The O’Brien Media Digital Insider Blog

Like many people you may be a regular Google search user. Over time you may have noticed a strange phenomenon: Google search results vary, even on the same device, using the same browser and using the same keyword phrase or search term.

Users who are not well-versed in Google’s mysterious and ever-changing search algorithm may attribute this to simple error. However, these changes are actually quite intentional. While occasionally inconvenient for users, these search results variations can prove much more problematic for businesses and marketers.

Social signals are the likes, shares, votes, pins, or views people place on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or other social media sites that filter out to the various search engines. 

A search engine's primary aim is to provide high-quality, relevant content to searchers. Search engines, such as Google, judge quality in large part by how frequently a URL is seen throughout the internet, and as more web communication has moved to social media, Google and other search providers have integrated social signals as a ranking signal.