Google, unless you turn off history, will now be recording the search history of users. Using this history, better search results can be delivered based on knowing something about the searcher and their topical searches in the past. An example would be a search on the word "java," which could be for information on:
- The island
- Java Runtime Environment
- Slang for coffee
Obviously, these are very different subjects, and a searcher would likely only be looking for information on one of them. Now, with the history, Google will try to bring top results that relate to past searches. So, if you've been doing research on coffees, you wouldn't get results about the island destination. But, if you've been searching travel sites, the island listings should rise to the top.
Personalized Search also allows searchers to actually move a listing up or down in their search results. This means that they can move up listings that they like, and the opposite for those they don't. There are other things, such as the ability to comment on search results listings, but the moving of them could be really important.
We all do this; find a site we like with a Google search, but we don't bookmark the page. We end up entering the search criteria again later to look for that same site listing to return. Perhaps we didn't think we'd need it again the first time, or we just don't use or like bookmarking. Either way, a lot of searchers use repeat searches to get back to a site they found useful in the past. But, now they can make locating it much easier. All you have to do is move that result to the top of your search results page.
I can't find where it says that Google is going to track which sites searchers move up in their listings, but I would bet heavily that they will. Will this raise those sites in future search rankings? Could be. Also, if a person is doing a lot of searches relative to a certain geographic location, will a real estate site's rankings change based on this history? I would think that this could happen. An example might be a real estate site that also provides a great deal of local information not directly related to real estate. Will this give that site a better position for those searchers who have been researching the area more than just the "real estate" keywords?
Some SEO experts are not happy with the evolution of search engines in this respect, as it is making it more difficult to hit the top results targets when the variability of user actions are thrown in. Start watching, as your site may be on either side of this, a winner or a loser in rankings.
