Local Triggering Customized Google Results Without Signing In?
Friday 22 Aug 2008
Would anyone like to give me some feedback on this situation of Google customizing their SERPs based upon the user’s location?
Yesterday, just messing about, I did a search for hyperlocal blog and was quite delighted to find the SEOigloo blog at #1 for this search term. And then I noticed this:
I was not logged into my Google account (remember that business about being able to log out of personalized results), and yet, Google was basing its results on my rough geographic location. I decided to run a few more searches for ‘plumber’, ‘doctor’, ‘dentist’ – queries with what strikes me as a more obvious local intent. Oddly, Google did not customize my results for this…until I added the word local to the front of my queries. Suddenly, all of my results were customized. I guess we’ve found a trigger word.
Still curious about the term hyperlocal blog, I decided to sign into one of my client’s Google accounts and run the same search. This client is located on the East Coast. While logged into their account, I was not able to make any customized results appear for any query. And, I discovered that, for the term hyperlocal blog, though I was still appearing at #2, I was being outranked by PBS.org (hey, I really can’t complain about that!)
Strangest of all, if Google feels I should be obliged to add the word local to receive customized results for things like a doctor, a plumber or a dentist, apparently they are less picky when it comes to pizza. Somewhere along the line, people at the Googleplex must have decided that anyone in search of extra mushrooms and olives needed a local answer fast.
I confess, I find the protocols of this customization business rather unclear. Why do some terms and not others qualify as being deserved of customization? Has anyone identified any interesting patterns? Do you even like customization? I confess, I’m not very fond of it and met the announcement of personalization with a frown. I’d rather own the responsibility of signifying to Google when I want something local by using typical local modifiers than have them doing guesswork for me.
In the case of my original search, I really wasn’t looking for something local. It was a curiosity search, just to see what kind of results were out there at this point for this new-ish term. Yet, Google must have parsed my word, seen the ‘local’ in ‘hyperlocal’ and decided that I am the best answer to my own question, at least in the SF Bay Area. Very kind of them, of course, but perhaps not the most relevant results for my intent. I’d appreciate hearing your thoughts on customization.
7 comments Friday 22 Aug 2008 | admin | Local SEO
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I to greeted personalized search with much skepticism and some displeasure. Has potential to throw a wrench in optimization. And leaving it up to Google to determine relevance beyond my actual keyword usage sounds like a crappy idea.
The little I’ve noticed so far about personalization and location is minor in its effects on SERPs. Rankings may change by a few positions it seems, so not a huge change. That’s just what I think I notice, no real testing.
Your usage of a clients Goog account on other coast may not produce the results you might expect. The personalization may be taking in their search history factors but your IP could still be triggering something else as its not truly local anymore. ???
I tried the search here on the east coast and do not see this result. I am not outside of a metro area and could not trigger it. My IP would only show as being here in CT
Hi Stever,
You said:
“The personalization may be taking in their search history factors but your IP could still be triggering something else as its not truly local anymore.”
I agree…you’re probably right about this, and I wondered how it would actually affect the SERPs. While it did seem to get my away from my own customized results, I really don’t know what Google would make of my location at that point.
I complained very loudly about personalized search when it was first being discussed (was that about 2 years ago, now?) but, like you, the changes do seem somewhat minimal…more benign than I originally feared.
Thanks for taking the time to comment! It’s nice to see you here.
Miriam
Greetings, David!
Thank you for taking a look at the SERPs from your corner of the world. Would you be able to tell me what results you ARE seeing for the ‘hyperlocal blog’ search, if you have a moment. I’m not quite sure from your response whether you’re seeing different results, or simply aren’t seeing the notice of ‘customization’ on the right side of the page.
I really appreciate your willingness to take a look.
Thanks!
Miriam
[...] There aren’t many seo blogs that cover original material or break new ground, but I must say that Miriam certainly has done so here! In addition, she’s recently discovered a new element of G’s universal search – local personalization. Not only that, but these personalized results are location independent! [...]
[...] There aren’t many seo blogs that cover original material or break new ground, but I must say that Miriam certainly has done so here! In addition, she’s recently discovered a new element of G’s universal search – local personalization. Not only that, but these personalized results are location independent! [...]
wow.. thanks for this discovery! i will observe if there is a similar function for google germany