DISQUS

Andy Beard - Internet Business Systems Discussion: Google Personalized Results – Ego Search Conundrum

  • Alex Goad · 2 years ago
    Hey Andy,

    Interesting article. The only usage I've made of personalized search was to try and figure out if there was any logic behind it. There isn't much as of yet...

    Perhaps Google recognizes you own the domain and therefore gives it less importance since you would already be aware of its content...

    In my personalized search, you rank 15th, behind WP Matt but above the other notables. Before you are also a bunch of sites I have never visited or heard of before.

    Interesting experiment, thanks.
  • Alex Goad · 2 years ago
    Hey Andy,

    Interesting article. The only usage I've made of personalized search was to try and figure out if there was any logic behind it. There isn't much as of yet...

    Perhaps Google recognizes you own the domain and therefore gives it less importance since you would already be aware of its content...

    In my personalized search, you rank 15th, behind WP Matt but above the other notables. Before you are also a bunch of sites I have never visited or heard of before.

    Interesting experiment, thanks.
  • Meg · 2 years ago
    Andy

    I also tested this from the .com.au domain. From I.E. (non personalised) you came up around 16. On my personalised search the first reference I could find was at #211. I *might* have missed it, but I rechecked the first 100 results and you weren't there. I've never done a search for "Andy" before, but am certainly a frequent visitor to this site, more so than any other Andy, that's for sure. It's extremely peculiar.
  • Meg · 2 years ago
    Andy

    I also tested this from the .com.au domain. From I.E. (non personalised) you came up around 16. On my personalised search the first reference I could find was at #211. I *might* have missed it, but I rechecked the first 100 results and you weren't there. I've never done a search for "Andy" before, but am certainly a frequent visitor to this site, more so than any other Andy, that's for sure. It's extremely peculiar.
  • Jonk: cheap websites for Austr · 2 years ago
    Hmm that's quite interesting Andy

    And great news for me. That might explain my Google visitors tripling in the past month...
  • Jonk: cheap websites for Austr · 2 years ago
    Hmm that's quite interesting Andy

    And great news for me. That might explain my Google visitors tripling in the past month...
  • Johnny Fuery · 2 years ago
    Here's more mystery data to ponder:

    Searching in California off of a wireless GSM network (AT&T/Cingular), you were result #20 with personalized search and #7 (yes, SEVEN!) when I logged out altogether.

    Now I'm off to do the same with my own ego searches...
  • Johnny Fuery · 2 years ago
    Here's more mystery data to ponder:

    Searching in California off of a wireless GSM network (AT&T/Cingular), you were result #20 with personalized search and #7 (yes, SEVEN!) when I logged out altogether.

    Now I'm off to do the same with my own ego searches...
  • swollenpickles · 2 years ago
    My claim to fame is that if you search for swollen pickles in google then my blog is at the top (or it was when i wrote this). I've actually started an experiment targeting random words with a link exchange type thing. It's for the sort of person that wants to rank number one on google for the term 'inferiority'.
  • swollenpickles · 2 years ago
    My claim to fame is that if you search for swollen pickles in google then my blog is at the top (or it was when i wrote this). I've actually started an experiment targeting random words with a link exchange type thing. It's for the sort of person that wants to rank number one on google for the term 'inferiority'.
  • Andy · 2 years ago
    Nice post Andy!
    I have also done this search before - surprising how common the name Andy is becoming.

    I was known as Andrew throughout high school but changed to the shorter form for two reasons: a) it's more casual and sounds better, and b) there were too many Andrews

    But now every second movie or TV show has a character named Andy and I rarely hear the name Andrew these days!
  • Andy · 2 years ago
    Nice post Andy!
    I have also done this search before - surprising how common the name Andy is becoming.

    I was known as Andrew throughout high school but changed to the shorter form for two reasons: a) it's more casual and sounds better, and b) there were too many Andrews

    But now every second movie or TV show has a character named Andy and I rarely hear the name Andrew these days!
  • Andy Skelton · 2 years ago
    Wow, I didn't know my blogs were noindex until your post showed up in my own "ego Google Blogsearch feed". Thanks!!
  • Andy Skelton · 2 years ago
    Wow, I didn't know my blogs were noindex until your post showed up in my own "ego Google Blogsearch feed". Thanks!!
  • Hawaii SEO · 2 years ago
    I believe they are working very hard to get this right. As soon as they do, you can believe the next thing they release will be Personalized PPC results. This will likely help Google profit by zeroing-in on people who already prefer "Brand X" with an ad thus increasing the click-through rate. If you clicked the ad before, why not improve the position to help increase the chance of you clicking it again? It might already be happening as part of the new quality score, I haven't tested it but I'm keeping an eye on it.
  • Hawaii SEO · 2 years ago
    I believe they are working very hard to get this right. As soon as they do, you can believe the next thing they release will be Personalized PPC results. This will likely help Google profit by zeroing-in on people who already prefer "Brand X" with an ad thus increasing the click-through rate. If you clicked the ad before, why not improve the position to help increase the chance of you clicking it again? It might already be happening as part of the new quality score, I haven't tested it but I'm keeping an eye on it.
  • MB Web Design · 2 years ago
    A most interesting read. I'm very tempted to optimise my personal pages so I can rank highly for Mathew (yes, with the one 'T'), though it would ultimately be a pointless exercise in vanity. Imagine the futility of such an effort if your name happened to be Apple...
  • MB Web Design · 2 years ago
    A most interesting read. I'm very tempted to optimise my personal pages so I can rank highly for Mathew (yes, with the one 'T'), though it would ultimately be a pointless exercise in vanity. Imagine the futility of such an effort if your name happened to be Apple...
  • Hawaii SEO · 2 years ago
    It looks like the Personalized PPC results story just broke.

    Search for:weather forecast
    Then search for: Hawaii Vacation
    Then search again for: weather forecast

    See any difference when you repeat the first query?
  • Hawaii SEO · 2 years ago
    It looks like the Personalized PPC results story just broke.

    Search for:weather forecast
    Then search for: Hawaii Vacation
    Then search again for: weather forecast

    See any difference when you repeat the first query?