Are you REALLY on Google Page 1? - Here's How to Know

byboomergp08

31.1K followers

7 years ago

I remember when I first started this whole website building thingy here at WA, I was obsessed with getting on to Google page 1. But then again, what webmaster doesn't want this achievement? We all strive for it and are always seeking it, sometimes before it is even possible.

I used to keep a text list of all my targeted keywords and their current placement in the Google SERPs. Every 2 weeks I would check them and update their ranking status. Yeah, I was a bit anal when it came to knowing where I was ranked for each of my posts. Now I rarely look, except for newly published posts.

I MADE IT TO GOOGLE PAGE 1

As it turned out I did eventually make it on to Google page 1 for dozens of my pages and posts. Many times I made it there from keywords that were not my targeted keyword. This happens often because Google ranks you on the other natural keywords in your content and in comments.

But when this first happened I wanted to make sure that I was really on Google page 1 and not getting results that Google thought I wanted to see. YES - That's right! Google will give you results that it thinks you want to see and not real actual results. This is based on your search history.

I knew that if I had typed in a particular keyword into Google a few times to research it, that Google would remember that keyword and show me my content with that keyword higher up in the SERPs. This is the job of a search engine. Remember, Google is not a keyword research tool. So how could I - and you - really know the truth?

THIS IS WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO FIRST

Because Google remembers your search history, you cannot type your keyword into Google and expect an accurate result. You must first switch your internet browser into a Private Browsing Mode. Below are the keyboard shortcuts for the 4 most popular browsers and Safari

NOTE: The Control (Ctrl) key is for a Windows PC and the Command (Cmd) key is for a Mac

WINDOWS PC

Chrome: Control + Shift + N

Opera: Control + Shift + N

Firefox: Control + Shift + P

Internet Explorer: Control + Shift + P

MAC

Safari: Command + Shift + N (On some older versions of Safari you will have to select "Private Browsing" or "New Private Window" from the file menu at the top of the screen)

Chrome: Command + Shift + N

Opera: Command + Shift + N

Firefox: Command + Shift + P

WHY BE IN PRIVATE BROWSING MODE

If you want to search Google to see where your content is ranked for your target keyword, or any of the other keywords noted in your Google Search Console queries list, you must be in a private browsing mode. This will block your search history from the Google search and give you more accurate results.

I am sure you have heard WA members say that you need to be in Incognito Mode. This is just the name of the private browsing mode for Google Chrome. If you are not using Chrome do not go searching for it because you will not find it. Incognito Mode is unique to Chrome only, yet it is the same as any other private browsing mode.