5 things to keep in mind when you Google your own business.

Owned by Mads Schoop
Nov 09, 2023
2 min read

Everyone has tried it at least once – Googling your own name, your business or that of your competitor’s. You might like to check if everything in the search results looks fine, whether we are ranking higher than competitors or even just to see if our ads show up for specific keywords. When you do a search, there are a few things to keep in mind about Google. 

 

  1. Google shows what it thinks you like. 

Google tailors search results to show you what they think you want to see. What it shows you, may not reflect how potential customers perceive it. 

 

  1. Personalization. 

Google looks at what you've searched for before and where you are. This can be different from the search history or location for the potential customer. Results can therefore differ from person to person. 

 

  1. Rankings go up and down. 

Sometimes you can see your business as the first search result, sometimes the second or it might not even show up at all. This fluctuation is caused by changes in algorithms, competitor activity and customer behavior. A single search may therefore not give you a correct snapshot of your business’s overall online presence. 

 

  1. Google can get confused. 

When you look at the search result but don't click on it, Google thinks you don't like what you see or that the result is irrelevant for you. If you do decide to click on the result and then leave quickly from the website (and no conversion), Google also thinks the result was irrelevant for you. A consequence can be that Google no longer shows the ad to you.  

 

  1. Google counts clicks. 

Every time someone sees your ad but doesn't click on it, it's like a point against your ad. If you get too many of these points, your ad might not show up often, or it goes down on the search result page. 

 

Basically, Google uses what it knows about you to show you things it thinks you'll like. Your behavior on Google can be different from a potential customer – what you see might not be the same as what they see.  

We use Google’s diagnosis and preview tools to get a picture of how the search results look in a specific area to prevent mistakes. If you are in doubt of what you see is a mistake, contact our marketing helpdesk.