Different search results using IE or Netscape

[voodoolove1]

Aloha,
This one has me perplexed. Today I did a search using the google toolbar on IE (obviously) and my site came up at #11 (up from 13 yesterday.) When my co-sales manager did a search using netscape 4.79, we were at number 13.

We did this several times each thinking the other one was mistaken. Finally I opened up netscape as well and searched with both browsers side by side. I did this at least 10 times to make sure that I wasn't crazy or I couldn't count. Every time IE had us at 11 and netscape had us at 13.

To further complicate matters, with IE the number 3 site from netscape search was at 1 with the IE search and IE had two of netscape's top 10 missing which is why we were number 11.

I just checked again now, about 12 hours later and we are at 11 using both browsers.

At first I just thought it was the google dance, but then I thought, "how can I get the same 2 different results over and over within a search micro seconds apart?" My only logical thought is that google is using different indexes for different browsers, but this does not seem logical.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Brad

[Macguru]

Bonjour voodoolove1,

Welcome to WebmasterWorld. Please dont miss paynt's welcome post [webmasterworld.com]? Nice one.

Yes this search engine gives slightly different results from one user to another. Many things can do that. You can see the URL in the adress bar is not the same when you search 'different'. For instance , if I use the built in search box on Opera on my Mac for "Gizmo" I get this URL :

www.google.com/search?q=gizmo&sourceid=opera&num=10

I get this one on the same browser when I hit the search button or hit 'enter' in Google

www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=gizmo&btnG=Google+Search

I get this one when I use IE for Mac or Netcape 7 for Mac

www.google.ca/search?q=gizmo&ie=ISO-8859-1&hl=en&meta=
(notice that I got redirected to Google.ca)

I get this one using IE for windows on my Mac from the Google bar

www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=gizmo

This one using IE for windows on my Mac from the Google button

www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&newwindow=1&q=gizmo&btnG=Google+Search

So, if want know the real spot you deserve, simply try a generic search by trimming your address bar URL to.

www.google.com/search?q=gizmo

[muesli]

you can also get different results withe the same google-parametres. see this thread [webmasterworld.com].

[Macguru]

I recommend this search :

[google.com...]

;)

[voodoolove1]

Thanks for welcome!
I guess that I have never paid that much attention to the address bar during a search, only the results. Now that you have pointed out that Goggle may go any of number of placed to get a result, it makes sense. I figured that it had to do with all of the indexes getting updated somehow, but I never dreamed that different browsers would show differert results.
Thanks for the info.
Thanks also for all of the previous stuff that I have learned from you guys over the past month that I found you!