Google Confuses Me More and More

I wrote a review about a language site last month. Well, a company representative contacted me this week to thank me for it and offer me a free T-shirt lol. This got me thinking. Is my article ranking in Google?

I hadn't checked my stats in a long time. So next thing I did was check out Google Search Console and what did I find? One of my articles is on the first page, although not for the keyword I had selected. If I use my keyword, it appears on the third page instead.

Something similar happens with my second site. Depending on the wording, a couple of articles appear either on the second or third page.

I'm puzzled but happy at the same time. None of my posts had appeared in the top ten pages of Google. I know our goal is to make it to the first page, but this breakthrough took me by surprise.

A few things caught my attention:

1. My ranking posts are all reviews.

2. My second site took less time to rank even though it's in an equally competitive niche as my first site.

3. A couple of images are ranking too. They're pins, though, so I don't know if this has something to do with it.

Honestly, I don't like to write reviews. I like to write about experiences, tips, opinions, interesting facts, etc., but it is what it is. It seems reviews are the way to go. I need to include more of those.

The one thing that boggles my mind the most is how a space or one word less or more can change our rankings. My two highest-ranked posts are airline reviews (none of which has an affiliate program, thank you), and their position in Google varies depending on the wording.

This gives me some hope as it seems I'm doing something right, even though I still don't fully understand how Google works. Next goal is start making sales. Fingers crossed!

Have you faced something similar? I'd like to know. Let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading.