Well, no, I don’t believe so… but then I would say that being an SEO’er myself. Before I explain the reasons why, I should explain what personalised search actually is.
Before Christmas Google announced that it would be launching personalised search for ALL users of its engine. It essentially means that for those internet users who have web history enabled, Google will use this information to provide tailored search results.
Here are a couple of examples:
1) Google knows I’m a regular searcher of recipes. It also knows that I regularly click on Delia’s website from the results. Google may decide to promote Deliaonline.com for my recipe searches based on my search history
2) I type in “Java” into Google, which produces results on the island in Indonesia. Not results on the programming language. Why? Because it’s noticed that I’ve been searching on travel phrases for that part of the world recently, and noticed that I’ve not performed searches, or clicked through to any Java programming-related sites
Google had previously produced personalised results for those users who had enabled searched history whilst they were logged into their Google Account.
What does this all mean for SEO?
Unless this change signifies a major algorithm shift, then SEO still remains fundamentally important. Sites will still need to be built so engines bots can read them easily. Content will still need to be plentiful, unique and updated frequently. Sites will still need to attract high quality inbound links. Otherwise they will struggle to get good rakings within those personalised results.
Reporting SEO may change, as it will no longer be feasible to report universal ranking positions for an engine and country. SEOs and clients alike will need to focus on traffic and conversion stats from keywords, rather than position changes (which should be the case anyway).
I believe personalised search will emphasise the need for sites to perform better in terms of usability and conversion rate optimisation. Sites which are well designed, usable, retain visitors, have relevant content, have good calls to action are more likely to benefit from promotion in personalised rankings… but they need to be found in the first place!
Do you remember those glasses that you used to see advertised in the back of the Beano in 1982 that promised to let you see Carol Spencer from class 5B’s bra for the price of a stamped addressed envelope and postal order for 50p? Well I think that Google Goggles is even more exciting.
A lot of fuss was made when Google announced real time search was launching last week. And yes it was justified. The indexing the real time web of Twitter, Facebook (to a lesser extent) and Yahoo (wrong) Answers is a major step for the search giant, and for us as users. At the time Lots of questions/opinions were being asked/formed around the industry about the impact this would have for search.
However for me the more interesting launch on that wet windy day was Google Goggles for mobile. For those that missed it under the real time search news, Tiger Woods jokes and xFactor results Google Goggles is Googles foray into indexing the world.
The idea is that you take your mobile device, point the camera at an object, the app will then recognise it and return you relevant search results (and the erroneous Wikipedia entries).
So for instance if you were to point your phone at the Golden Great Bridge Goggles would realise what it was looking at using some clever optical technology and a bit of Geo information and return you relevant results. An extremely neat bit of tech I think you will agree.
As usual, Google are not the first to the party, Amazon’s iPhone App employs a similar type of technology that allows you to take an image of a book cover, and will then return you the book information and their usual up sells around the book. Layar’s reality browser also provides a similar technology, but relies on third parties to build the Layars for them. However Googles entry into this space however marks it as a real area to watch.
Currently the technology is relatively young, as it says on the Goggles home page;
“This is just the beginning – it’s not quite perfect yet. Works well for some things, but not for all.”
I.e. We can recognise a world renowned 890,000 tonne bright red 3km long bridge, but currently we’re not so good at spotting a 5mm drill bit.
Barber by Markku Lahdesmaki
This is the reason that I see it as a real area for growth in Search. We all know how a web page needs to be constructed to be indexed by Google. Most agencies worthy of the name also know the tricks of the trade that can be employed to push your site up the rankings.
What people don’t know, but will need to know, is how to optimise their products. If you want people to be able to spot your product when they are Goggling then you will need to take Goggles tech into account. If you want Goggles to be able to compare your products to others in the market then it will need to be optimised off-line (or do I mean over-line or above-the-line, or whatever line it is that actually exists as a real physical object) as well as on-line.
And what about individuals. If I pointed Goggles at me what search results would it return? The local gym, a good local hairdresser and ads for weight loss pills?
In the future is my moon boot wearing hairdresser going to be charging an initial setup fee for the haircut and then suggesting a monthly link building budget??
So Jack Dorseys new project finally has a website outlining what has been widely rumoured, the release of a payment mechanism that can be used in conjunction with a ‘mobile phone’ (all of the imagery so far is of the device being attached of an iPhone).
Born out of the frustration a glass artist had with trying to setup a mechanism by which he could take payments for his ornaments and trinkets
The device hardware is a small card reader that turns your phone into a mobile payment device. Presumably the idea is that anybody will be able to use the device to take payments once their account is setup.
It also performs a few neat tricks like displaying the customers’ image as a security check, and allowing the customer to sign for their purchase (you would hope that it will also work from a pin number).
The emergence of worms on the iPhone platform in the past months will surely cause rumblings about security on mobile platforms, especially as people are now accessing there bank accounts via apps such as the Nat West/RBS tools.
However that argument was won when on-line banking arrived (and all the banks shut) so really mobile banking maybe just another sign that convergence has happened, the mobile tipping point has been reached and your mobile device is finally taking over from your desktop PC.
Does that mean we can have proper desks like the old man used to have?
Or perhaps no desks at all, just floating transaction pods where we are all wear moon boots and jet packs.
On the moon.
For more ramblings (sometimes about jet packs, but not often) follow me on @RichStrachan
