Search results and language preferences

[Jude V]

I have made some tests with Google and results have been surprising. I have made same search with different language preferences. The SERPs is different depending of chosen language.

Try it yourself: make a search with Google with your language preferences in english. The open a new tab or window, go to Google, change your preferences to finnish (my native language) or some other language as french, make same search and compare results. I have seen some finnish sites been 20 - 40 steps lower in finnish results with their most important keywords comparing to results in english.

My opinion is that this is quite strange by Google. The results should be same with any language in your preferences.

[cyberious]

Yes, but wouldn't that only be true if those sites listed in both languages were written in both languages? For instance, if I were German and listed my site as both German and English, then those other sites in Germany that didn't list in English, might appear in a different placement. I think... I wouldn't expect my website to appear in German results in the same place, simply because there are more German sites with the keywords that I'm competing for...

?

[Jude V]

Originally Posted by cyberious

Yes, but wouldn't that only be true if those sites listed in both languages were written in both languages?

As I wrote "I have made same search with different language preferences." I repeat, so read my lips "I have made SAME search". Try it. Make a search with for ex. "search engine optimization", first with preferences in english and then in new window or tab with some other language. For some reason results are slightly different.

[sfowler]

If I use Google, I use Google.at, and I have noticed the same thing. I think that the ocal ones take more notice of the local databases or something like that. You will see the same, but even worse on Yahoo!