I wanted to learn more about what Google calls ‘personalized search’ (which is how ranking results can vary between computers). So, I
sat down with my colleague Brian Haugen and did a little research to find
out that as marketers in the age of personalized search, we should be
paying attention to the inbound keywords report in Google Analytics,
rather than looking at rankings. People seem to get more excited when
they can see their website on page 1 of Google than when people actually
visit their website from Google, but personalized search is changing
that.

Google has a brief video explaining that different search results appear for each user based on their prior search history. Google
adjusts your results if you’re logged into a Google account, as well as
based on cookies stored in your browser. They know based on your IP
where you’re located, what you’ve clicked on in the past (based on
Google account and/or cookies) and can make assumptions about the intent
of your search.

By watching what you click on in search results, Google can learn that you favor particular sites. For example, if you often click on
links from Amazon that appear in Google’s results, over time, Google
learns that you really like Amazon. In reaction, it gives Amazon a
ranking boost. That means you start seeing more Amazon listings, perhaps
for searches where Amazon wasn’t showing up before.

So, what does all of this mean for your bank or credit union? I think what it means is that it’s more compelling than ever to change how
you view and report on Web marketing efforts. Making matters even more
complex, Google Instant has the ability to change the game in terms of how
people search, which is definitely an important search topic for
another time.

Watch Video