11 Dec

Can you “rank” in Google if everyone has different results?

All Google users will now be able to personalize their Google search results, even if you are not signed in! This new extended functionality of the personalized search is available to user all over the world in over 40 languages. This means that the search results on Google will be more focused on the personal interests of the user, as opposed to the masses. Google will show you search results that are more relevant to you and your preferences.

“For example, since I always search for [recipes] and often click on results from epicurious.com, Google might rank epicurious.com higher on the results page the next time I look for recipes,” Google writes in a blog post on the subject. “Other times, when I’m looking for news about Cornell University’s sports teams, I search for [big red]. Because I frequently click on cornellbigred.com, Google might show me this result first, instead of the Big Red soda company or others.”

What this means for SEO

Now we can be sure that when Google announces a major change or improvement, we should take notice and think about what these changes mean for us and our businesses. If everyone’s search results are specifically adjusted to their needs and interests, it will be so much harder for businesses to reach these users by using the traditional SEO strategies. Luckily we also know that when Google makes changes, we will find a way to adjust.

Look, I’m sure that the original methods of SEO will still apply and work, but we need to focus on our target audience. This could also boost Google’s revenue directly, as many people will start to rely on Adwords more than they would on Organic ranking. And quite frankly, I would prefer my searched results tailored to my interests, who wouldn’t?

Users who have accounts with Google and have their history enabled, are familiar with this method of ranking, as this has been available to them for a while now. But with these new changes this will become the standard way of delivering search results for everyone.