Google places my site #1 ... sometimes

[ozzie_jim]

OK, so I'm obsessed. I check my ranking on Google a few times per day, the search is for coffee machine on the Australian google site.

I've just been knocked down to #7 by 2 ebay categories, always difficult to compete against!!

Then something strange happened, I was at #1. I blinked, refreshed the search and I was back at trusty #7. I thought I was seeing things. Then it happened again today.

I was reading here or elsewhere that Googles new algorithm attempts to track user behaviour while they navigate your site. Is google putting my site at #1 and testing whether the user stays there?? This would be the correct way to rank sites of course. The theory was that google uses cookies or the google toolbar to assess how many page clicks the user does, how long they stay etc. If they stay, then the results displayed were correct. If they quickly move on then your site gets a black mark.

Is the next market for SEO to hire people using the google toolbar to "browse" your site slowly after performing a google search, acting like the search results were exactly what they were looking for?? It makes sense to me.