| When looking at Google, one is struck by the | | | | Now that you understand the concept, let's talk |
| somewhat Orwellian nature of entering a search term | | | | about how you can use it in your business in order |
| and being watched by Big Brother in a dispassionate, | | | | increase sales in your business. These personalized |
| detached yet interested manner. When looking at the | | | | search results, you need to either learn or hire an |
| patterns people use in searching, it does come close | | | | SEO firm that is familiar with this major shift in how |
| to that totalitarian character from the George Orwell | | | | search engine optimization is going. Google is currently |
| novel, 1984, but that is the truth of our times. Google | | | | testing the waters with this form of personalization, |
| is neither good nor evil. It just IS, and with that | | | | and you need to be signed up with one of their |
| realization, people should adapt to the new SEO | | | | services in order to get this kind of personalization. |
| frontiers and how to not only deal with but capitalize | | | | Theses services include: Adwords, Google Toolbar, |
| on the wealth of information that search engines | | | | Gmail and the like. Through these various forums, |
| collect. | | | | Google is learning about you and your preferences. |
| Let's drop the Big Brother analogy, because when we | | | | When you search through Google, it places a cookie |
| started looking for things on the Internet, that | | | | which is a unique identifier on your machine. It doesn't |
| became just another part of our paradigm shift | | | | do anything, but identify you as a user of their |
| towards the belief that anything we searched for on | | | | service. No biggie, right? It will be just as easy for |
| the Net was just out of our reach in the search | | | | them to use this technology to collect user data in |
| results. Collecting data and disseminating it is a fact of | | | | order to personalize your search. Right now, they're |
| life. As a business, one should rapidly get used to the | | | | waiting to see if there's screaming in the streets |
| idea and seek constructive, professional ways to | | | | from users who abhor any kind of data collection. |
| harness this power. Because, in this case knowledge | | | | More than likely, it will go by unnoticed by most. As a |
| is truly power, and if you or a company that you hire | | | | business, you need to be on the cutting edge of this |
| can get a handle on the niche you want to control | | | | new technology and have either an expert or a firm |
| and dominate to deliver your sales message or | | | | working towards utilizing this major upgrade in order |
| well-placed, online advertising, then you're ready to | | | | to take you to the next level of the Internet. |
| watch your sales double, quadruple and more. | | | | Truly good search engine optimization firms are |
| The true value an SEO expert on staff or a firm that | | | | already preparing for this major shift, using things like |
| understands the value of search engine optimization | | | | "clean" machines for data collection and in how they |
| can transform your company. The concept is really | | | | report on Google's ranking of data to their clients. |
| very simple: put your company, product or service in | | | | Clean machines are one's that have had no Google |
| the traffic or search results of people who are | | | | programs or cookies dropped on it. This will be a |
| looking for your product or service. That's it. Success | | | | baseline machine with results for the client that are |
| on the Internet. | | | | delivered as a snapshot of what they user would see |
| When you look at it that way, it doesn't appear to | | | | if their machine was Google-less. |
| be so hard to conquer. What you may fail to realize | | | | First, the good news. Account holders with the |
| is that there are millions of companies and businesses | | | | search engine giant will probably not be deluged with |
| out there that have already realized this fact and | | | | certain products based on their profiles, but their |
| have gone on to seek their fortune in that realm. | | | | entire surfing and querying history will be reviewed |
| You will need an edge, something that most of your | | | | and results will be skewed toward the user's industry. |
| competitors lack. | | | | Then, there's the bad news. Search engine |
| This is where the basic principle of personalized | | | | optimization firms will have a rough time trying to |
| search comes into play. You see, whether you're a | | | | demonstrate these results because the client will |
| millionaire or Joe-Nobody surfing the Net, every time | | | | more than likely be using a Google program on |
| you query Google or any other search engine for | | | | personal machines, so the results won't match with |
| information, that query data is stored in a database. | | | | the SEO firm. |
| It is then tabulated, and cross-tabulated with other | | | | What all this means is that the company needs to |
| things you and others have searched for. On a | | | | establish a level of trust in the professional skills of |
| personal level, the search engines build a profile of | | | | the firm they choose. In return, the SEO firm needs |
| your search habits over time. Like artificial intelligence, | | | | to take the time to explain in detail how the new |
| the search engines long to understand you, your | | | | search engine results work showing how these |
| interests and habits. As you search and surf, you will | | | | results can appear totally different from machine to |
| begin to see an eerie thing happen - more and more | | | | machine and why this happens. As well, the firm |
| relevant search results will begin to pop up as you | | | | needs to have the technical skill to be able to delve |
| type. | | | | into the client's machine, look at the current cookies |
| Before you run screaming back into the dark ages, | | | | onboard and explain how this is affecting what |
| this is a good thing. For example, if you've shown an | | | | results they're getting. |
| interest in fishing while our neighbor searches for | | | | When setting up a campaign, companies will have to |
| musical instruments. When you search for "bass", the | | | | take more into account when starting out. Having a |
| search engine will begin to return fishing results, while | | | | good SEO firm on board will simplify this latest level |
| your neighbor who searches for the exact same | | | | of complexity quite a bit. Being able to utilize personal |
| term, "bass" will get back musical instruments that | | | | search results and consumer profiles is just a step |
| are relevant to him - bass fiddles, bass drums, etc. | | | | away, and it takes a high-level of skill to deal with it |
| This is personalized search results. | | | | effectively. |