just spoke with Nyagoslav Zhekov of WhiteSpark.ca and he mentioned that he had once come across a discussion in which a business was failing to rank apparently because their stated hours of operation wrongly represented the business as only being open in the middle of the night.

I don't have any documentation or examples, but an anecdote like this does make one have to consider that Google may well take hours of operation into consideration. I am curious about what your client's business model is, if you can share. Like a retail shop, an emergency service? I wonder if it could be more of a factor in certain industries. Google must get it that people looking for certain things might want them right away. For example, if I'm searching for a pizza, I'd probably want to know which restaurants are open right now. If I'm searching for a lawyer ... maybe not so much.

I'd be interested to read any other details you can provide. As I've said, this isn't a well-cited phenomenon, so you may be breaking some ground here with what you've noticed.

[danwebman]

This is not the full answer, but I'm guessing that the explanation you've already given may have some weight. But also Google doesn't use one database and they can often be out of sync. I've had examples where I say something is #1 anonymously and my boss checks in London and he says it's #2. I then check again and it's moved to #2.

Great to see if there is a more definitive answer on this subject.