Some of our clients may be experiencing a great disparity in the positions of their websites, that is, compared to the reports we create and send them.

(click image for larger screen shot)

This is in part due to the many different Google datacenters synchronizing information across its extensive network. When a user conducts a search engine query, the SERPS (search engine results pages) seen are also dependent upon which data center their ISP routes them to at that moment.

Another discrepancy in website ranking seen from various locations across the country is caused by some users being logged into their Google account, which shows different results compared to a default search.

To further complicate the industry known as SEO (search engine optimization), Google users are today seeing yet another “feature” named ‘Web History‘, which is essentially a mechanism that Google has implemented to track the search activity of the computer itself, by request as a feature.

However, the latest development reveals how all computers and search activities via Google are now being tracked - without the owner’s knowledge and without requesting that your Web history be recorded.

(click image above to see larger screenshot)

Not readily noticed by everyone, the Web History link is seen after, or during a Google query in the top right portion of your screen. The bottom half of our image shows the opt out page, when/if you click on the link.

The problem is that Google is monitoring the search history of a user’s computer and delivering search results to them based on their previous activity, before being given permission or authorized to do so by the user.

Even though you are given an option to “opt out”, tracking a person’s activity without their knowledge verges on privacy violations. Besides this intrusion, it also creates quite a bit of confusion between clients, the SEO service helping to improve their websites and even potential customers who are probably seeing different website listings based on their own search history.

More information:
Google’s New Search Feature raises Privacy Issue
Google Customizes More of Its Search Results
Google Now Personalizes Everyone’s Search Results
Furor Over Google CEO’s Comments On Privacy

This entry posted Saturday, December 5th, 2009 at 8:04 am - Filed under Search Engine Optimization. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.