Let’s face it, robots are going to take over the world.

With moves like those, it’s inevitable. So stop trying to fight it, and embrace all robots have to offer. Like sweet, sweet machine learning algorithms.

Case in point: Google’s Responsive Display Ads.

These display ads are automatically created by Google using its game-changing machine learning. We know what you’re thinking. But robots!

Don’t worry.

There is still use for you as a human. Because Google Display Ads work best when you (a human) provide its algorithms with the right kind of assets. Not to mention, provide strategy and management once the ads are up. Robots can do a lot, but they can’t do it all, after all.

Below we’re going to share 21 Responsive Display Ads best practices to ensure your assets have the right stuff, and the display ads Google’s robot AI creates for you perform at the best level possible.

What Exactly is a Google Responsive Display Ad?

Google Responsive Display Ads are ads created by Google automatically using assets that you provide. These assets include:

• Long Headline
• Short Headline
• Description
• Images (or video)
• Your logo

Google then takes those individual assets, combines them into countless variations, and sends them out across the Google Display Network. Like this:

The Google Display Network is a group of over three million websites, news pages, and blogs, as well over 650,000 apps, where your ads can appear. By tapping into this network, you can reach people while they’re browsing their favorite websites, watching YouTube videos, checking their Gmail, or using an app.

Best of all, Google will automatically adjust the size, appearance, and format of your assets to fit the available ad space in each of these locations. Which is why they’re called “responsive.”

Avoid This Mistake When Creating Responsive Display Ads

With all this AI and robot talk, it’s easy to get complacent and think ‘I’ll just let the robots handle this.” And like we mentioned before, the use of AI is AMAZING…but it does not replace the need for human touch.

So while the end result created by Google can be amazing, it will only be as amazing as the assets you provide at the start.

So what’s the mistake to avoid?

Not doing your due diligence upfront, and failing to follow responsive display advertising best practices.

21 Best Practices for Google Display Ads

To ensure you don’t make the mistake we just mentioned above, here are some important Google Display Ads guidelines, shared by the pros from our PPC team, to follow. These will help ensure your assets work together in any and all configurations Google might conjure for your responsive display ads.

1. Adhere to Google’s Ad Policies

First and foremost, you need to make sure your ads comply with Google Ads Policies. Chances are you’re not going to read those. We get it. Disclaimers are super boring. So in a nutshell, don’t be gimmicky or deceptive and you’ll likely be okay.

2. Upload at Least 3-5 Images

Responsive display ads require a minimum of two images and allow up to 15 assets. While you should add as many assets as you can that work for your ad messaging, at the very least we recommend providing no less than 3-5 images.

3. Be Mindful of Aspect Ratios for Images

Google allows two aspect ratios for image assets.

• 91:1 (landscape)
• 1:1 (square)

One of your images MUST have an aspect ratio of 1.91:1. The rest can use either of the two.

Please note that landscape images must have a minimum size of 600×314 and square images must have a minimum size of 300×300. After you upload your images, Google will resize them in order to fit particular ad sizes.

4. Be Mindful of Aspect Ratios for Logos

Google requires different aspect ratios for logos, than images. Logos must be sized to one of the following:

• 4:1 (landscape)
• 1:1 (square)

It is preferable to upload logos sized to each of those aspect ratios. However, if you can only upload a single version of your logo, prioritize a 1:1 logo.

Although landscape logos can have a minimum size of 512×128, and square logos a minimum size of 128×128, we recommend you upload logos sized either to 1200×300 (for landscape) or 1200×1200 (for square) to ensure they appear at the highest quality.

5. Upload Transparent Logos, If Possible

To give Google the most flexibility when automatically creating your display ads, and ensure they look as good as possible across all configurations, it is ideal if your logo is uploaded with a transparent background.

White backgrounds are also acceptable. Anything else (like colored backgrounds) should NOT be used.

6. Be Mindful of the Space Around Your Logo

The white space, or padding, around your logo should be 1/16th of the logo size. For those of who you hate math, this means that your logo shouldn’t abutt the edges of your image (like the examples in #4) but should be centered with some (not a lot) of white space surrounding it.

7. Use the Right File Type for Images and Logos

Make sure your image and logo assets are one of the following formats.

• JPG
• PNG
• GIF (not animated)

That means no TIFFs, PDFs, SVGs, WebPs, animated GIFs, BMPs or any other combination of letters that you can imagine other than the three listed above.

8. Keep File Size Under 5mb

You cannot upload assets larger than 5mb. This hopefully shouldn’t be an issue with your logos and images (which should almost always be under 1mb), but if you’re uploading a video there is a chance it could be too large to be accepted.

9. Don’t Use Blurry Images

Images are the most crucial element of responsive display ads. It is critical that they appear in the highest quality possible. The success of your ad depends on it. So make sure your images are as clear as possible.

This also means not using images that are full of color and easy to see. Not washed out, saturated, or using a low opacity.

10. Avoid Images with Borders

Your images should appear at the very edge of the composition, and borders should be transparent and square (i.e. not rounded).

11. Avoid Using Filters

The image assets you use should be uploaded in their original color composition. Meaning you have not inverted their colors or used filters excessively to change the color tone.

12. Do Not Overlay Your Logo

Don’t overlay a logo on top of an image that you upload. This could cause repetition and visual confusion, as Google will in some ad layouts automatically overlay your logo asset over your separate image assets. If you have an image where the logo is organically integrated into the photograph, then you can use it. Just be aware your logo may appear multiple times in certain layouts.

13. Do Not Overlay Text

Avoid inserting text on top of an image. When assets are automatically combined by Google, layouts will vary so you don’t know exactly how that text will appear and your messaging can become repetitive when put alongside your headline and description. Text can also become unreadable in smaller ad sizes.

You can however use text that is naturally embedded or integrated in an image. But if you need to do so, we recommend that 20% or less of the display asset be text.

14. Do Not Overlay Buttons

Do not use button graphics within your images. Only use the original image.

Remember those policies from above? Buttons that promise non-existent functionality are one of the deceptive practices that go against Google standards. Similarly, do NOT use text like “Play” or “Download” anywhere in the display ad.

15. Focus Images Around Your Product and Services

The product or service you are promoting should be the main focus of your asset. As a rule of thumb, blank space should not take up more than 80% of the image.

16. Don’t Use Collages

Use a single image per asset. Meaning don’t upload a single asset that contains a collage of images (i.e. multiple images in the same composition).

17. Avoid Generic, Click-Bait Messaging

Your headlines and descriptions should use clear, compelling, simple text to describe your product, service or brand. Descriptions have an 80-character limit so it is important to convey a complete message concisely.

• Bad Example
  • Headline: TitanBOT
  • Description: CLICK HERE to learn more!
• Good Example
  • Headline: Get better SEO insight with TitanBOT
  • Description: Setup a free demo to find opportunities for your site today.

            Your text should use sentence case and avoid the use of ALL CAPS.

18. Include Prices, Promotions and Exclusives

Don’t make your ad mysterious. Provide as much useful information via your headlines and description as you can. Your audience is more likely to click your ad if they can make an immediate, informed decision about what you’re promoting. This includes inserting pricing info, promo codes, and using terms like “special offer,” “coupon”, and “discount” when relevant.

19. Ensure Your Landing Page Matches Your Ad Text

In addition to providing the assets listed above to Google, you’ll also need to share a landing page for the ad to point to. Your landing page’s copy and call-to-action need to match the text of your ad. If your ad text says “one day sale” then your landing page should be about that one-day sale. If your ad says “take a demo,” then your landing page should let users sign up for a demo.

20. Take Advantage of Auto-Generated Videos

Google responsive display ads come with an advanced format option to automatically generate videos using your assets. When selected, Google will create a video by combining your images, logo and text assets.

To create an auto-generated video you need to upload at least one log and either 3 landscape images, or 4 square images.

21. Set Up Dynamic Remarketing for Display Ads

Google makes it really easy to turn your responsive display ads into retargeting ads. All you need to do is attach a feed (i.e. database of your products and services) to your campaigns. Then let Google take care of the rest. Learn more about how to create a feed for responsive ads.

You + Google’s Display Algorithms = Perfect Match

Despite how efficiently Google can automatically generate countless, beautiful looking ads, there’s still a need for a human’s touch. Otherwise the assets you upload to Google won’t be up to snuff, and your responsive display ads will underperform.

The Google Display Network reaches over 90% of Internet users worldwide. Their responsive display ads are a great way to tap into that network. With a stat like that, it would be silly not to give display ads a try. Just make sure when you do, you follow the responsive display ads best practices listed above.

And buy your creative team something nice. Because you’re going to need their help. And once your ads are up, give us a call. And we’ll help you maximize your ad performance further. We’re all about working with robots.

You know what sucks? Looking for data.

It’s just not fun.

We collect it. We use it. We analyze it. But no one really likes searching for it.

Don’t get us wrong. We looooovvve data. In all its magnificent metriciness. The sky’s the limit when you have the right data at your disposal. But it’d be so much cooler if the data we needed just magically appeared at the exact moment we needed it.

Our love of instant datafication is the whole reason why we built TitanBOT. So everyone can spend less time looking for SEO data and more time doing literally anything else. That, and because you know what’s even worse than looking for data?

Guessing data.

That’s just awful.

And stupid.

Pro Tip: Basing business decisions off wild guesses never works.

Using tools to prevent the need to guess data is a no brainer. Tools that also make it easier to find insightful data? Well, that’s what separates the winners from the losers.

Enter the new Google Analytics 4. What is Google’s Analytics 4 platform? And how can you get it set up? We’ve created this complete GA4 guide to help you get started.

What is Google Analytics 4?

Google Analytics 4 is the fourth version of Google’s wildly popular online data analysis tool. It’s referred to as GA4 (or G4). Because that’s how numbers work.

The search and data giant calls its newly updated platform the “next generation of Google Analytics.” The new GA4 is based on their “App + Web” property and is fundamentally different than the only “Universal” Analytics.” Mainly in the way that it tracks data, and they way that it displays data – with the advantage of being able to give metrics for users across a website, an app, or both at the same time. Read the announcement to learn more.

Unless you’re steeped in GA lore, you probably didn’t even know there were three previous versions of Google Analytics. These past version are:

1. GA1 – known as Classic Google Analytics
2. GA2 – known as Universal Google Analytics
3. GA3 – also sometimes called Universal Google Analytics
4. GA4 – catchy name TBD

GA’s purpose has remained the same across all versions — to track and report website traffic data like a champ. The difference between them is in how they track that data.

In other words, Google Analytics 4 tracks web data in an all-new way.

Here’s an intro from Google explaining how:

Here’s the CliffsNotes version of that video: Google Analytics 4 is a unified offering for user centric analytics across app and web for all clients.

You probably think that sounds like word vomit. And you’d be right.

A simpler explanation is that GA4 offers better, more insightful, easier to find analytics than its predecessors. Though you probably could have guessed that on your own. Version 4 of something is usually better than version 1. That’s how numbers work.

So the question isn’t really what is Google Analytics 4 — it’s an analytics tool, just like every other version of GA. Rather, we want to know in what novel ways does Google Analytics 4 do its tool thing.

How Google Analytics 4 Tracks Web Data

To understand how GA4 tracks data, let’s take a quick look back at its development history using everyone’s favorite way to digest data (other than Google Analytics):

BULLET POINTS!

• A long, long time ago in the year 2019 people tracked digital engagement via two different methods:
  • Google Analytics for Website Engagement
  • Google Analytics for Firebase for App Engagement
• In July 2019, Google released a beta “App + Web Property,” which combined tracking web and app engagement into a single tool.
• In October 2020, beta testing finished and App + Web was renamed Google Analytics 4 and had a huge coming out party.
• Enter you. Today. Reading about the new Google Analytics 4. About to add GA4 to your workflow.

It’s been a wild ride.

No longer known as “App + Web Property Beta,” GA4 has grown up to become the now de facto default for any new property created in Google Analytics, whether that property is a website, an app or — gasp — both.

In other words, GA4 is Google’s Analytics’ version of adulting.

GA4 brings to fruition several developing Google technologies and integrates them into a more well-rounded, wisened, and responsible data analysis service. Technologies such as:

• Global Site Tag
• Google Signals
• Firebase Analytics

Streamlining these three into a single entity, and making it the default for all users, is how Google Analytics 4 tracks data differently than previous versions of GA.

How GA4 Tracks Data with Global Site Tag

Global Site Tag (also known as “gtag.js”) tracks new metrics without the need to update or add additional code.

In the past we used different tags to connect with different Google products. Global Site Tag combines these into a single, simplified dynamic tag that updates automatically. This means as Google adds new features and products, it will change the code for you.

For instance, GA4’s Enhanced Measurements lets you instantly track video and cross-domain engagement. Previously, you would have had to manually add additional tags yourself to do this.

As a result, GA4’s use of the Global Site Tag reduces the amount of time analysts spend finding data.

How GA4 Tracks Data with Google Signals

In case you haven’t heard, Google is phasing out cookies. And where Google goes, the online world follows. Google Signals is a move to embrace new privacy policies without limiting data analysis.

By automatically integrating with Google Signals, GA4 can ascertain incredibly accurate data by identifying users across multiple platforms (who haven’t disabled ad personalization), even if not logged in. It then uses a process called conversion modeling to analyze that subset of users and apply it to larger audiences.

In a world without cookies, Google Signals is how businesses gain accurate measurements, compare campaign performance, and successfully remarket.

How GA4 Tracks Data with Firebase Analytics

Unlike its predecessors, every single action on a website or app is defined in Google Analytics 4 as an “event’ (as opposed to a hit).

This measurement method adapts Firebase’s analytics model for mobile apps, where engagement is defined primarily by the things users do (Events), rather than what they see (PageViews). Overall, this method provides a more accurate picture of user experience.

In fact, shifting focus on user behavior is something Google is asserting across the board, as we’ve seen in their addition of Page Experience as a key SEO ranking factor.

Event-based tracking is probably the most noticeable change in GA4, and the one most likely to cause confusion. But once we get past the initial learning curve, we see this is actually a much more insightful way to analyze data.

Take an online purchase.

Previously, in order to log a purchase we had to rely on users loading a “Thank You” page, assign a set of dimensions and metrics that correlate to the transaction that brought the user to that page, and place a PageView tag on that page to pass the user’s transaction data along to our GA reports.

But in reality this is two separate events.

One event is the purchase itself. The other is the event of viewing the “Thank You” page. Google Analytics 4 lets us make this distinction. Previous versions did not.

Treating each action as its own event is a lot more precise. And the more precise your data, the better your insight and homed in your strategy will be. Not only do you not need to rely on a “Thank You” page to track a purchase, but your data relates to the thing it’s supposed to relate to.

Crazy, right?

How to Setup Google Analytics 4

Okay.

Enough chit chat.

Let’s see what this baby can do.

You’re probably in one of two positions right now. Either you already have a Google Analytics account and are wondering how to upgrade to GA4 and how doing so will affect your analytics strategy OR you want to add a new site to Google Analytics entirely.

Here’s how to set up the new Google Analytics 4 in both instances.

How to Setup GA4 for a New Site

The process is exactly the same as it used to be. Just follow Google’s recommended steps to get started with using Google Analytics 4.

How to Setup GA4 for an Existing Site

If you already have Google Analytics installed on your site, log into your account and head over to the Admin section (shown at right) to set up GA4.

You should then see an option to Upgrade to GA4.

Next click the “Get Started” blue button.

On the following screen request to “Create Property” which will finish the upgrade.

In some cases, as shown above, you will be unable to select the “enable data collection” box. This is because gtag.js has not been fully tagged on your site. No worries though, you can tag manually in the next part by selecting “Tag Installation.”

Selecting “Tag Installation” from the Setup Assistant is also how you connect your new GA4 property to your existing Analytics account.

Here you’ll find instructions on how to connect your properties using your existing on-page tag, either directly through Google Analytics (if you manually placed gtag.js on your site) or Google Tag Manager.

Just be sure to note your Measurement ID, and then follow the steps.

And with that your days of trying to find data are over.

Well, not entirely. You still have to do some work. But as we’ll see in a moment, the process is going to be a whole lot easier.

Event Tracking in Google Analytics 4

The new version of analytics is all about “events.” These events are the main way that data is shown in the new Google Analytics platform.

Whereas “event tracking” in previous versions meant setting up a modified Analytics code or gtag.js script, Google Analytics 4 claims to enable editing, tracking and fine-tuning of events within the UI. Now though, marketers can edit, correct and adjust how events are tracked in their analytics without having to editing on-site code.

There are many differences in data collection between Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 properties. The data you see in your Google Analytics 4 reports comes from what are called “events” that are triggered as users interact with your business’s website/app.

Here is a bit of an introduction to concepts in GA4:

• Events: These are user interactions with a website or app – like page views, button clicks, user actions, etc. Unlike before, events do not require adding customized code into the on-site Analytics tracking code, some events are measured by default.
• Parameters: Information that gives context to each event. For example, parameters can be used to describe the value of a purchase, or to provide context into where, how, and why the event was logged. These can include page titles, article IDs, etc. – these are most analogous to many of the “dimensions” that were available before.
• User property: Attributes or demographic information about the user.
• User ID: Used for cross-platform user tracking.

Do you need to do a lot of complex configuration and setup to track events in the new Google Analytics 4 property? No! As long as you use the SDK or gtag.js, you don’t need to write any additional code to collect certain default events.

Otherwise you can even create or modify events in via the GA4 user interface in order to get more advanced custom tracking.

How To Tell Which Google Analytics I Am Using

Learning new things is hard. It’s almost as painful as looking for data.

So you might be weary of swapping your existing, familiar Google Analytics setup for a new, untested one.

Luckily, right now you don’t have to.

When you set up a GA4 property, it actually creates an entirely new property, separate from your existing version of Google Analytics (aka Universal Analytics). So when you go to access your site’s property, you’ll now find two listings.

You can tell which is which based on their tracking IDs. The older version of Google Analytics (aka GA3 or Universal Analytics) has an ID that starts with “UA.” Google Analytics 4 properties do not. Whichever property is greyed and has a checkmark next to it is the one you’re currently using.

Though most likely after using the two you will be able to tell the difference based on their user-interfaces.

Universal Analytics (OLD)

Google Analytics 4 (NEW)

Google will likely eventually deprecate Universal Analytics and force everyone to solely use GA4, but for now you can access both. And it’s recommended you do so.

The old and new versions of Google Analytics provide different reports and data. By using both you can still rely on your existing analytics while getting familiar with the new insights provided by GA4.

Google Analytics Walkthrough and Highlights

To get familiarized with GA4’s new look check this walkthrough from Google.

Two areas worth highlighting further are:

Predictive Insights

GA4 uses machine learning to identify trends in your data and provide predictions about future user behavior. It will then automatically alert you about any significant trends that could help improve ROI. According to Google’s Vidhya Srinivasan its advantages come from it’s machine learning processes:

“It has machine learning at its core to automatically surface helpful insights and gives you a complete understanding of your customers across devices and platforms. It’s privacy-centric by design, so you can rely on Analytics even as industry changes like restrictions on cookies and identifiers create gaps in your data.”

The example Google uses is when GA4 “calculates churn probability so you can more efficiently invest in retaining customers at a time when marketing budgets are under pressure.”

Customer-Centric Data

One of GA4’s main goals is to provide marketers a more complete understanding of the user journey across devices. Via “life-cycle reporting,” it focuses less on individual metrics and instead hones in on the entire end-to-end buyer journey.

For example, with GA4 “you can see what channels are driving new customers in the user acquisition report, then use the engagement and retention reports to understand the actions these customers take, and whether they stick around, after converting.”

In other worlds, in a world where omnichannel marketing rules, Google Analytics 4 is the best way to track marketing metrics.

Because it provides Omni Analytics.

Hey! Looks like we just found this version’s catchy name.

Why You Should Use the New Google Analytics 4

There are a lot of things to love about GA4. Even if you’re not a data nerd like us.

Like GA4’s integration with BigQuery, which one data analyst calls “the most significant release in the history of Google Analytics.” Or it’s improved integration with Google Ads. Or it’s simultaneously seamless tracking of users across mobile and desktop. Or its attempt to future proof against privacy protection laws (like GDPR and CCPA). Or it’s mission to supplant missing data due to cookie restrictions. Not to mention everything else we discussed above.

And best of all, GA4 decreases the amount of time you have to spend finding data.

Is Google Analytics 4 the answer to all your problems? Will it magically improve ROI and streamline your marketing? No. Marketers will still have to do some work, like analyzing that data and adjusting strategies accordingly. But it definitely makes doing business a little easier, and more intuitive.

Not to mention it ensures your success doesn’t depend on a guess.

Have you ever watched someone else run a Google search and wondered:

Why is my Google search different from theirs? Why did my Google search results change?

It’s a question as old as time. (Which, in case you didn’t know, began in 1998. When Google was created. Before that there was nothing.)

It’s an excellent question. One, that if you’re serious about SEO and ranking well organically, you absolutely must know the answer to. Especially if you target local search.

To find the answer to why Google search results vary (and to learn how you can benefit from knowing it), let’s start by answering a very similar question…

Are Google Results the Same for Everyone?

No.

Next question.

Really, That’s All You Got?

Alright, think of it like this.

You and your friend Carl visit a roller coaster. You take the very last seat because everyone knows that’s the place to be on a roller coaster. Carl takes the very first seat because Carl doesn’t know about the physics of riding roller coasters. Right before boarding Carl drinks a liter of Mountain Dew and eats twelve corn dogs. You eat nothing. Because common sense. Upon boarding you take your mouse ears off. Carl leaves his on. Because Carl.

So.

There you sit in the very last seat of the roller coaster, empty-stomached and sans mouse ears, ready for a fun-filled ride. There Carl sits in the very front seat, being all Carl-like, loose-fitting hat atop his head and a belly filled to the brim.

Three. Two. One. Blast off!

Same ride. Very different results.

Google organic search results work the same way, only with less gross things hitting you in the face.

When you type something into Google and someone else somewhere else types in the same exact thing there’s a good chance that you’re each going to get different results. Sometimes it even happens if you are in the same room. Or even on the same device.

Google is mystical, mysterious, and ever-changing. Like our bodies or the Universe.

They could be the same one day to the next, but probably not.

So trying to get a read on what, where, when or how Google SERP (aka search engine result pages) will do something next is very difficult.

So what does that leave us with?

The why.

Why Google Search Results Vary

Google wants to provide you with your very own Internet. One tailored just for you.

Pretty nice of Google, eh?

To do this they created some wicked smart algorithms to package up the bits and pieces of the Internet into a smaller Internet that is exactly the way you like it. Because you like different things than other users it’s only natural that your Internet search results be different too.

And what do we — the users — get from all this generosity?

A “personalized experience.”

Or — as they like to call it — personalized search.

Personalized Search Explained

Personalized Search is web search results tailored specifically to individual users.

Rather than being based solely on traditional SEO ranking factors (like page speed, HTML tags, site structure and core web vitals), personalized search is based on information search engines gather about a user. This information is then used to provide more relevant, personalized results related to the location, interests, search history and demographics of that user.

At times, personalized search can seem psychic.

But in reality it’s just Google algorithms doing their thing.

Once upon a time, in a server far, far away, Google displayed the same results for everyone. It was horrible. For any given query everybody got the same information. Which meant you ended up having the same exact experience as Carl.

But then things changed.

In 2009, Google unveiled personalized search to the masses. And it was glorious. A study performed two years later found that by then roughly 50% of Google results were now personalized. The SERP hasn’t looked back since – though the level of Google search “personalization” has continued to evolve and shift over the years.

So if your Google search results are different from that of your friends, colleagues, and customers, don’t worry. It’s by design.

A change to make your Internet experience is the best of all possible Internet experiences. And so you never have to worry about being grouped with Carl again.

The Disconnect Between Personalized Search and SEO

Google organic search results vary. It’s just a way of life.

However, don’t take that to mean you should accept it.

In fact, that’s why SEO was created in the first place — so businesses could have a say in how SERPs are compiled.

The trouble is that when implementing SEO, many companies often ignore personalized search. This is mostly because personalized search feels like something that is out of our control.

But that’s not entirely the case.

Any brand that wants to be successful in organic search needs take back control, or at least prevent losing control, of their SERP rankings. But if you’re hyper-focused on why keyword ‘xyz’ may be position 1 one day and position 3 the next, or why you might see different results than a colleague, you might be missing some costly opportunities. Not to mention, that’s a quick way to lose your sanity.

So, although you might have come in wondering “why do my Google search results vary,” that is not the question you should be asking.

At least it shouldn’t be if you are a company looking to profit off high search rankings.

Rather, you should want to know…

What Factors Affect Personalized Search?

That’s the question you should be asking yourself. Well, actually, that’s one part of a three part question:

1. What factors affect personalized search?
2. What does that mean for my SEO?
3. How can I make sure it doesn’t hurt my rankings?

Find the answers to those three personalized search questions and you’ll be sitting pretty atop search engine result pages.

Don’t worry, you won’t have to look far for the answers.

After all, this isn’t Bing.

Want to know the top 5 reasons why Google search results vary and how it affects your SEO ranking?

Look no further…

1. Location

The location from which you search plays a big role in the results you receive. Google can identify a user’s location by several means, including IP address, search history, map usage, or a device’s GPS.

Location’s Effect on Personalized Search:

Physical businesses and places closest to a user receive priority and appear higher up in organic search results.

If you look up “best pizza near me” on a phone in New York City you’ll get Lombardi’s. If you run the same search while in Southern California you’ll get… Domino’s?

Even searches within the same city, a few miles apart, will often return different results. So while the top listing for “best pizza near me” in SOHO is Lombardi’s, the top listing by Times Square might be Joe’s.

Why Location Matters for SEO:

Location-based personalized search is crucial to local businesses. They need to implement SEO that ensures Google not only knows exactly where their business is located but show it in search results above all other similar businesses in the same geographic area.

For larger companies, based in several different locations, making data-driven SEO decisions becomes less straightforward as they need to account for multiple sets of geographic analytics.

What You Can Do:

Fortunately, location is probably the factor we have the greatest influence over when it comes to personalized search.

Here are several things a business can do to improve targeting for a specific location in Google search:

• Create and optimize their Google My Business profile.
• Add addresses throughout their website — including footer and contact page (but not at the expense of user experience).
• Use location-based keywords — e.g. if you’re targeting New York pizza searches write content that reference New York such as “Best Pizza in New York” or “Top Rated Pizza in Times Square”
• Add your business (and address) to online directories — like Yelp, TripAdvisor or niche business directories.
• Grow your online reviews.
• Add your address to social media profiles.
• Create a location on Facebook that can be tagged in Facebook and Instagram posts.
• Publish location-specific content — including on a blog, social media platforms and in Google My Business posts.
• Make sure your website is mobile-friendly.

The key is to keep your address and location-based keywording consistent across all online platforms and directories.

2. Search and Browser History

Google personalizes search results based on your online history and behavior.

They collect this data by two means:

• Google Account – Google can view the web history of anyone logged into a Google Account and monitor activity.
• Cookies – For anonymous users (not logged into a Google account), Google analyzes web cookies stored on browsers.

The type of data they collect includes:

• Searches performed on Google
• Search results users click on
• Websites visited
• Online engagement (such as videos watched or products purchased)

History’s Effect on Personalized Search:

Google uses search and browser history to construct online profiles for users (including gender, age, language, location and interests) and tailors results to align with that profile.

For example, if someone clicks on links from Amazon more than they do other online retailers — like Target or Barnes & Noble — then over time, it’s possible that more listings for Amazon will appear in search results and less listings for the others.

Want to test this yourself?

Run a search. Go to the second page and click a link. Repeat this process multiple times in the same browser and on the same device. You might be surprised how fast that link moves up in rank.

Does this mean you control the Internet?

Nope.

It means that in some instances Google personalizes search results just for you.

Why History Matters for SEO:

Priority is given to those who get clicked.

If a user clicks on a competitor’s site, that site has a very good chance of outranking yours in future search results, even if you outperform them in all other SEO categories, like on-page keyword density and site speed.

Google’s reliance on online history can also make it hard for businesses to get accurate ranking analytics.

If a business consistently searches their own company name, or constantly clicks on results related to their site, Google will start ranking their site higher for them in the future. This can mislead the business into thinking their SEO efforts are working better than they actually are.

What You Can Do:

There are two ways to overcome search history bias:

1. De-personalize SERP for your business
2. Prioritize Your Snippet’s CTA

The first is easy. Just turn off Google’s ability to track your online activity by using your browser in Incognito (or Private) Mode. Once done you’ll get a more accurate view of your business’s online presence as others see it (especially if you also turn off location tracking).

For the second, implement CRO into your SEO strategy.

This means optimizing your organic listing CTA. Don’t just focus on inserting keywords into your page title, but also focus on crafting snippet headings and descriptions that entice users to click.

3. Device Used

Google treats mobile and desktop devices so differently now that it’s probably best to think of them as being two completely different and distinct search engines:

• Google Search on Desktop
• Google Search on Mobile

Device’s Effect on Personalized Search:

Search results on a mobile device differ than those on a desktop.

Sites that are mobile-friendly, or utilize AMP, will appear higher in SERP than those that aren’t (AMP isn’t a direct ranking factor, but it can improve site speed which is a ranking factor). Also, because of a smartphone’s added capabilities to track location, mobile devices will likely see more location-based results than desktops.

Why Devices Matter for SEO:

Since Google offers up two separate search engines indexes — for mobile search vs desktop search — companies need to segment their technical SEO into two different strategies — mobile SEO friendliness vs desktop SEO.

Most importantly, websites that are not designed with mobile in mind will fall behind. Especially since Google now ranks sites using mobile-first indexing.

What You Can Do:

Make your site mobile-friendly. It’s that simple. Prioritize optimizing content for mobile over desktop.

Also, track your mobile and desktop rankings separately to ensure you make decisions that benefit both.

4. Google Accounts

Google collects different data from users who are signed into a Google Account versus those who are not, such as Gmail, Google Drive or Google Voice.

Account’s Effect on Personalized Search:

Google uses data it gathers while you are logged into a Google Account to refine your results. Not only does this mean results vary from one account holder to the next, but it also means those results will be more personalized than an anonymous user whose results are based solely on browser cookies.

Want to try this for yourself?

Log into Google on a computer and run a search. Then run the same search on a different computer in the same location only without being logged into Google.

There’s a good chance the search results will vary.

Why Logging In Matters for SEO:

Only users with a Google Account can leave a review on Google.

The more positive reviews your business receives through Google My Business the better your chances of ranking higher, especially if those reviews use location-specific keywords and your competitors have less reviews.

What You Can Do:

Since Google relies on web history for personalization, incorporate multichannel marketing across paid ads and social media to drive targeted traffic to your site. The more a Google Account user visits your site, the more often your site can appear for them in future searches.

Also, constantly encourage customers to review your business on Google.

5. Time

The day and time when someone runs a search impacts how much Google results vary.

Time’s Effect on Personalized Search:

The same search in the morning could return a different result in the evening. Even if all other things, like device and location, are exactly the same.

Some of this just has to do with Google’s constantly updating SERP along with Google’s “queries deserve freshness” methodology in the Freshness algorithm update.

This is why queries like “what’s the weather in Austin TX,” “California forest fires,” or “Giants game results” can change day-to-day, or even hour-to-hour. If you’re asking yourself, “why did my Google search results change?” it might be because what you are searching for is a time sensitive topic that Google thinks needs the most up-to-date results.

Why Time Matters for SEO:

For most businesses, time will not play a huge role in day-to-day SEO. The freshness algorithm isn’t used in every search.

However, time’s effect on personalized search can play a big part for businesses that rely on seasonal traffic, like eCommerce brands that rely on seasonal buying trends. Some websites might have to think about the “freshness” algorithm when determining their site’s content and subject matter – especially for sites with news-like content. A breaking news site, or a site with subject matter that is constantly evolving might have to think about a different content strategy or learn to live with fluctuating SERP rankings.

This is not only true for “newsy” content, but also “Your money or your life” type content (YMYL). That is content that’s about important topics regarding well-being, health, medicine, personal info, money, etc.

What You Can Do:

On a day-to-day basis, when analyzing SEO, you can compare data from identical time periods to limit variations in results. Though this probably won’t make that much of a difference in your analytics. It’s also a good idea to circle-back on content that’s not evergreen in order to update or refresh it. If you see traffic for some pages starting to drop, you can go back and update it with new information.

On a monthly and seasonal basis, it’s important to create content on your site, blog, social media and Google posts that are optimized for the time period you wish your listings to appear. To do that you’ll need a strong seasonal SEO strategy. In order to get more long-term, sustained search traffic its best to create content that is evergreen and that targets keywords that are also evergreen.

Conclusion: Google Search Results Vary; So Should Your SEO

They don’t call it “organic” for nothing.

Search results are constantly in a state of change. They are continuously developing. Like our bodies, the Universe, and Leonardo DiCaprio’s girlfriends.

So your SEO has to do the same.

Not just when it comes to the traditional list of ranking factors we’re all familiar with, but also when it comes to personalized factors that differ from one user to the next.

While there are some factors out of our control that cause Google organic search results to vary (like Google data center locations), the ones listed above do allow for optimization.

So take advantage.

Google search results are not predefined. They will never be the same for everyone. But that’s a good thing. It means your business can optimize your content so it appears for the prospects you want and goes unseen by those you don’t. When done well, this personalized SEO will refine your traffic, boost your CTR, and drive more valuable conversions.

Now that’s a change we can all get on board with.