Google personalised search.

Anyone who is signed up to any Google service via a Google account, (eg  G-mail., Adwords, Blogging, Google Analytics etc) will automatically be getting personalised search results.

What does this mean? Basically the search results you see when searching will differ from the results that anyone else sees. This may not be a dramatic difference but long gone are the days when everyone saw the same results.

How is this happening?

Personalised search changes your own search results by analysing your search and browsing history. Google will decide from the phrases you use and the sites you select, and how often you select them what results to show you. It will do this by promoting sites that are deemed to be more relevant  for you, based upon your personal search history.

Not only is Google looking at your Search History to determine relevancy. It is now looking at the content on your Google Homepage - what gadgets you choose, what feeds you are reading  and what sites you are bookmaking. From this information Google has more of an understanding of what you are interested in and thus can deliver you a more relevant search result.

Google SearchWiki

On top of all this personalisation that Google does on your behalf you can now rearrange your own search results to suit yourself by promoting, demoting, deleting and commenting on results whilst signed in.

The next time you perform the same search you will see your own individualised results.

The Future

All of the above “Personalisation” means that more and more people are seeing different results for the same search. This makes ranking checks a thing of the past and the only way to gauge search engine success is through ROI.

This does not make Search Engine Optimisation obsolete; it just requires a different approach and focus. More focus on phrases that generate a return, on content that people are searching for  and a move away from vanity phrases and ranking reports.