I am reading the last days here, that many sites rankings have dropped, and many say here that it is a result of the new Google feature "Personalization Search".
Can that really be a reason? If yes, what else can we expect?
What can we do to be successful in Personalization Search?
Lets talk about it. :)
First and foremost a large variety of back links will be necessary to stay on top. Sure you can continue to do what you can to do on-site optimization, but in the "new world order" that will know as P.Search back links will be the trick. This is really nothing new. You need backlinks to rank now, so what will be difference? Will you need more? Will you need better, high quality (authoritative) links? So what do I mean by back links?
I really mean Social Media Optimization. The links you acquire from this work. Blogging, offering video, contests...somehitng viral!
Sure regular, relevant back links will still be great links, but one-way back links on business blogs, personal websites, etc talking about what your doing next is what is needed to stay on top. Google and other P.Search engines are sure to factor the "hotness" of the website.
I don't think you will have to change much of what your doing now in SMO to be successful in P.Search. Instead I think the garbage will start to disappear. Those websites that simply are weak on back links. The websites that are weak on content. The websites that don't have a blog, new ideas or other viral offerings will lose positions.
Now where P.Search could truly suck is when Google factors past search history to much into the equation or to much of your geography. I really feel these are not relevant to what you want. Sure some searches it applies i.e. "pizza", "car shop", etc., but not most queries.
What does everyone else think?
No more opinions on this? John changing the title to something more appropriate to the content of the thread might help.
To me, all this linking and blogging seems like such a waste of time. So many blogs are just blah, blah, blah. Half the time ppl who ask to link to me are my competitors, or just one click away from my competitors. Why would I want to make it any easier for anybody to find them? It just all seems to force us to spend time jockeying for position in search results rather than concentrating on our business. I know we have no business if no one can find us, but still...
Checking blogs and getting links from them seems to be the "in" thing right now. I have looked at mySpace, technorati, and a few others. Some blogs I find through searching beyond the first few pages in Google and other SEs. One personal blog and several business blogs did link to my site (mine is a fun site; no monetary transactions). But, too many of these personal bloggers are outright scary. They seem off the wall, which is, I guess, how they get noticed. Every time I start to contact one of these bloggers who is commenting in my area, I decide not to send the message. Currently, I do well for niche searches (not so well for the overall generic search). The Wall Street Journal found my site and gave it a mention several years ago, so something is working. Trouble is, this and other links from business blogs seem to get old and, hence, less relevant. Bottom line -- right now I am staying with content.
I am not sure that Social Media Optimization will solve a site's problems in personalization search but everything helps. On the other hand, I am afraid that at some point, to do well in personalization search, I will have to bite the old bullet and contact more bloggers to boost my SMO and maybe even start my own blog (like I have time for that -- even a weekly blog). Who said Web sites were fun?
Matchbooktraveler.com
Looking at the big picture, i also get the feeling that personnal search is the ultimate trick from Google to make our lives very complicated.
Blogs and other viral stuff are definitely on hype at the moment and will loose importance as they will get mis-used.
They will however definitely change the picture in the sense that websites will need to prove their popularity to visitors and somehow move away from the focussing on S Engines. That's the essential thing not to forget.
If we consider that social networking is a plus to visitors, it makes sense that Google will be looking at favouring websites with such contents / links. However, it will remain far more difficult for websites to really bring food to Google.
As usual, focus on content, (not on how Google will evaluate your content,) including social / viral content and you'll make your way through. If visitors like your website they will refer it to others and we are back to the marketing techniques of the early 1900's... Mouth to Ear.
Jaan, like you said, this is nothing new. The more back links the better. Social marketing will become essential to see your site in the Search Engines.
Google (and others) will follow where the trend is going.
John, personally I am somewhat left adrift on an open sea as to what needs to be done to be successful in Personalization Search.
Perhaps it is all of the things mentioned above. Like Jaan said, we have to increase the "hotness" of our sites as that is what the SE's will be looking for.
As for blogs and social media losing relavance, I don't see that to be the case. Blogs that are just there for Adsense and such won't last, but those that offer something to the "community" will be around. Just like web pages.
Right now our product is primarily attractive to folks who are "pre-internet" so the social stuff doesn't matter, but of course as people age, the internet savy will become the older generation and they will look for "friends" in the social market place.
I would say the best approach is a slow approach. If you build trust and interest instead of just looking for the sale, you will do well.
ChrisJumbo: yes, I agree. Only problem is that building trust and interest is a long term process - s-l-o-w.
Well one thing is for sure, until we all see more traffic coming from P.Search at Google I guess we don't have to worry. Of course being proactive and finding a way to conquer P.Search is the right thing to do now. I just don't really think their is anything more we can do...specifically.
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