Search Engine Optimization Fundamentals | Stacey Morgan Smith

Google announced on its official blog last week that it is “extending personalized search to signed-out users worldwide.”

Generally, this means that Google will use a “cookie” to customize your search results. If you often search for Internet Marketing Services and usually choose NetStrategies (which you do, of course), Google will remember your preferences and might display NetStrategies higher in your search results.

Google has utilized personal search for signed-in users for several years. If you have a Google account (gmail, etc.) and are logged in to search, your results are personalized to reflect your preferences. In an SEO course I took last year, the instructor used the example of searching for Java — depending on what you click most often, your results could contain mostly coffee sites, programming sites, or tourism sites. This change only brings that personalization to all users.

Keep in mind, though, that in addition to changing the way YOUR results are displayed, this will obviously change the way your potential customers’ results are displayed. So how can you ensure they still find you?

Be proactive! Follow best practices around writing your content and structuring your site. Your rankings may change user to user, but when a potential customer clicks on your site, if your page answers their question or solves their problem, you’ve taken the first step toward converting that searcher to a customer.

Remember that rankings should be viewed as a trend and not as a hard number. If you see your site pages fall week by week in your own search results, it’s time to review your content and SEO strategy. Let us know if you need any help!

Stacey Morgan Smith is the director of search engine optimization for Northern Virginia Internet Marketing Company NetStrategies. With over 14 years’ experience as an editor and proofreader, she brings a different viewpoint to SEO. Along with the rest of the NetStrategies team, she can help you increase your leads from search!