Rankings changing based on location within a country... normal?

[atcosl]

I recently had a satellite office across the country come to me and say that they couldn't find us on Google, based on a number of keywords they were searching on.  I thought that isn't right... I know we rank for those terms. So, I did a search here, and there we were for those very terms, and ranking quite nicely.

Sooo, what's going on there?  I know there are variations from Google.com to Google.ca in terms of ranking. But within Google.ca I've not seen this before.

Can anyone shed some light on that?

[flowsimple]

Yes there are variations within the country too. Depending on your service, and your location it can vary every 10 miles or less too! Like try "plumber Miami" in 33129 or 33186. Completely different results.

Also just in case: when you're checking your own rankings, are you logged in to a Google account? Google search results are not only localized they are also personalized. So this will greatly affect what YOU see vs. what someone else will see.

[atcosl]

Yes, I am logged into my Google account. Wow I wasn't aware of that. I must do some more testing.

I'm not even putting a location into the search term. They're really just our head and a few long-tail keywords. It's interesting to see such variations.

Thanks!

[RyanKent]

Google collects a ton of information about your browsing habits. If you are pro-Google, then you will accept this collection is used to provide you with the best search results possible. They have the ability to filter results not just by location but pretty much by any factor you can view in Google Analytics.

If you type in "Clear browser cache", Google KNOWS what browser you are using and can add the "Firefox" term in on your behalf, without it being apparent to the user. Take a close look at the wealth of information offered in GA.

I recently searched for some lightbulbs online. Now, whatever said I visit shows lightbulb ads. Google KNOWS I am a possible lightbulb customer.

When the CIA wants information on someone, they go to Google.