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What does privacy, personalization and search engines have in common? No this is not a riddle, it is a lead in to a very interesting trend that is happening on the search engines (in particular Google) that you probably do not know about.

Before I get into the privacy, I will explain the connection between personalization and search engines.

The basic principle behind personalization from search engines is simple. When you search on Google and type in a search query, Google stores the search query (and other data). As you return to the search engine, a profile of your search habits is developed over time. With this database of information on you and your tastes, Google can understand your interests and deliver you more relevant search results.

How does Google do this? First of all, you have to have a Google product for this to work. Google Gmail, Google Toolbar, Google Talk, Google Calendar and a few others are products that allow Google to track your search (if you are logged in).

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The Google Pack is a package of easy to use, convenient software applications that are free.

Getting back to my point. I am sure that you can see where this is going. If Google tracks your search patterns, isn't this a privacy problem? Especially if you don't know that it is happening?

The EU recently announced that it is probing into how long Google stores user information (this probe was subsequently extended to include all search engines). One solution to the concern of privacy could be a "Search Privacy Bill of Rights", as Danny Sullivan suggests. Sullivan ( a well-known search engine guru) also proposed the use of privacy notifications on sites.

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I can see where all of this is going - personalized ads, based on a database of your preferences. Now, just think about how valuable that type of advertising would be! Google ads are currently contextual, but they are not personalized yet.

Google delivers advertising based on search results which has worked great (if not a bit expensive for the advertiser) - but they could work even better if the ads were tailored to you and only you. This is not possible to do without knowing your preferences, trends, where you live etc..

BINGO! Enough for now .. I think you got it!

Labels: Personalized Advertisements, Search Engine Optimization