Same URL ranking on multiple serps for same query

[MadeWillis]

For one query I am seeing the same page of my site ranking on page 3 and page 5 of the results. I've not really seen this before. The URL was exactly the same, we have no dup content problems.

Has anyone else ever noticed the same URL ranking on multiple Serps for the same query in G?

[tedster]

I have seen this, too, but rarely -- and it usually goes away. Sometimes the bug can be startling, giving the same url tens or hundreds of slots, page after page as you drill down into the search results.

[MadeWillis]

Just checked it again and it's gone now. New URL ranking in top 10 with other page sitll ranking on page 3.

[edited by: MadeWillis at 5:16 pm (utc) on April 30, 2008]

[Robert Charlton]

I just saw it this morning, and it did go away. In this case, established url, ranking for single-word search on both page 1 and page 2. On second try, ranking only on page 2. On third try, ranking on page 2, but it had moved up about four places.

Just a guess that this may have to do with what the prior search was and how you'd entered it... ie, whether you've, say, just changed one word in the search box, or typed it in from an unrelated search. I made some comment about observing this recently in the minus 950 thread.

In today's case, though, I wasn't searching methodically, so I'm not sure about the order of searches and can't reproduce it.