Google's Ad Preview and Diagnosis showing organic results w/o filter?

[Shepherd]

There's a tool in adwords, the Ad Preview and Diagnosis tool, that lets you see where your ads show up in the search results. It also shows organic results.

We have a page targeting a keyword. We know that we have been hit by penguin in the past. Not so sure about panda. When we do a regular search on google the page shows up at the bottom of page 2, averaging the #19 spot. Search for the same keyword in the Ad Preview and Diagnosis tool and the page shows up on page 1, number 4 spot.

I wonder if the Ad Preview and Diagnosis tool is showing what the organic results would look like without an algorithmic penalty?

If you have a page/keyword you think should be ranking better, maybe take a look at the Ad Preview and Diagnosis tool to see where you rank there. Would like to hear if you are seeing the same thing.

[Robert Charlton]

Shepherd, Google Custom Search engines in many cases showed unfiltered organic results... not necessarily always without an "algorithmic penalty", but certainly without algorithmic filters. I make this distinction because some current filters in previous times might have been penalties, and automating them has turned them into "filters"... with manual actions reserved for what were once penalties. It may not always be clear how these would be treated by search.

If you create a Custom Search Engine that's publicly available, please let us know where we can use it.

[Shepherd]

If you create a Custom Search Engine that's publicly available, please let us know where we can use it.

Not sure I follow you there Robert, the Ad Preview and Diagnosis tool (in adwords) is already set up and publicly available.

Don't know about the penalty/filter designation, as I understand penguin in it's current form a search is done, google applies their main algo to determine a list of search results, then google applies penguin to re-rank those search results. Does that make penguin a penalty or a filter... or does it even matter?

So, if the Ad Preview and Diagnosis tool is showing the search results as they would look without penguin (or panda maybe) being applied it seems like that would be a good way to see if one's site ranking was being affected by penguin.

[Robert Charlton]

Nothing major to follow regarding the Custom Search Engine. I was simply pointing out another search tool that I've seen produce what I think you're describing, and I thought it might be of interest. If you have multiple tools showing the same results, then you can be more certain about your observations.

Does that make penguin a penalty or a filter... or does it even matter?

Here my comments perhaps do need clarification. Per Marie Haynes via John Mueller, Google is adamant that Panda and Penguin are algorithms, not penalties. She also explains that they're filters... in that they're not run every time you search, but are pre-computed when Google runs them and then applied to rankings computed at the time of your search. See her post on SEW here...

Panda and Penguin Are Not Penalties
Marie Haynes - Jul 15, 2015
[searchenginewatch.com...]

I assume that they will still be considered to be algorithmic filters when they are self-updating, as they will continue to be pre-computed. There's no way that Google could run them with every search.

[Shepherd]

If you have multiple tools showing the same results, then you can be more certain about your observations.

Yes, that makes sense. I do remember back when penguin first hit in 2012 there was discussion about this. There were some second tier search engines that used google results showing results that did not seem to be affected by penguin. I think one of them was (startpage). That talk eventually faded, seems like after a few months their results came more in line with what google was showing. I wonder if it's starting to go the other way now, maybe the Ad Preview and Diagnosis tool is showing what the results will look like when penguin is updated. It's all speculation of course.