Personalized Search and Search Engine Optimization
Friday, February 22, 2008
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) refers to optimization of your website for certain key words, thereby improving the website's visibility and the incoming traffic, conversion rates and profits. But what is personalized search? Let me explain.
How have search engines been searching until now? For every single query that was typed into the query box it came up with its best results depending on its algorithm and the keywords relevance. These results were same irrespective of whoever the user was. Thus if two different people Bill and John, from two different computers typed in the same keyword at the same time, both would see the same results. However though Bill may be satisfied with the results in the SERP (Search Engine Results Page), Bill may not be satisfied with the results. This is because even though Bill used the keyword he had something else in mind. It could be because Bill is 54 years old while John is just 12.
The search engines have decided they are going to change for the better. Search has been evolving and it is time to change. The future is going to be about personalized search. Google is already into it. Here is an article on personalization at the official Google blog, http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/02/personally-speaking.html
With personalized search users can be assured that they will get the results that are more in tune with their requirements. Most of the search engine systems that were written in the past only had a rough understanding of the keyword and focused mainly on the words but not the meaning behind them. Not any more. So how is it done? Well to better understand the intention of the user and serve better, the search engines have got to,
How have search engines been searching until now? For every single query that was typed into the query box it came up with its best results depending on its algorithm and the keywords relevance. These results were same irrespective of whoever the user was. Thus if two different people Bill and John, from two different computers typed in the same keyword at the same time, both would see the same results. However though Bill may be satisfied with the results in the SERP (Search Engine Results Page), Bill may not be satisfied with the results. This is because even though Bill used the keyword he had something else in mind. It could be because Bill is 54 years old while John is just 12.
The search engines have decided they are going to change for the better. Search has been evolving and it is time to change. The future is going to be about personalized search. Google is already into it. Here is an article on personalization at the official Google blog, http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/02/personally-speaking.html
With personalized search users can be assured that they will get the results that are more in tune with their requirements. Most of the search engine systems that were written in the past only had a rough understanding of the keyword and focused mainly on the words but not the meaning behind them. Not any more. So how is it done? Well to better understand the intention of the user and serve better, the search engines have got to,
- Look at the user's past online history
- Learn more about the user by looking at the past actions
- Look at the user's current context / task
- Users social, geographic and demographic cohorts
Labels: Google search, personalized search, personalized SEO, Search Engine Optimization, SEO
posted by Outsource Strategies International @ 9:29 PM
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