Google’s personalized search has been around since 2005 but two weeks ago it was released to ALL Google searchers, whether they are logged into a Google account or not. This is a real game-changer and means that a searcher’s results will now vary from other searcher’s results (even if searching for the same terms). Your results will be dependent on your searching history, preferences, geo-location, IP address, and other factors. The goal for Google, of course, is increased relevancy for its users and with personalization they hit the mark. People that search for “jaguar the car”, for example, will be shown “jaguar the car” results instead of “jaguar the animal” results. Increased relevancy equates to better results; and better results equates to happier Google users.
Happier Google users, however, does not necessarily equate to happy search engine optimizers. In fact, personalization now drastically changes how we now must go about optimizing your website. Since there will no longer be a uniform way of tracking results (since ranking results will vary depending on the user), optimization tactics must now rely on building better websites instead of the handful of tricks like link buying that were used for the sole purposes of manipulating the search engines. While the practice of SEO is not dead, many of the practices of the trade like link buying will soon be rendered ineffective. Website optimization will belong to web marketers, web designers, and web developers not the hundreds of so-called SEO experts that cracked the Google algorithm and learned that the only way to the top was via buying links. I imagine a shake-up of sorts to come as former SEO people get out of the game and the Industry is given to professionals who understand the dynamics of building a good website and serving up an experience that meets the needs of your target market/audience.
