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How well do you rank on Google? Who’s above you? Who’s below you?

What I’m about to tell you is understood by many, but not all, of us. It’s important that you understand personalized search results.

When you do a search on Google, especially when you’re logged into Google, you see search results that are customized for you. Your results differ from the results presented to others. You can’t assume that your results are even remotely similar to the results other searchers are seeing.

If you’ve searched on a phrase in the past—like “Raleigh divorce lawyer”—then you’re seeing different results than someone who has never searched on that phrase previously.

How to Go Generic

You can, if you like, discover the results others are getting, but you have to tweak your web browser before doing the search. All of the major browsers support private browsing. You’ll need to switch modes so you’re doing your browsing privately if you want to see generic, nonpersonalized results.

In Google Chrome, for example, you click on the “File” menu and then select “New Incognito Window.” Now, do your search in the window you just opened. Each browser does this slightly differently.

Your incognito (or private) window will allow you to do the search without sending any identifying information to the search engine. By keeping your identity private, you’ll get a noncustomized search result.

Beware of Skewed Search Results

I recently met a lawyer who thought he was ranking very well in Google. He wasn’t. Based on his frequent searches for his own site, Google’s algorithm assumed that he was interested in finding his site. Google helpfully put the result it assumed he wanted at the top of the page. This guy couldn’t understand why he wasn’t getting more calls given his high rank.

When we switched his browser over to a private window, he realized that he didn’t rank nearly as well as he thought. That explained the lack of calls. Only he was seeing his results high up on the page. The rest of the world wasn’t seeing him unless they paged over to the fifth page of results, and most people don’t go that far.

Do a quick search using a private browser window. Find out where you really rank. Figure out where your competitors rank. That will give you some insight into what’s really happening on the search engines.