Google to Personalize Search Results

by James Fowler
www.mywebsource1.com

To go along with my previous theme on Web 2.0, this past weekend, Google introduced something else to help make your internet a better experience – personalized search results. Like its' predecessor, the Google home page (www.google.com/ig) , which was launched two years ago and allows for you to create your workspace – free of ads –this personalized search result allows for members to find what they want on the internet much easier. If you are not a member of Google, you can apply for an account at www.Gmail.com.


A Google account allows you access to Gmail – a free email service with two gigabytes of storage, the Google Toolbar, bookmarking capabilities, and the use of AdWords. Now, you will be able to search and find results based on your previous history.

How will this affect Search Engine Optimization? Does this throw the algorithm and all of your efforts to reach a top ranking out the window?

The answer is no. The new method of search result method will make some slight changes in the favor of the web user's personal preferences, but your page rank and spot should not be affected anymore than it is currently.

According to Google, "Personalized search is part of Google's ongoing effort to make your search experience more relevant to you. Using Personalized Search, you can:

1. Get the results most relevant to you, based on what you've searched for in the past.
2. View and manage your past searches, including the web pages, images, news headlines and Froogle results you've clicked on.
3. Create bookmarks you can access from any computer.

Personalized Search orders your search results based on your past searches, as well as the search results and news headlines you've clicked on. You can view all these items in your Search History and remove any items you'd like.

Early on, you may not notice a huge impact on your search results, but as you build up your search history, your personalized search results will continue to improve.

Is this another step towards Orwell's concepts of Big Brother?

The personalized search is now a default, but there are ways to disable this function. Also, it isn't customizing the browser towards everything that you do. The information is being gleaned through the Search History, Bookmarks, and Personalized home pages (as shown in the link above). Images, Froogle, Google Earth, Video, and the News will not be included in the information.

Google is pretty sneaky about the whole thing, though. Just logging into your account enables the function to work. If you are worried about your privacy being invaded, you can log into your account settings and clicking off the box that says "Enable Search History".

While these changes will take some time to take effect, Web 2.0 is revolutionizing the way Search Optimization will be done. Site rank and page results now become a moot point. This trend started with regionalization and has now come full circle. The key to making your site "rank well" will be to have all of your pages rank equally well. No longer will the "home page" suffice.

There are several methods to overcome these issues. Social bookmarking through sites such as Squidoo.com and del.icio.us are already ahead of the game. The key is to write quality information and keep site retention. Creating a site that "makes sense" in regards to navigation and usability will bring and retain more viewers. Including RSS feeds and prompts to "bookmark this page" to Google will also aid in your search engine status. Gentle persuasion now becomes a major asset in your web site ranking.

In conclusion, this does not mean an end how Google ranks pages. Spiders will still search web pages like they normally do, but with the added benefit of knowing what you want to view. Personalization will cut down on spam pages and make the user experience more productive over the course of its use. While privacy is a concern, this is just another step towards making the web a truly interactive medium.

If you have any concerns or questions about Google Personalization, feel free to email me at my email address: mywebsource1@gmail.com.