Google, Yahoo, and MSN
have all rolled out some level of
personalized SERPs (define),
particularly in the results' algorithmic
portions. This personalization movement
represents not only a search evolution
but also a search revolution. Search
engines are struggling to gain market
share from one another.
Google's number one because when it
launched in 1997, its PageRank algorithm was noticeably
better than competitors' algorithms. Since then, Yahoo,
MSN, even Ask Jeeves (with Teoma) have significantly
narrowed the relevance gap. But the relevance war
between the engines is continuously thwarted by several
factors:
-
Ever-increasing amounts of site
content where pages are poorly categorized, themes
not identified, and copy not SEO (define)
friendly
-
Increasingly more poor-quality
content that's search-engine optimized by marketers
and search engine optimizers looking to gain highly
valuable positions and traffic from search
-
Searcher disagreement about specific
sites' and pages' relevance for a specific search
Due to its popularity, Google has
received the most continuous and malicious onslaught of
SEO spam. It's also had to be the most aggressive in
algorithmic changes to shake as many poor-quality
results from the top of its SERPs. All engines continue
to work to better identify high-quality content, while
flagging content of clearly inferior quality.
The true challenge lies in the fact
searchers don't all agree the same SERP is superior for
a query. One reason searchers use more than one search
engine is to compare results. The search engines must
find ways to identify what different searchers want in a
SERP. Having all the data in the index isn't enough. The
key lies in floating the most relevant results for each
searcher to the top of the SERP. That's the essence of
personalization.
Amazon.com is a firm believer the best
user experience is the one tuned to the user's needs, so
it's A9.com had an early interest in personalization.
Once A9 starts to profile and personalize, everyone's
user experience is slightly different.
The engines may begin to take into
account factors that likely affect SERP content
preference, including:
-
Age
-
Gender
-
Geography
-
Previous search behavior (what you
looked for 10-20 minutes ago may relate to what
you're looking for now)
-
Previous click behavior (clicked-on
paid or organic listings can help the engine
understand what your specific interests in the
search relate to)
-
Affinity for, or aversion to, paid
results
-
Operating system
-
ISP
Personalized search will dramatically
affect paid search marketers. The engines all want
better-targeted ad listings. Most ads are CPC (define).
The more targeted the ad, the higher the yield (CTR
x bid). With personalization, the concept of paid
placement by keyword practically disappears,
particularly for listings that are more likely to be
clicked on by a specific profile.
Search engines are paid by the click
(your invoices show up with CPCs), but they all want to
generate the highest effective CPM (define)
on each and every search. Let's say male searchers over
40 in the Northeastern U.S. are more likely to respond
positively to a Circuit City listing and a "PC Magazine"
review after searching for "pioneer hdtv" than a Best
Buy or Overstock listing. You can bet the engines would
figure out how to adapt their algorithms (both paid and
organic) to get the additional clicks personalizing and
refining the SERP deliver. Clicks correlate with happy
searchers.
MSN, for example, has a unique additional
solution in the works. Recognizing marketers may want to
reach specific searchers by age or gender and may be
willing to pay a premium, the
upcoming adCenter PPC auction system will enable
marketers to bid boost against certain parameters.
Google already allows marketers to
geo-target campaigns, which essentially personalizes ad
targeting geographically. Google has also been
experimenting with CPM auctions within the contextual
network. Though CPM auctions might not make it into the
main search areas, allowing marketers to segment, then
pay a premium, will likely be an outgrowth of search
personalization.
As marketplaces get better at pairing
advertiser listings with searcher intent, smaller
marketers may be unable to deal with the additional
complexity of thousands of keyword ads (search and
contextual) that can also be targeted by geography,
gender, age, and perhaps even behavioral factors. These
marketers may need to partner with specialists and
technologists to attack the marketplace with advanced
analytics and campaign management. Many marketers still
haven't gotten their arms around the existing search
advertising and contextual auction marketplaces.
We may soon be faced with an even more
complex, yet more powerful, search landscape. Your
ability to maneuver nimbly and strategically through the
auctions while targeting the best customers is becoming
more important. Don't get stuck with an outdated
strategy. Think how better ad personalization and
targeting will affect your campaigns. Evaluate what
changes in strategy or technology will provide you an
edge over the competition.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kevin Lee is
co-founder and executive chairman of Did-it.com, LLC.
Did-it.com
uses advanced strategy and technology to optimize the
performance of its client's paid placement and paid
inclusion search campaigns. Kevin and the Did-it.com
team have been dedicated to helping search marketers
succeed since 1996. Kevin is a founding board member of
the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization
(SEMPO) and is now the group's chairman. He also serves
on the SEM committee for the Association of Interactive
Marketers, and on the Interactive Advertising Bureau's
Search Committee. He also publishes a popular
marketing newsletter. An acknowledged expert on SEO
and SEM, Kevin is regularly quoted by the major news
media including the Wall St. Journal,
Business Week, the San Jose Mercury News,
and Catalog Age. He is also a frequent and
well-respected speaker at industry conferences.
Kevin enjoys sharing tips, tricks and strategies in
print and in person. He earned an MBA from Yale School
of Management in 1992
