Google doesn't show everybody the same thing.
If you are logged into your Google account, Google is showing you what it thinks you want to see.
It's called Personalized Search, a euphemism for Google records all your clicks and search queries.
If you clicked on a link from a Google search during the past 90 days, you've indicated to Google this link is more important to me than others in that search query.
In effect, you vouch for that link - even if that link was your competitors.
What happens if you check your rankings often? Google will show you what it thinks you want to see.
There are three ways to turn this feature off.
One, log off your Google account when you want to see what everyone else sees.
That's a starter.
Next, you also have to disable personalized search.
So, click on web history in the upper right hand corner of the page if you see your search results may be customized based on past search information from this computer, then you know you aren't seeing what the rest of your prospective customers are seeing.
What you want to see is "customization based on a signed out search activity is disabled".
Ok.
So now you see what everyone else sees.
Until you search from the Google toolbar.
Not everyone has the Google toolbar installed on their browser, but if you do, I'll bet you search from it, because it's convenient.
That's what it there for - to be convenient way to search without having to open another browser window and type in http://www.
google.
com.
Let's say you took steps one and two, logged off of your Google account, and clicked on the web history and made sure "your search results may be customized using search activity from this computer" is unchecked.
So now you feel you're out of the woods? If you search from the toolbar, Google turns "customization based on search history" back on.
You could disable cookies from your browser, but instructions for disabling cookies vary from browser to browser.
It's one method for Internet Explorer, another method for Firefox.
The last way is to log into your Google profile.
You didn't know you had one, did you? Well if you have a Gmail account, you have.