Google Search Results Based On Your IP?

by ExploringInfinity Posted: 15 years ago 7 replies

Hi folks,

A friend of mine is trying to tell me that google displays results based on your IP address, so some of my pages are going to show high in google results when I do a search, but when he does a search it will show different placement.

I don't know how true this is, and I am looking for some insights.

I have a site ranked #2 for its keyword, and he is saying that for him my page is 'on the first page, but not at the top'. and it's because of our IP addresses being different...

I told him that if this was the case, then SEO would be mostly pointless and people would have stopped it a long time ago.

What do you knowledgeable warriors know about this?

#search engine optimization #based #google #results #search

toolmaster 15 years ago

I know Google tracks your IP. They also display Adwords ads based on your IP. This is primarily for advertisers that want to advertise to a specific location.

As far as search results coming up different; I wouldn't doubt that they use your IP (location) to some extent when displaying results. However, keep in mind that Google has servers all over the world. So results that show in your location might not have propagated to your friends location yet; or vise versa.
- [1] reply
- JeffreyKang 15 years ago
  
  If you're worried about your SEO efforts becoming obsolete, change your SEO tactics instead. Try changing the keyword you're trying to dominate to a specific location like "discount office chairs los angeles" instead of just "discount office chairs."
  
  Yes, Google tracks your IP and displays results according to it. If you want IP-independent search results, you have to do searches while signed into your Google account.
  
  This SEO curse is actually one of the reasons why more people are joining PPC networks. Check my signature.
  
  [1] reply
bosmolskate 15 years ago

Use HideMyAss dot com and then go to Google and search to see your true rankings
Jordan Kovats 15 years ago

Also, make sure you are logged out of your Google account when checking. Besides, your friend could be getting his results from a different data centre. Different ISP's use different data centres. Last year, I was showing #15 for my keyword, I asked my neighbour to check for me, I was showing #4 at his house. We had different ISP's could be the ONLY reason, as our geographical location was beasically, insignificant.
dburk 15 years ago

Hi ExploringInfinity,

Your friend is correct, it's called "Personalized Search".

YouTube - Personalized Search
- [1] reply
- ExploringInfinity 15 years ago
  
  So does anyone know how much this effects search rankings, and what it implies for SEOs?

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Google Search Results Based On Your IP?

ExploringInfinity • 15 years ago • 7 replies

Hi folks, A friend of mine is trying to tell me that google displays results based on your IP address, so some of my pages are going to show high in google results when I do a search, but when he does a search it will show different placement.