Personalized search is back and with a bang promising a unique future online with its specially tailored search for each and every individual. 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. With the recent advent of personalized search, will the SEO professionals be able to deliver a personalized Search Engine optimization solution? Let us first see why and what personal search is.

 

Most people have been using the major search engines like Google for searching and until now it has been a typical process. For every single query that we typed into the query box the search engine came up with its best results depending on the current algorithm and the keyword’s relevance. Results have always been the same irrespective of whoever the user was. (Assuming we are in the same region with access to the same server) Thus if two different people Bill and John, from two different computers typed in the same keyword at the same time within New York, both got to see the same results. But how much does the result satisfy both? The truth is even though Bill gets satisfied with the results in the SERP (Search Engine Results Page), Bill may is not satisfied with the results. This is because even though Bill used a particular keyword he had something else in mind. It could also be due to the fact that while Bill is 54 years old, John is hardly 12. 

 

Any way now that the search engines have decided they are going to evolve and are going to make search a personalized affair so that search results will now suit both Bill and John. Each of them will get an appropriate and different search result page for using the same keyword. With Google having already taken the initiative, other search engines have also plans to quickly join into personalized search.

 

Most of the search engine systems in the past had only a rough understanding of the keyword and focused mainly on the key words without looking at the meaning behind them. Not any more, as they will now better understand the intention of the user and will be able to serve better. For this, the search engines have to,

 

 

With this new generation of search methods, SEO work is going to be more challenging for the SEO professional as the potential and possibilities are going to be astounding. SEO professionals will now have to optimize results on a personal preference basis. It is going to be more difficult. The search results are going to be different every single time and there is no more a periodically updated algorithm like before. Instead the search results are going to be based more on personal preferences. 

The author of this article is Ricci Mathew of OSI (Outsource Strategies International), a US based company that offers services in Search Engine Optimization, SEM, and PPC advertising for clients across the US.