From the Web 2.0 era has emerged one overriding feature: personalization. These days, those browsing the Net are clicking with far more conviction, as increased exposure to the Web has sharpened their ability to find what they are looking for. Instead of lackadaisically surfing from site to site, many users now enter the Web through a personalized homepage containing RSS feeds that do the searching for them. Search engines that specialize locally, topically, and vertically have increased significantly in recent years, signifying the demand for a more precise search experience. In order to combat the competition of increasingly specialized search engines, Google has wisely focused its efforts on improving the relevancy of SERPs through personalization. The beginning of Google’s quest for more personalized [and therefore, in theory more relevant] search results can be marked by their 2004 beta launch of Google Personalized Web Search. Users of the service were required to set up profile pages where they indicated personal interests by checking off various categories. The SERPs would refine themselves based on the user’s interests and desired level of personalization; the later depending on how the user manipulated a designated “slider” bar that appeared above the search results. In April 2005 Google introduced My Search History, which, when users are signed into their Google account, keeps track of every Google search query and SERP listing they click. This service was originally marketed to the public as a useful resource to remember past search interests. The following quotation, announcing My Search History, is from Google’s official blog:
How many times have you used Google to find an obscure funny website or fun facts about "The Wizard of Oz," but then got distracted by other web pages and tasks? I know - me too. Wouldn't it be great to find them again, and for that matter review all your Google searches over time? Which is exactly why we built My Search History.
The true purpose of My Search History, however, became clear in June 2005 with the introduction of Google Personalized Search. This service alters search results based on search queries, the sites one selects, and the number of times sites are visited, as well as any activity taking place on the user’s Google Personalized Homepage (created with every Google account,) such as bookmarks, RSS feeds, or widgets. The ability to take into account a user’s unique search behavior when forming search results means that Google search results for a given keyword will no longer be the same across the Web. Currently SEOs typically optimize websites with the Google algorithm in mind. This practice is reasonable because Google receives the most searches in the U.S. (63.9% as of February 2007. ). The fear is that without the Google standard, measuring the effects of SEO efforts by improvement in ranking will become impossible because the results will vary by individual.
If personalization has been infiltrating search results since 2004, why is the SEO world only now expressing its concern? On February 2, 2007 Sep Kamvar, Google’s Engineering Lead for Personalization, announced on Google’s official blog that anyone who signs up for a Google Account, whether it be Gmail, Adwords, Adsense, or Google Analytics, will, by default, be enrolled in Google Personalized Search. While there exists a way to opt-out of the personalized search results, there will be plenty of users who will either breeze through the sign up process without noticing the option, see the service as an improvement, or simply not care one way or another. Responses to this rather large step towards personalizing the search experience have been mixed. Some say that Google Personalized Search will not have any sort of notable impact on SEO because most people will not be logged in to their Gmail accounts when searching the Internet. Others note the relatively small market share held by Gmail users. As of May 2006 Gmail users were a distant fourth in market share behind Yahoo! Mail, MSN Hotmail, and MySpace Mail users. The immediate impact of Google Personalized Search on SEO efforts is unknown; however there is no doubt that the leader in online search continues to move in the direction of improved search relevancy for the user. This movement towards personalization will alter SEO best practices to revolve increasingly around Google. Tactics such as prompting visitors to add websites to their Google Bookmarks, as well as add RSS feeds to their Google Personalized Homepage are ways to drive traffic, as well as influence a user’s SERP who is signed in to Personalized Search. Using the Google Gadget API to create a widget, referred to above as widgetbaiting, will be another necessary SEO tactic.
The question remains, does Google Personalized Search represent the end of traditional SEO? Without a common SERP for each keyword query, what will be the point of optimizing for specific keywords? Personalized Search rightfully sends a shiver down any SEO’s spine, however the truth is there is no near future that exists in which websites will not require optimization in order to obtain search engine visibility. The frequent use of Content Management Systems (CMS) that are not search engine friendly will require traditional “on-page” optimization for many years to come. In order to achieve initial rankings on the search engines a website must be indexed, which requires optimization of HTML, creation and submission of sitemaps, internal anchor linking, and all sorts of other little things that increase a website’s chances of being crawled. Google Personalized Search will further the importance of quality content, however traditional SEO will remain necessary until search engines change the way they index websites. Personalized Search does represent a step in the development of a search algorithm that can effectively take into account click through rate [CTR] when determining rankings. Logically, listings that are clicked on more are more relevant to the keyword search query. Search engines typically use a webpage’s meta title and description to display the page’s ranking. When this CTR development is realized, the traditional SEO tasks of writing good webpage titles, descriptions, and URL directory structures will become even more important for the purpose of communicating the contents of a webpage. Receiving a click will not only mean more traffic, but also a higher CTR which will increase a sites ranking.
