Search Engine Personalization

Did you know that not all search results are equal? Search engines have been using personalization techniques for some time now to deliver more relevant results to you based on what the search engine knows about you. If you want to geek out for a few minutes try this exercise to experience personalization first hand:

• Open your favorite browser, go to Google (make sure you’re not logged in to Google) and search for something local such as “Kansas City Auto Repair” or some other generic local search term. Note the listings.
• Now, using the same browser, log into Google (if you have a gmail or other Google account) and perform the same search. Note the listings.
• Now using a browser other than your standard browser (i.e. Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari), perform the same search. Note the listings.

Now try searching from another location (like home or the office). Note the listings.

Most likely, you will have experienced vastly different search results all based on what the search engine knows about you from the use of logged in profiles, cookies, etc.

Here are a few things that can impact personalization results when searching the web:

Cookies

Cookies are bits of tracking information that websites use to know if you are a return visitor and what you’ve looked at before. Ad networks use these all the time to show you specific ads based on other sites you’ve been to or searched for. Search engines will show you certain results based on your past search behavior.

Logged in Profiles

Google will display different results when you’re logged in based on what it knows about you from Google+ or other behaviors in Gmail or other products. For instance, if you use Google+ and you’ve rated or +1’d a site, those sites will show up in your search results more often.

Localization

Google knows where you are physically located based on your computer’s IP address (or at least pretty close to you). You can actually change your localization setting in the Google search results by modifying the search settings and telling Google that you’re in a specific location. For instance, if you’re in Kansas City, you can tell Google that you’re in Los Angeles and then see what the search results would look like for someone in L.A.

Social Influence

At times you may see certain search results because of how you’ve ranked a site socially or because more of your friends have also “liked” the site.

So, as you can see, not all search results are the same and what shows up for you will likely be different than what shows up for me or one of your co-workers. Personalization is a double-edged sword when it comes to Search Engine Marketing. It’s awesome when you’re looking for something, but it can be a challenge when you’re trying to get your site ranked on Google and your site might be pushed down the page or off the first page because of personalization techniques.

Personalization occasionally can go wrong as well when you’re doing research as you will likely be presented with content that the search engine “guesses” is most relevant to you; while in fact, you’re looking for something that is not the “norm” for your search behavior patterns. When this happens, try a different browser and make sure you’re not logged into the engine.

From a marketing perspective, it’s vital to think in niche markets and create content and landing pages that will appear to the wide interests of your target audiences. Remember, not everyone thinks like you and so their search results will be different than yours.

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