Google’s Custom Search Results Will Trick You

Are you logged into your Gmail account right now? What about another one of Google’s accounts – like Docs, Picasa, or AdWords?

Whatever it is, if you’re logged into Google’s system, they’re probably tracking your search behavior.

Please understand – this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Google tracks user behavior in a non-specific way – i.e. Google’s computers aren’t noting that “Jason Lancaster of Littleton Colorado searched for ‘acid reflux’ on June 13th at 3:13pm.” Google assures us that they’re not tracking personal info – mostly just using your behavior to determine the best way to help you.

In any case, unless you’ve opted out of their tracking system, anytime you interact with Google.com while logged into one of Google’s systems, your search engine results are going to be skewed. Badly. Here’s an example:

One of my clients is working hard to rank for a particular local search term, and last weekend he sent me an email thanking me for helping rank #1 overall. While I was excited, I was a little concerned. Frankly, I hadn’t done that much for this person in terms of SEO. If they ranked first, it wasn’t because of me. More importantly, I was almost sure that the site didn’t quite have the chops to rank and if I was wrong I had to know why.

After taking a look at my favorite rank checking tool, I realized what happened: My client was logged into his Gmail account when he searched. Google, in an effort to show him the “best” search result, showed him his own personal website #1 overall. Hence the email, the elation, and then my letdown later that day (sorry dude).

In any case, here’s my recommendation when it comes to Google’s custom search results:

1. Consider opting out. I don’t think it’s a bad system, and I certainly don’t believe Google is out to get me, but opting out of their tracking systems is the easiest way to keep from getting tricked. You can opt out of personalized ads here and to opt out of web history, go here and click “Pause” on the left-hand column. This isn’t my first choice – see below.

2. Always conduct important searches while being logged out. I prefer this method personally – it’s a little more work but I don’t have to give up any of Google’s cool features.

3. Consider switching IPs for the really important searches. Some say that, even if you opt-out of personalized search, Google still tracks your searches by your IP address. I think this is somewhat true, so I would recommend heading to another location when it’s time to check your rankings (in addition to step 1 or 2 above).

4. Use a rank checking tool. These aren’t 100% bulletproof either (they’re still at the whim of Google’s personalized results), but they’re a pretty decent trending tool. SEOMoz is my favorite, but they require a monthly membership fee and most non-SEO’s won’t get much value from this site. SEOBook has a toolbar that you can use which is probably the best free option available.

5. Login to Google’s webmaster tools to track your own site. If you don’t have a webmaster tools account, you can create one for free. Google will tell you exactly where you rank in their system for a variety of search terms once your account has been active for a few months. This is the best option for tracking your own site’s rankings.

In any case, watch out for personalized search results – Google will trick you.